And that is quite literally that for Friday’s football blog. Thanks for reading and emailing and all that. Good luck to your team this weekend and see you soon for more (very soon – the 2023/24 Premier League starts on 12 August …). Bye for now.
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Courtesy of the content powerhouse that is PA Media, a more detailed write-up below of the Emma Hayes press conference from earlier, looking to this weekend’s WSL denouement:
Chelsea head coach Emma Hayes says it is “business as usual” for her side as they prepare for Saturday’s Super League finale, looking to wrap up another title.
Before the season’s concluding round of fixtures, the Blues - who have won the WSL five times and for each of the last three seasons - are two points clear of second-placed Manchester United, with a goal difference better by five.
Chelsea, aiming to complete a league and FA Cup double, play bottom side Reading away, while Marc Skinner’s United are at Liverpool. Hayes said: “I think back to every campaign, we’ve only won the league by a couple of points at best, maybe (with) a game (to spare) somewhere along the line, so this is just business as usual for us.
“The preparation is what we’d prepared for at the very beginning of the season. It’s not like we’ve won leagues comfortably in the past - so nothing is different from our perspective. We’ve always known from previous experience it goes to the last game.”
A win to seal the title would be a seventh successive league victory for Chelsea, who have scored 24 goals in the past six games, conceding once.
Reading, meanwhile, have lost each of their last five games, conceding 16 times across their last four. The Royals pulled off a shock 1-0 win at home against Chelsea last season, and Hayes said: “We don’t think about that. What we think about is we are exactly where we want to be – a position to control the outcome.
“I have to keep reminding the team we’re 90 minutes away from winning the title and all of my energy’s focused on doing that.” (PA Media)
Brentford's Frank questions training ban for Toney
Thomas Frank admitted Ivan Toney made mistakes but questioned the Football Association’s decision to ban him from training for four months as part of his suspension for betting rule breaches.
Toney pleaded guilty to 232 breaches of the FA’s betting rules and has been banned from football for eight months and is not allowed to train with Brentford until half of the term has been served on September 17.
Frank jumped to Toney’s side as Brentford adjust to being without their 20-goal striker for the first half of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Brentford manager said: “Yes, Ivan did something wrong but what I don’t get at all is how can you not let him be involved in football at all for the first four months?
“What do you gain from that? If you want to rehabilitate people you give them education, you do something, and now he is left on his own. There’s no doubt for me that the first four months he could be involved in football, he should be forced to go into a hundred schools to tell them about his football and background, that’s how it should work, but I’m a football coach, what do I know?
“If I can’t speak to him, then they will have to ban me. If I am not allowed to speak to him on a support level there must be something wrong. I think you’re allowed to contact people even when they’re in prison aren’t you? So I think I’m allowed.” (PA)
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Royal Antwerp and Union Saint Gilloise are looking to end a lengthy Belgian title drought as they face off at the weekend in a clash that could decide the destiny of this season’s championship and end decades of frustration for one of them.
The two clubs, who play each other on Sunday, are level on 75 points heading into the final two games of the season, with Genk three behind. Antwerp will be crowned champions with a game to spare if they win at the weekend due to the tiebreaker rules, while if Union upset their hosts, they will then need one point from their last game of the season at home against outgoing champions Club Brugge on June 4.
While Genk cannot yet be counted out, only the two at the top have their title destiny in their own hands.
Antwerp’s measly list of achievements belies their status as one of Belgium’s best supported clubs, having won the last of their four Belgian league titles in 1957. But their 66-year drought is nothing in comparison to Union, who were the most successful Belgian side before the outbreak of the second world war, with 11 championships, but last won the title in 1935.
The Brussels club won promotion back to the top flight after a 48-year absence before last season and were on course for a 12th title before being caught in the closing stages of the campaign by Club Brugge.
This season they are looking to go one better and win their first title in 88 years in an incredible rise, benefiting from their partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion, whose owner Tony Bloom also has a stake in the Belgian outfit. But home advantage makes Antwerp favourites to deny Union.
Antwerp’s emergence this season - they are on course for the double after beating Mechelen in last month’s Belgian Cup final - comes with a dose of Dutch influence, having appointed Marc Overmars as technical director and Mark van Bommel as coach.
The former Netherlands players have been credited with the turning the team into contenders, with Dutch international striker Vincent Janssen scoring 17 goals. The Belgian league plays a regular season of 34 games, after which the top four teams advance to a playoff round. (Reuters)
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Here’s your one-stop shop for all the football pieces that have been published today. If by some bizarre twist of fate you missed any of them:
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ICYMI: Ten Hag giving it large on Manchester United’s place in the Champions League:
Navas may have played final match for Forest
The goalkeeper Keylor Navas looks to have played his final game for Nottingham Forest after being ruled out of Sunday’s Premier League curtain-closer at Crystal Palace.
Navas limped out of Saturday’s win over Arsenal, which secured Forest’s top-flight status, after landing heavily when collecting a ball in injury time.
He has not recovered to feature at Selhurst Park and with reports in France suggesting the Paris Saint-Germain loanee will not extend his stay, his City Ground career could be over.
Brazilian duo Felipe and Danilo, who also came off against Arsenal, are also doubts. “Keylor is out for the game,” boss Steve Cooper said. “He won’t feature. You saw him come off right at the end of the game with a groin injury.
“Felipe and Danilo both came off as well and are doubts for the game. We’ll see about them. We’ve still got a day or two until the game, so we’ll see how they are.”
Forest’s survival is a real success given their long stint outside of the Premier League and their unprecedent squad churn last season. After enjoying the relief of staying up, Cooper is already turning his attention to the future.
