Guardiola prickly on future; Fifa transfer rules break law: football news – as it happened | Soccer

That’s all for today. I’ll leave you with the latest on Erik ten Hag and Manchester United. Goodnight!

This is another good piece from earlier in the week: Robert McCrum on the amateur goalkeeper from Armagh who changed football.

Explainer: Lassana Diarra v Fifa

No Premier League games tonight but there is a cracker in the Championship: Sunderland v Leeds. Here’s Louise Taylor’s preview.

There’s a full programme in the WSL this weekend (well, nearly), and only around 30 per cent of the players involved qualify for England. Tom Garry looks at how the league has evolved and what it might mean for the future.

Here’s more on Eddie Howe’s earlier comments about the possibility of Newcastle leaving St James’ Park

Ratcliffe: Ten Hag decision not my call

Football Daily has landed, yeah?

Celtic’s 7-1 defeat in Dortmund was a pretty sickening reality check for those who thought they might be ready to compete at that level. Ewan Murray’s post-mortem is well worth a read.

Also-rans are heralded, prehistoric tactics likewise, with youth development virtually nonexistent. Administrators endorse work permit applications for substandard foreign imports, which either blocks the progression of Scottish talent or serves as tacit admission the homegrown players are nowhere near good enough in the first place. Governance is lazy, dictated by clubs who lost the impetus to look at the broader picture long ago.

Arsenal v Southampton (Saturday 3pm)

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal could be without both Ben White and Jurrien Timber for tomorrow’s game.

(Timber) was unbelievable in the first half (against PSG) but he felt something muscular and he wasn’t certain. I didn’t want to take any risks. He’s been out for a year and he’s played a lot of minutes, probably more minutes than we would have wanted in the past few weeks and we have to manage him.

Arteta also spoke about how the team have adjusted to life without their captain Martin Odegaard.

We had to be different. The impact Martin has in everything that we do, it was too big to try to replicated it with one player. We’ve tried to do it in a different way, adapting a few things, playing players’ qualities, players that can play in different positions and with the right chemistry around them.

Maybe it took a game or two but then things started to flow a bit better. We found a way, but we still miss him. We have to put players in positions and qualities that they can see they are in their strengths. We try to hide our weakness as much as possible.

We don’t have Martin, there are all the things that we cannot do. But as well we have a big threat in other areas and we have to make the most of them.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool (Saturday 12.30pm)

Palace have had a slow start, with three points from six games. Their manager Oliver Glasner doesn’t sound too worried at this stage.

I think that there is no button we can press, so it is hard work. But it was the same last week, and it was in every club I was – it is hard work, nothing happens from itself. I said I have confidence because I see the players working to get back into their best shape, and we are getting players back getting into the rhythm.

We will get our results. We have to play better over 95 or 100 minutes, this is what we know. We have parts in the game where we do it really well, but we have still parts where we don’t do it well. At Everton we lost the game within 10 minutes (in the second half), so we have to be more consistent all over the entire game.

This is a good story from Reuters on Mateus Mane, a young man in high demand

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the under-18 team is a non-Uefa age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

When he’s not commentating on TNT Sports, Robbie Savage is manager of Macclesfield Town. Our man Sam Dalling spent a matchday with him.

By 1.35pm Savage is ticking a tad. A meeting to reveal the lineup should have started at 1.30pm sharp but two players are tardy. “I was never late once in my career,” he bristles. The internal battle Savage is fighting is obvious: his focus needs to be on the afternoon’s FA Cup clash with Witton Albion, but his clear and understandable annoyance threatens to override it.

On this day in 1995… high-flying, later-to-be-relegated Millwall put Everton out of the League Cup.

On this day in 1992… the new backpass law continues to befuddle Italian defences, with nine Serie A games producing 48 goals.

Arsenal v Southampton (Saturday 3pm)

Life doesn’t get any easier for Southampton, who were well beaten by Bournemouth on Monday and will face Arsenal tomorrow. Here’s what their head coach Russell Martin makes of Premier League life.