“Initially it was relief and really positive emotions,” he said. “You could see the joy that it gave the supporters and everyone connected with the team. “No one wants to be down at the bottom of the league, fighting to stay in it, but it happens, especially at a promoted team. We had been out of the league for a couple of decades.
“And the way we had to go about it from the day we got promoted to this day, there has been so much change at the club. There is a feeling of satisfaction that we’ve had to contend with so many things that haven’t happened before.
“The boys have managed to get over the line and they deserve so much credit for that. For me as the days have gone by it has really now turned into motivation about how we have to improve. We have a tough game at palace where we are really determined to finish off the season well.” (PA Media)
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Jorginho’s penalty-taking technique started from messing about with his teammates after training when he played for Napoli, he tells the Premier League’s “Uncut”:
"It started from a joke" 😅
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 26, 2023
Jorginho reveals the story behind his penalty technique in the latest episode of Uncut 🎥 @EASPORTSFIFA | ➡️ https://t.co/eKn6S2Hb5C pic.twitter.com/N5hbybA058
Gary O’Neil speaks! Bournemouth, long since safe from the drop, will have a hand in the relegation scrap as they go to Goodison Park:
“Just not really looking at any other part of the picture other than our own … we’ve been on 39 points for a while … we’re looking to just go and be ourselves, try and put in a real good showing, finish the season on a high.
“It [the relegation battle] is something I’m aware of because we were involved in it … but for us it’s about three points and adding to our tally which is important for us.
“It’s a really good test for us. How we deal with the atmosphere, how we deal with Everton who are very direct … what a great opportunity for the players to go and show what a good side we are, to stand up to the questions that are going to be asked of us.”
My esteemed colleagues at Sky Sports News just played a snippet of Eddie Howe speaking before Sunday’s sojourn to Chelsea, with Champions League football already secured for next season: “It’s been a hectic few days,” Howe says. “To be honest, for me, it’s sort of planning and preparing for next season … there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
“It’s an incredible achievement [to qualify for the Champions League] and it was good to get it done in front of our fans … the scenes afterwards were great to be part of. As I say, preparing [for next season]… a lot of our success next year will be down to what I do now.
“It’s important that the players get a rest, but for us, the work goes on.”
Marco Silva speaks before Fulham’s Manchester United mission on Sunday. They will finish 10th whatever happens: “There are three points to fight for … the players know our demands and standards … you can collect more points and that’s the main thing for us … as always to demand from ourselves a certain type of standards.”
He’s been nominated for manager of the season, but insists it’s a team effort: “This type of award, or nomination, makes all of us proud but … it’s not just an individual thing, it’s a collective thing, for me it’s a consequence of the season Fulham Football Club has done. It’s proud, it’s nice.”
He’s been linked with other clubs …
“I have a contract with this club. This is the main thing.”
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“Sam Allardyce has called on the services of some of Leeds United’s greatest players to ready his squad for the game that will determine whether they stay in the Premier League. Leeds know only victory against Tottenham at Elland Road on Sunday will give them a chance of survival. But that will not be enough if Everton beat Bournemouth or if Leicester, hosting West Ham, match Leeds’s result.”
Here’s Aaron Bower:
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It’s only Barry Glendenning, with Football Daily:
The Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes had a chat a little earlier. Chelsea go to Reading tomorrow on the final day of the WSL, with Manchester United ready to pounce, two points behind in second place – although they have a tricky match away against Liverpool.
If this match more difficult to prepare for, because it’s a must-win? “No. It’s what we prepared for anyway,” Hayes says. “We’ve only won the league by a couple of points at best [in previous seasons]. This is just business as usual for us. The preparation is what we prepare for at the beginning of season.
When she collected the FWA women’s player of the year award last night, Sam Kerr said the WSL is getting harder. Does Hayes agree?
“I think when everyone invests, and there a lot of top athletes ... inevitably there’s going to be a closing of the gap with each subsequent year. I think the difference this year has probably been that more teams have been at a higher level. As a result more games have been difficult.
“But like I’ve said before it’s not like we’ve won leagues comfortably in the past. We’ve always known from previous experience that it goes to the last game.”
It’s a bit like pro cycling (seeing as I’ve got one eye on the Giro).
Some people get off on power data and other such metrics. I could not care less, but if people are into it, that’s obviously fine. Power numbers are useless for telling stories or putting things in any kind of context.
“Every statistic is rubbish if it is being used to describe something other than what it is intended to describe,” emails Huw. “With any given set of statistics, we’re basically trying to reduce the vast array of variables of how one can describe football, and give a more digestible data with fewer dimensions. But whenever we reduce dimensions in data, we remove some information and this is no different for xG.
“Expected Goals is an extremely powerful metric for specific aspects of football, but like any other statistic more granular than “Who won”, it has to be taken in context. It can be an excellent way of investigation progression into the final 3rd for example. Many shots with a low cumulative xG? Indicative of profligate shooting, but what is the cause of profligate shooting? When you look at your creative players’ expected assists, is it high indicating that they’re putting the ball into good positions – but strikers are failing to get shots away/making bad final 3rd choices – or is their expected assists also bad indicating that your progression into the final third is done so whilst strikers have no options for further progress?
“Do you have a keeper who is an excellent shot-stopper conceding far few goals than xG against indicates he should? If you then break that up into xG against inside-vs-outside the box, you can start to see things like “we should drop off players who are in positions for long shots, take benefit of his shot stopping over a gamble of where the ball ends up after a block”.
“It’s a great metric for understanding how specific aspects of a team/player are causing them to excel/underperform and how that can be mitigated or exploited.
“But like any other statistic, it cannot tell a whole story on its own.”
That’s a brilliant summary of the inherent limitations of statistics – thanks.
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Here’s Will Unwin with news from Pep Guardiola’s press conference and his pessimism with regards to Spain combatting the problem of racism:
What is emerging from all these press conferences is that the three relegation-threatened teams will be trying to win on Sunday. But interestingly, if we look a bit more closely at the data, the non-relegation-threatened teams will also be looking to win. Everyone is looking for that win, essentially.
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Thanks to my colleague John Brewin for alerting me to the fact that Scott Carson has a one-year contract extension at Manchester City. Pep reveals he is “important” and that City are “pleased”.
PEP 💬 [on Carson's new contract] He deserves it. He's an important figure for us... You cannot imagine how important. We are very pleased to have him.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 26, 2023
“I’m excited to be staying at City for the 2023/24 season,” Carson said on the club website. “I love working with Pep, Xabi Mancisidor and our incredible players every day. Hopefully I can help all of our goalkeepers be at their best.”
The director of football, Txiki Begiristain, said: “Scott is a real asset to our squad and enjoys a close working relationship with the goalkeepers and coaches. We’re very happy he has signed a contract extension. I look forward to seeing him support his team-mates and train well to ensure he is ready to perform on the pitch when called upon.”
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I’m going to whip this xG debate into a frenzy, then seamlessly mix in some VAR chat. It’s properly going to kick off.
“In response to Paulo,” emails Peter, “at the moment, xG is the stat that is the best prediction we have of a team’s future performance. You don’t have to like it, and football is just as wonderful without it. Also, at the single-game level, it can at times be a bit iffy. But it’s a very good stat.”
Steve Cooper, who takes mathematically-safe Nottingham Forest to Crystal Palace on Sunday, says the following: “The boys have managed to get over the line and they deserve so much credit for that ... in the past few days it’s turned into motivation of how we have to improve. We’ve got a tough game at Palace, and we’re looking to finish off the season well. That’s where our work is at the moment, and that’s our focus.”
Yet again, I have more from a manager already quoted on this blog. Sam Allardyce, who will endeavour to keep Leeds in the top division on Sunday, says a decision on his future will be taken
“That’s to be decided at the end,” Allardyce said. “It’s always been a case of we will discuss whatever we need to discuss at the end of the season based on where we are.
“Also based on what I think the club needs to go forward and based on what the club thinks and if that’s aligned with each other, then we’ll wait and see. But that discussion, it doesn’t happen in a morning or one day, it happens over a period of time and I just hope that we’re talking on a very positive nature on Monday morning and I have a hangover.”
Injuries to strikers Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo in last week’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham appeared to have dealt Leeds’ survival hopes another blow. But Rodrigo returned to training on Friday while Bamford has not yet been ruled out and Allardyce said he would be prepared to take a risk with any of his injured players with so much at stake.
“I’ll gamble on anyone’s fitness if they want to play, if I think they can make a contribution to help us try to win the game,” Allardyce said. “It’s the last game, they will have plenty of time to recover, but there is obviously medical issues where if you play them the risk is too great and a lot of it is up to the player himself.” (PA Media)
“Is there any more pointless, useless and utterly meaningless statistic than expected goals?” writes Paulo on email.
“If not and xG is, in fact, the work of a genius how come there aren’t statistics like expected corners, expected saves, expected bookings, expected time wasting etc. etc.?”
Wigan Athletic have been given a second four-point deduction and will start the next League One season on minus eight points after the club were unable to deposit funds to cover their wage bill, the English Football League (EFL) said on Friday.
Wigan were handed an initial four-point deduction last Friday after the club failed to pay player salaries this month. Wigan, who have been relegated from the Championship, were docked three points in March by the EFL for failing to pay salaries and were charged this season for late payments in June, July and October.
“Following the failure to ensure that an amount equal to 125% of the Club’s forecast monthly wage bill was deposited in a designated Club account by Wednesday, 24 May … Wigan Athletic Football Club has been deducted a further four points,” the EFL said in a statement.
Wigan said they were “extremely disappointed with this latest decision”, adding they will “consider all options open, including legal action in response.” (Reuters)
Crossing to my dear friends at Reuters, now:
As a big fan of Apple TV’s popular soccer comedy “Ted Lasso”, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was happy to appear as himself on the show’s penultimate episode that aired this week.
“As a family, my little daughter Valentina and my wife, we enjoy a lot to watch the show,” Guardiola said on Friday. “We are big fans, and when they offered a cameo, I said why not and I could meet the actors. “We are so proud, honestly, we are so proud to make known around the world Man City who we are.”
The fictional AFC Richmond beat City in the episode called “Mom City”, and Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, and Guardiola shake hands after the game ends.
“Don’t worry about wins or losses,” the Spaniard tells Lasso. “Just help these guys be the best version of themselves on and off the pitch. This, at the end, is the most important thing.” Lasso replies: “I couldn’t agree more, coach.”
The scene was shot before a City game at the Etihad and the cast and crew returned to watch a recent game there.
“One of the last games we played here, they came and we talked again, and yeah, it was nice,” Guardiola added. Manchester City got in on the fun ahead of the episode, posting their usual “It’s Matchday” announcement on Twitter but with Sudeikis and Guardiola and “Time for the @premierleague champions to take on @AFCRichmond!”
The show has featured numerous cameos including Gary Lineker and former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry. The character of Roy Kent is based on former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, while many fans of the show believe Richmond star Jamie Tartt is modelled after City player Jack Grealish. (Reuters)
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Following on from my attempts to write up Arteta quotes earlier, here is a far more thorough version from – you guessed it – PA:
“The competition is going to be even harder next season,” said Arteta of the Premier League. “In my opinion it’s been the hardest this season in 22 years that I’ve been in this league. In order to [compete] we have a really promising plan, we have to reflect a little bit, take a step back, make sure this is the right one and go again with more determination and hunger in the tummies to do even better.