We’re frustrated to have one point and frustrated not to have won a game. But we’ve got loads to be excited and positive about. I don’t think anyone – fans, players, staff and owners – thought it was going to be easy.

I still really feel we can achieve what we want to achieve. It’s not done in first month or two of the season, we need to keep growing and evolving.

We’re learning so much so quickly in the Premier League. We are only six games in. There’s a lot of teams with the same points as us or with just two or three points more and that means it can all change so quickly. We have a big challenge on Saturday and we have to go into the international break feeling much better about ourselves than we did on Monday night.

That’s about putting in a performance we are proud of, and if we do that we have a chance the same way we do in any football match.

On this day in 1989… Scarborough come from 2-0 down to put Chelsea out of the League Cup. Different times.

There’s nothing much happening so let’s revisit some of our best pieces of the week. First up, Barney Ronay captures the magic of Cole Palmer.

Once again the numbers just looked silly. A hat-trick in 10 minutes. Four goals in 20 minutes. Six goals and four assists in his last five league games. Palmer has made a habit of this, of games when he will just get on a streak and overwhelm whoever is on front of him.

One reason this happens is that he is unusual. There are very few maverick, genuinely unpredictable creative talents in the modern elite game. Palmer is as close as you’re going to get, a player who goes everywhere, plays off the cuff and invents the day in front of him.

On this day in 1986… the Crazy and the Culture Club meet for the first time.

Aston Villa v Man Utd (Sunday 2pm)

It’s rare that a match against Manchester United comes after the Lord Mayor’s Show, but that will be the case at Villa Park on Sunday. Unai Emery has been speaking about how he wants his team to follow their stirring victory over Bayern Munich.

We enjoyed Wednesday a lot but I’m not changing my mind or perspective. I have ambition in this club since I arrived here. Today is the same. It is to be demanding every match, be demanding even if you achieve some objective before you were planning. We are getting a lot of success sooner than I was thinking. Now my expectation is to keep it.

The example I have is to be demanding and don’t relax because we are being. This is my point of view I want to control with the players and the club. How I am pushing the players and how we can be consistent in the Premier League. Fantastic day on Wednesday, but now I will want to win on Sunday.

[On Erik ten Hag] I respect him a lot. He is a winner, last year they won the FA Cup. He is a very good coach, of course the demands there are huge, to get a lot of objectives. He is doing a process. They are a winning team, they have an experienced coach, it’s usually a winning club and they are still being winners.

They are not getting consistently good results but they can exploit their capacity to put in a huge performance. I will respect them and I will prepare the match more than I did against Bayern Munich.

Brentford v Wolves (Saturday 3pm)

Wolves are bottom of the table after a fiendishly difficult start to the season but their impressive manager Gary O’Neil remains calm. Calmer than you are.

We are all desperate for (the first win of the season) to be this weekend but overhyping the game doesn’t do any good, to make this a must-win. It’s a 38-game race and I have full belief in the group that we will be in a good spot.

We know if we play well and perform to our potential we have an opportunity against Brentford but they will feel the same. Outside of here there will be noise because of the run of results but we are ready for this weekend and the game after that. I’m confident in the group what they can produce over the full course of the season.

(Brentford) are big on set plays and use the kick-off as a start of that. The lads have seen all three (first-minute goals), so they know. There’s a lot of things that need to fall into place for them to score from all of them but we know we need to be ready.

We talk about the start of the game no matter who we play. I guess the three goals in consecutive weeks heightens how important the start of this will be.

Santi (Bueno) is OK, (Craig) Dawson has trained a bit this week then apart from that the longer term ones are still out. We have Alfie Pond, we could use the full-backs as a centre-back and Mario (Lemina) can drop down there. There’s always options, of course I would like square pegs in square holes but we should be OK this weekend.