“Now is about finishing the season in style and providing a great performance and a victory in front of our people to show our gratitude. [We] received a lot of incredible energy they have given us throughout the season, and [we will] start to build for next season. We have to wrap it up in the best possible way. It’s been some journey, full of emotions.
“Looking with a bit of perspective, there’s a lot of things not only on the field that have happened at the club that deserve a lot of credit for a lot of people. We have to nail everything that we do, we have to seek excellence in everything that we touch and we participate in that’s going to have a big impact at the club.”
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At 10.37pm on 4 May the man who lives in Diego Maradona’s head threw open the window of his flat in the Spanish Quarter district in Naples for the first time in months, erupting in a cathartic scream as the city celebrated another moment in its rebirth.
Ciro Maiello, a 50-year-old pork butcher, moved to the apartment block featuring a giant mural of the Argentinian in 1996 and lived there through a period he called the “dark days [when] dozens of people were killed in these streets.” The mural was painted a few years earlier, in honour of the player who gave the city’s football team the most successful period in its history, including its first Serie A title win, and whose veneration by Neapolitans is comparable only to the adoration of its patron saint, Gennaro.
The Everton manager Sean Dyche insists he has no problem with the relegation-threatened club potentially already looking for his replacement. The former Burnley manager arrived in January as Frank Lampard’s replacement.
Things have not gone entirely to plan with the Toffees just two points above the relegation zone, although their fate remains in their own hands as they seek to extend their stay in the top flight into a 70th season by matching the results of Leeds and Leicester. Reports this week suggested Everton were already thinking about what comes next.
“It’s fair to say ‘interesting’ reports, but I don’t know where they come from,” said Dyche. “At the end of the day, good businesses should be succession planning. I’ve got no problem with that, even if that were true.”
Everton go into their relegation decider at home to Bournemouth without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin or defenders Nathan Patterson and Ben Godfrey.
“They won’t be fit. We haven’t had Dom for two-thirds of my time here. We have still won games, still got points on the board and performed,” he said. “Patto has come into the side more latterly and performed well. We lose him as well.”
Dyche holds out some hope Vitalli Mykolenko - his only remaining full-back on either flank - could return after a two-match absence. “He’s a bit better so we will see how he reacts tomorrow to training today,” Dyche said.
Dyche was already without Seamus Coleman, Ruben Vinagre, Tom Davies and Andros Townsend so more injuries just increase the pressure in an already-tough atmosphere on Sunday.
“I think it is part of being a professional footballer. You have to use the feeling in the stadium to your advantage and I think we have a decent experience level for the ups and downs of football to understand that,” added the manager. “We want players to focus on the game, which is not as easy as it sounds, but focus on the game and the idea and don’t worry about the noise. That’s the clear intention.” (PA Media)
Courtesy of the good people at PA, more from the Wolves manager here, plus some team news:
“We have to talk, it’s not about one or two days. We have to talk about the solution and the future to be able to have a squad ready to compete again.
“This year has been a wake-up call. We have to learn why it has happened and to overcome and make our homework this summer. It’s not about one or two days. We need a clear picture. It’s important to have the squad ready. Maybe not 100 per cent of players but maybe 90 per cent. For me it’s very important, to have the squad ready to start working with us on July 1.”
Wolves to go Arsenal for Sunday’s Premier League finale and Joao Moutinho will not feature and is likely to have played his last game for the club as he is out of contract in the summer. Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) is out while Lopetegui himself is banned from the touchline for collecting four yellow cards.
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“About my future, I have a contract and we will see what is going to happen. This is football, we don’t know.”
It must be said: those words from Julen Lopetegui hardly scream that he sees himself in the role at Wolves next season.
Next up is Dean Smith. Actually it was a while ago, but it’s hard to keep up with this relentless stream of manager-speak.
“We can only focus on what we can control,” says the Leicester interim manager before the match against West Ham at the King Power. “Control your performance. Help your teammates ... we’ve got to make sure we concentrate on what we do.
“I’ve no idea what David [Moyes] will be thinking about his team. I wouldn’t expect too many changes. He’ll be looking to finish the Premier League season on a high.”
Does he wish he could have taken over earlier, thus making more impact? “Not really. It’s hypothetical ... we came in when we did. We need the result.”
Will they throw caution to the wind on Sunday? “I think any game you’re trying to win the game. You’ve got to get that balance right. Make sure you’re not too open. We’ve got to go and score a goal. Without scoring a goal, we don’t win.
“We’re mindful of the threat that West Ham have. It’s about going from the first minute to try and win. Can you create scoreboard pressure on other teams? I don’t know. We’ve just got to get the win.
“I think the players want clarity, what their positions are ... our job is to give them that clarity. It doesn’t get any clearer for me. We have to win. That’s what we know.”
“Scoreboard pressure.” You can tell he’s a cricket fan.
Unai Emery, the Aston Villa head coach, has a chat before Sunday’s tie against Brighton: “We are trying to prepare for this like the last matches we played ... of course being motivated, enjoying the process ... our time is coming on Sunday, in Villa Park, to enjoy this match.
“The team we are going to face is very difficult... playing amazing football. Their structure, tactically, is very strong. I enjoy watching some other teams in the Premier League and one of them is Brighton.
How influential is Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, as a manager?
“Football is changing so quick. I am now 51, I started training at 32 ... always I am very focused on how I can improve each day, to be today better than yesterday. It’s not only about my work, about my analysis. [I look at the methods of other coaches and] one of them is De Zerbi.”
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West Ham’s David Moyes is asked how his week has been, without a midweek match to take care of. “I’ve not been sure what to do … you’re right … it’s been relentless [in recent weeks]. To have a couple of days downtime has been fabulous.”
What’s the motivation, is it hard to get up for this game at Leicester? “I don’t see it that way. I take every game one at a time. It’s a chance to get another league place higher up. Being in a position where we go in without any real problems, and a cup final coming up, if you’d offered me that a few weeks ago, I’d have snapped your hand off.
‘We have to go and do our job. We have to finish a bit higher up the league. We are preparing for a final. We have to get everybody in the right condition.”
Moyes is asked about the club organising travel and accommodation for the Europa Conference League final in Prague, against Fiorentina, on 7 June. “If you get to a final you’d expect your club to do that … we are looking forward to having all the families there.”
Declan Rice has added goals this season, was that a target? “It’s something people have questioned … he can score goals … he plays a crucial part … we’ve got other midfield players who score goals. Declan does more defensive duties.”
Injury wise, will Aguerd be back? “Nayef is available. He took part in training today. We expect him to be back.
“Emerson [Palmieri] had a knock to his knee … we’ll need to check how he is. Gianluca Scamacca is still recovering from his knee operation. That’s about all we’ve got at the moment.”
The Wolves manager, Julen Lopetegui, was asked about his future a little earlier in his press conference. They go to Arsenal on Sunday.
“This is first and last answer [on this topic],” he says. “It’s not important. About this I have talked. We have one new problem about the FFP ... after we can hear, and after we can see ... what is more important is what is going to be the solution.
“This is all. About my future, I have a contract. We will see what will happen. This is football, we don’t know. Sunday is an important match. It’s the last match of the season. In the Premier League they [Arsenal] have been very, very close to winning. They are going to want to make a good match. We have to go there ready. We have to be able to compete with them.”
Earlier today Sky Sports spoke to Ange Postecoglu, the Celtic manager, and asked him about the stories linking him with the manager’s job at Tottenham:
“Anyone who knows me ... what’s important for me is the here and now,” said Postecoglu. “I’ve never planned anything in my football career ... my focus is tomorrow [against Aberdeen] and then winning a cup final. If anyone thinks I’m thinking anything else they don’t know me. What the Celtic fans want is their manager to be focusing on them.”
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Harry Kane is 'still our player', says Tottenham's Ryan Mason
If the match at Leeds is Kane’s last for the club, how would he sum up his contribution overall, Ryan Mason is asked. “I can’t sum it up. He’s still our player … when you sum up, it’s a closed chapter … but for any player, or staff member, it’s important to have a succession plan in place.
“Ultimately in two months, 10 years, 20 years, Tottenham will still be Tottenham. It’s important there’s an identity.”
On the match against relegation-threatened Leeds: “We need to be clinical when our chances come … but also understand that opposition will have their moments. You need to get through it as a team. Make blocks, make saves.
“It wasn’t a great second half [against Brentford] … they had moments when they were clinical.
Are the players hungry to atone for last week’s loss? “Naturally as a professional when you lose games … that is something you hope and expect to feel … going to Elland Road, you know it’s going to be intense. You have to enjoy that.”
Before Sunday’s trip to Leeds Ryan Mason, the Tottenham interim manager, is asked about the club’s failure to qualify for Europe: “It’s not where we want to be. We want to be competing in Europe … it’s important for a club of this size. But in or out of Europe, there’s a plan and a commitment going forward.
“The results before he [Conte] left weren’t amazing. I don’t think the results have dipped much. There was uncertainty. And it’s never great to have uncertainty … we’ve been in that position for the last eight weeks. I’ve tried to create a togetherness, and create an identity, the way we want this team to look like in the future.”
Do top managers want to come to Tottenham? “Yes … It’s history. It’s Tottenham Hotspur. It’s a big club. Anyone here should feel the privilege and honour to represent this badge. If they don’t they shouldn’t be here. It’s really as simple as that.”
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Everton, who are 17th and two points above Leicester and Leeds, host Bournemouth on Sunday.
Sean Dyche speaks: “All games are important. It’s a massive game. I don’t need to emphasise that. I know it, the fans know it, the players know it. That’s the challenge of being a footballer.
“When I came in here and realised things needed a lot of work, a lot of change … [The players] are aware of it. It comes down to getting a big performance on Sunday.
“The message to the players is about delivering a performance. They’re in good shape, physically and mentally, they’ve trained well this week ... to the fans, I’d never question them, they’ve been terrific. Their affection for the club is there ... we’ve got to give something back.”
Can the players channel the atmosphere?
“You have to use the feeling in the stadium to your advantage ... we want the players to focus on the game. Don’t worry about all the noise and rumours ... that’s the clear intention.
“There won’t be too much focus on [scores] elsewhere ... of course there’ll be people who know what’s going on.
“At the end of the day it’s Everton football club. Every game is pressure ... that should be every time you run on a football pitch.”
Is Dyche pleased to have it in their hands? “Definitely, we’ve worked hard to get in this position. As long as we capitalise on it. It comes down to performing to win. It’s not that easy. But that’s our mentality.”
Guardiola 'not optimistic' on Spain combatting racism
The Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is asked: Can Spain learn from the way the Premier League deals with racism? “They should. Here they are so strict,” Guardiola replies. “But they [in Spain] know what they have to do. Racism is a problem everywhere ... not in a specific place ... our ancestors come from migrants, come from wars, dictatorships ... you have to move on [from one country to another], and you build families ... the problem of racism is everywhere, and not just gender or colour but for the attitude ... “We believe our country our language is better”.
“You realise we are the same, the same fears, the same good things. You have to accept the diversity as the strength of human beings. And right now we are far, far away from that. I hope it’s one step to things getting better in Spain, but I’m not really optimistic.”
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Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal head coach, has a chat before the visit of Wolves:
“It’s about finishing the season in style, providing a great performance and a victory in front of our people
“We’ll receive a lot of the incredible energy they [the fans] have given us ... and we will start to build for next season.
“It’s been some journey, full of emotions ... in the end we haven’t managed to achieve [the title] but with a lot of perspective, there’s a lot of things that have happened at the club, which mean a lot of people deserve credit.”
Arteta is asked about summer transfer business: “We have to nail everything we do. We have to seek for excellence ... the competition [to sign good players] is going to be even harder this season ... in order to do that we have a promising plan ... We have to reflect a little bit, make sure it’s the right one, and go again with determination.”
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Pep Guardiola has a chat before the Premier League visit to Brentford, and is asked about his approach to the FA Cup and Champions League finals:
“The best way to play finals is to be disconnected as much as possible,” Guardiola says. “You have to play as much as you can like it’s regular Premier League game ... then we’ll be closer to our best level.”
How will he advise his players to spend the two days off they will get post-Brentford?
“If the weather is shine, go to play golf, do whatever you want ... You have to train few [little], but do exactly what you need to arrive in the best way possible [for the finals].
So he will forget about football for a couple of days?
“No, not forget. But when I’m not with the players I am less connected. Family time, good restaurants.”
Does he play golf? “No. My back don’t allow me.”
Has he had players coming to tell him why they should play in the finals? “Yeah they will come, but not yet.
Has he got his teams for the two finals in mind? “I have an idea. United play different to Inter Milan. We’ll have to defend and attack differently ...
“It’s Brentford [first], what they have to do, then we’ll join together again and see where we are.”
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More from Allardyce before Leeds’s crunch tie against Spurs on Sunday: “Control, calm, composure in possession is a necessity. We’ve got to get at Tottenham’s defensive unit. That’s a weakness based on what we saw against Brentford last week.
“We’ve scored first in the last two games and then failed miserably after that ... 80% of the time you wouldn’t lose the game after scoring first.
“It’s about 55 mins of pure concentration, not 90 [factoring in when the ball is out of play]. Then it’s just about getting in the right position, doing the right thing. I want to see their best. The best will get the fans behind them ... That will help them do what they need to do to get a result, I think.”
Can he enjoy or appreciate the drama? “No. I hate it, where I am now. I wanted to be in a position where if we win we stay in the league, no matter what anyone else does. We’ve had the opportunity to do that but failed to take it.
“If we are to win we need a clean sheet in my opinion. Because we’re not a prolific goal scoring team.”
Will Sam Allardyce of Leeds be keeping a close eye on scores elsewhere on Sunday?
“The only focus for the players is to win the game. I’ll be adjusting to what’s happening on the field,’ he says.
“I don’t want to hear something, and change some on basis of that. I want to decide on my substitutes on what we’re doing, not what people are doing elsewhere.
“Our best performance by far was the first half against West Ham. Unfortunately our final-third play was not up to scratch to score more goals than one.
“Tomorrow [he means Sunday of course] is around the fact that tactis have to be put into place
“Tottenham’s outstanding strength is their front lads ... we have to make sure that’s not successful. We saw some [defensive] weaknesses against Brentford that we’ve got to try and exploit.”
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Thanks Barry, hello everyone. Big Sam speaking now. Quotes to follow …
Fourth official raises board: My number has come up and after limbering up on the sideline, Luke McLaughlin is ready to come on to close out today’s blog. Thanks for your time and have a great weekend.
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Crystal Palace: No fewer than six Crystal Palace players are out of contract this season, with a combined total of almost 50 years service to the club between them. WIlf Zaha, Nathaniel Clyne, Luka Milivojevic, Joel Ward, James Tomkins and James MacArthur are all nearing the end of their deals. Zaha is reported to be mulling over a £200,000-per-week offer from the club and only McArthur and Milivojevic have confirmed they are leaving the club. Palace manager Roy Hodgson, whose future is also up in the air, has been singing the duo’s praises.
“I have such respect and admiration for those two players,” he said. “They are perfect professionals – not only very good footballers but very good individuals, very good personalities and leaders both on the field and off the field.
“I have no doubt that they will be missed. You come across players like McArthur and Milivojevic relatively rarely in a long career. When you find them, you dread the day when they move on or leave the club behind.
“Everyone here at Crystal Palace realises how good they are, and everyone here at Crystal Palace will join me in wishing them both luck. The next manager who has the joy of working with those players, I congratulate him, because he has a diamond coming his way.”
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Manchester United: “Bruno Fernandes insists Manchester United can be competitive in the Champions League after qualification was sealed with Thursday’s 4-1 defeat of Chelsea,” writes Jamie Jackson. “United were knocked out by Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League this season but the midfielder has no concerns regarding their prospects.”
Wigan Athletic: Relegated from the Championship this season, Wigan Athletic will be deducted a toal of eight points from the 2023-24 Sky Bet League One table after failing to pay its players’ wages on time this month, the second time they have done so this year. The sanction comes on top of a previous deduction of four points after the club failed to pay its players’ wages on time in March.
“Following the failure to ensure that an amount equal to 125% of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill was deposited in a designated club account by Wednesday 24 May, as per the order of an Independent Disciplinary Commission, Wigan Athletic Football Club has been deducted a further four points and will now start the 2023/24 season on minus eight points (-8),” read an EFL statement.
“This follows a previous sanction of four points after failing to pay its players’ wages on time in March 2023. The EFL has spent the past 48 hours in dialogue with the Club in an attempt to find a positive outcome to the issue but as of 9am Friday morning the required funds have not been deposited.” Wigan finished bottom of the Championship with 39 points, 10 clear of safety.
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Newcastle United: Eddie Howe has addressed the subject of Newcastle’s need to bring in new players during the summer and has said some of his targets could be classed as “marquee signings”.
Speaking earlier this morning, the Newcastle manager said: “Yes, there would be players we’d love to bring in that would be classified in that bracket, I’m sure. For me, it’s more about the role they can fulfil in the team - whether that’s viewed positively or as a marquee signing, then great. I’m not in my mind thinking: ‘We have to have one of those players that ticks that box for the supporters’. As much as I’d love to do that, it’s about finding the right player in the right position who I think makes us better.”
Despite the bottomless financial resources of Newcastle’s Saudi owners, Howe has stressed throughout his reign that unbridled spending is not an option and that the club will have to continue to invest shrewdly. “Unfortunately players don’t come cheap, especially good players,” he said. “Yes, we are going to have to spend a certain amount of money. How much that is, I don’t know. I still don’t know what my budget is at this moment in time, but there will have to be some expenditure. It will have to be controlled. It will have to be under FFP restrictions, which we have worked under and will continue to work under. They are definitely impacting us and what we will be able to do.”
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and Leicester City’s James Maddison have both been linked with summer moves to Newcastle but are likely to be in big demand. Newcastle finish their season with a trip to Chelsea and Howe will be without keeper Nick Pope at Stamford Bridge after he underwent surgery on a hand injury. He joins Jamaal Lascelles, Javier Manquillo, Matt Ritchie, Joelinton and Joe Willock on the sidelines.
Ivan Toney responds to today's revelations ...
Or more specifically, doesn’t respond to them. The Brentford striker has posted somewhat cryptically on Twitter saying “I’ll speak soon with no filter”.
I’ll speak soon with no filter.
— Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 26, 2023
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Championship playoff final: Luton chief executive Gary Sweet “could not be prouder” of manager Rob Edwards for leading the club into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in his first year in charge. Edwards only joined Luton in November 2022 but has taken them within touching distance of the Premier League after the his side beat Sunderland 3-2 on aggregate in last week’s play-off semi-final.
Sweet lauded the 40-year-old former Watford manager’s conduct since replacing the hugely successful Nathan Jones, with Luton vying for a return to the top flight just nine years after playing in non league. “I couldn’t be prouder of Rob, we couldn’t have had a better human being come in to carry on the great job Nathan did and the mantle he left,” he said.
“But to do that in a way which couldn’t be more befitting than how we want our club to be represented and so Rob’s image and persona is impeccable on that front and reflects us. We’d love to think he’s a lot better than we are [the board]. I don’t think we can ever represent ourselves as well as he does so I am delighted he is doing that for us.”
Sweet admitted he is not surprised by Luton’s progress in recent years which would see a fourth promotion in 10 seasons if they beat Coventry at Wembley on Saturday. The chief executive hailed the contributions of players and staff whose joint efforts are the leading factor behind Luton’s upwards trajectory.
“Am I surprised? No, not really,” Sweet said. “We are very patient people and when you’re patient things happen more quickly than you think. We have a determination almost from the point of view that it will happen and we will make it happen, we just need to make sure the way it happens is right. I am not surprised, forget the players for one minute even though they’re my heroes and I love them because they have been fantastic throughout. But the staff here, the board, my fellow managers, everyone you see here in the building are the very pit about the fabric of the culture and in the last week it has shown it.
“We’ve had people work through nights to get job to job done and not one of them has said can I have more money, not one of them has said what’s the benefit for me? They just get on and do their job for the love of the club, for the love of Luton, that’s why we’ve accelerated like we have.”
WSL: Hearty congratulations to the Guardian’s brilliant Women’s Football Correspondent, Suzy Wrack, who won the Vikki Orvice award for New Women’s Sports Writing this week for her book A Woman’s Game: The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Women’s Football.
When she’s not cranking out award-winning tomes, Suzy can sometimes be found loitering in the Hertfordshire countryside, specifically on Arsenal’s London Colney training ground. She recently went there to hurl interrogatory projectiles at the team’s assistant coach Kelly Smith for a wide-ranging interview on the subject of this year’s title race, among other things.
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More on the Ivan Toney findings. “Ivan Toney repeatedly bet on matches involving his own team and would have received a ban of longer than eight months had he not been diagnosed with a gambling addiction, the written reasons of his case, published by the Football Association, have shown. Read on …
WSL: Marc Skinner wants his Manchester United players to focus on the task at hand while he keeps an ear on results elsewhere as the Women’s Super League title race goes to the final day of the season tomorrow afternoon.
United travel to Liverpool trailing league leaders Chelsea by two points, with Emma Hayes’s side taking on rock-bottom Reading, who need to win to avoid relegation from the top flight. Skinner’s side are already guaranteed their highest-ever league finish five years after reforming but must win on Merseyside to give themselves any chance of denying Chelsea a fourth straight league title.
“All we can do is try to win the game,” he said. “Should it need different connotations, we’ve got to be ready to adapt to that but we’ve got to try and win the game. We have to keep tabs on Reading-Chelsea. I don’t think we’re going to listen to it with that much intent but we’ll have an understanding of the scoreline.
“It will be more comms in the ear, not watching the game. It will be a tough ask for Reading, Chelsea have been excellent this season, but we can all hope. We need two great swings to go for us.” Should Chelsea draw with Reading, Manchester United could still win the title but would have to beat Liverpool by six goals.
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Newcastle United: Eddie Howe says his team “massively over-achieved” by securing Champions League football this season. Newcastle guaranteed themselves a top-four Premier League finish with Monday night’s 0-0 draw with Leicester and will return to the biggest European stage after an absence of two decades.
Asked about dealing with the expectation they have created, Howe said: “Ask me in a few months. I don’t know if it’s something you look forward to, but the dynamic will have changed for us. I think we have massively over-achieved this year for where we were at the start of the season and to keep over-achieving - and that’s what we’re going to have to do to match the expectation - is going to be our biggest challenge.”
Newcastle bring the curtain down on their season with a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, who have not massively over-achieved this season, to say the least.
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Toney also bet on his own team to lose
It has also been revealed that back in 2017, Toney bet on the team he was with at the time to lose on a number of occasions but only in games in which he was not part of the squad and therefore could not negatively impact the games in question. If nothing else and with no pun intended, the striker clearly backs himself. Brentford have received and accepted the written reasons outlined by the Independent Regulatory Commision and we’ll bring you more details as we get them.
Ivan Toney was betting on himself to score
The full findings of the investigation into the Brentford striker’s gambling have been published and reveal that Toney bet on himself to score on 15 occasions before it was common knowledge that he would be playing in the games concerned.
Toney received an eight-month ban but apparently got lucky. The independent regulatory commision who conducted the investigation on behalf of the FA say he would have got a a 15-month ban but for the mitigating factors of his guilty plea, his youth at the time of his rule-breaking, his “genuine remorse” and the fact he has been diagnosed with a gambling addiction.
“The position appears to be that Mr Toney has ceased gambling on football although he still gambles on other sports and casino games,” says the report. “He is determined to address his gambling problem with therapy at the conclusion of the season.” Good luck to him as he takes his first steps on the road to recovery.
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Liverpool: Following Manchester United’s win over Chelsea last night, Mo Salah took to Twitter, as they say, to say how “devastated” he is by Liverpool’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, adding there is absolutely “no excuse” for the team’s failure to finish in the top four. “We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed,” he wrote. “We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”
Asked for his reaction to Salah’s tweet, Jurgen Klopp said he had read it but was “a bit worried about the headlines” journalists create from things he says. “Do me a favour and do your best,” he said. “When it’s a fact that you can’t qualify for the Champions League anymore … look, even I knew after the last game that [Newcastle and Manchester United] need one point, for me it was clear they would get that point.
“In the world of social media so many bad things happen constantly and I don’t think that was one of them. It was just a normal description of his situation, of his feelings. In that moment after the game it’s not a time to send optimistic messages, maybe an hour later or a day later. I saw Mo in the canteen just now and he was smiling. I don’t know for what reason, I didn’t ask him but he was not in a bad mood.”
I’m totally devastated. There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic… pic.twitter.com/qZmA9WsueM
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) May 25, 2023
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Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp is currently talking to the ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate and has just said Liverpool’s final game of the season against Southampton on the south coast is strange because there is nothing at stake for either team. Following Manchester United’s win over Chelsaea last night, Liverpool cannot now qualify for the Champions League and Southampton are already relegated.
“I’m not used to games on the last matchday where everything is sorted before. I can’t remember when that last time was the case. We only play this game to win the game and we have to make sure that I find a lineup with good legs, a lot of desire and we have to see … we will not take any risks with players. That makes no sense. We have a big group, training was really good and the boys were really into it. I have not made any decisions yet because I didn’t see the doc yet but I will have a conversation with him and we will see who is contention.”
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Brighton: With qualification for the Europa League secured, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has said he will need to add bodies to his squad, especially if in-demand pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister are sold during the summer. He has, however, said he won’t be bringing in too many new players.
“Monday starts the toughest period in my season because without football it is difficult,” he said ahead of his side’s trip to Aston Villa. “I am looking forward to starting the next pre-season. I think we have to work in this holiday because we have to build a new squad to prepare for the new season. I think we don’t need so many players. We have to understand if Caicedo, Mac Allister [are sold] - I don’t know which players can leave - then we have to bring very good players because next season will be tougher than this one.
On the subject of what kind of money he’ll be given to spend by club owner Tony Bloom, De Zerbi displayed a poker-face that would have been the envy of his poker-playing boss. “I can speak only about the characteristics, the quality of players,” he said. “Money is not my job. For sure I can tell you we have to have a stronger squad, a bigger squad because we will play in four competitions. And we have to be ready to compete in our way in these four competitions because we arrived with 14, 15 players in the crucial part of the season.
“The next year will be tougher because in the history of the Premier League it can happen that clubs achieve Europa League and the next year you have to fight to avoid relegation.”
The weekend starts here ...
Or it started last night, for the purposes of this rolling conveyor belt of piping hot football news. Playing out the game in hand they had over the Premier League’s 18 other teams, Manchester United heaped more misery on Chelsea as they subjected them to a fairly comprehensive hiding at Old Trafford, securing their place in next season’s Champions League in the process. United hosted Fulham in the Premier League’s final round of fixtures on Sunday, while Chelsea’s last chance to salvage some small sliver of dignity from a disastrous campaign presents itself in a game against high-flying Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.
There’s plenty of more important taking place over the weekend, with the top flight relegation battle to be fought to its conclusion and the denouement of the Women’s Super League taking place, while three EFL playoff finals will also be decided.
One of Luton Town or Coventry City will earn promotion to the Premier League tomorrow evening, an outcome not even the most prescient of sooth-sayers could have foreseen at the start of the season. Elsewhere, the final round of fixtures will be played out in the Scottish Premiership and a win at home to Mainz will see Jude Bellingham’s Borussia Dortmund beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title. There’ll be no shortage of pre-weekend news and chat to stay across so we’ll keep you up to date with all the news as it comes rolling in.
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