On this day in 1992… a finishing masterclass at Boundary Park. You don’t want to miss this.

On this day in 1997… Dennis Bergkamp, folks.

Another plug for our weekly Premier League preview

At least Kai Havertz is honest. “It’s a nice feeling but it would be even nicer if I can do it with Arsenal and it would mean a lot more,” said the Germany forward when asked about winning the Champions League during his stint at Chelsea. After his goal against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek set up a comfortable win, Havertz has the perfect opportunity to match Robin van Persie’s record of scoring in seven successive games at the Emirates Stadium when Arsenal face struggling Southampton on Saturday. His burgeoning partnership with Leandro Trossard has made up for the absence of Martin Ødegaard in recent weeks as Mikel Arteta’s team have shown their adaptability during a testing run of fixtures at home and in Europe.

Leicester v Bournemouth (Saturday 3pm)

Here’s what Leicester boss Steve Cooper makes of their slow start to the season.

We’re very much trying to become a Premier League team again. It’s a Premier League club in every way shape or form – we know that and the recent history tells you that. But at this moment, we have to make sure we deliver a Premier League team performance.

Some bits have been really good. Other bits we need to get better at. That’s the challenge for the team, and for me and the staff. Although nobody likes it, and nobody wants to accept it, it is a matter of fact that when you are in a certain part of the Premier League, you do go through a spell of games where you’d like more than what you get.

Although there’s no shame in it, you very much want to deal with it and get through it. We’re six games without a win. There’s no point looking back. It’s been and gone.

We’ve got to look forward, take our situation for what it is, but look at it positively and with motivation to get through it and get to a really good place. That’s what has got to drive us every day.

There is always talk about the Manager of the Month award being cursed. But this might be the first time the curse has kicked in before the award has even been announced.

To put it another way, the Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month for September is Brendan Rodgers.

Thanks Luke, hello everyone. Let’s start with some news from the wires about #WayneRooney’sPlymouth.

Plymouth have signed former Watford and Burnley striker Andre Gray on a short-term contract until January.

The 33-year-old Jamaica international, whose last club was Al-Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, will go straight into the Argyle squad for Saturday’s home Sky Bet Championship game with Blackburn, subject to international clearance.

Plymouth’s on-loan striker Muhamed Tijani is likely to be out until the new year after tearing his hamstring.

“Once we knew the severity of Muhamed’s injury, we moved quickly to bring in a striker to replace him,” head coach Wayne Rooney said.

“Andre is a striker of real quality and has played and scored goals at the highest level. He will provide competition in forward areas as we head into a busy period of the season and I am really happy to have him here.

“Physically, he’s in good condition. He just needs to get a bit sharper. Over the international break, he’ll have a blast to get fitter and sharper.”

And that is all from me. I will leave you in the capable hands of Rob Smyth.

A well-known sports TV news channel presents these Erik Ten Hag quotes as brand-new. On which basis here is the Manchester United manager speaking before the meeting with Aston Villa:

“I am not thinking about such issues [his future]. We are in it together. Ownership, staff, leadership team. We bought new young players. We have to integrate them.

“Manuel Ugarte at No 6 will be very important but he needs time to integrate … He has to get used to our game model, teammates, the intensity of the Premier League.

“I was very pleased with the return of Rasmus Højlund. Hopefully he is now fit and will keep improving in his fitness levels.

“There are more areas where will improve. We will see where we fin at end of season.”

On injuries: “Harry Maguire, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo had issues going into the Porto game. Mainoo didn’t make it, it was too big risk. We have to see if he’s fit enough to start [against Villa on Sunday].”

Last question: Villa Park will be tricky atmosphere. Harry Maguire mentioned that the players have a “mental issue” after the 3-3 draw at Porto. How does Ten Hag prepare his players for the Villa game?

“What is the mental issue?” ponders Ten Hag. “That is a range. A spectrum of topics. You have to address it right.”

“All the noise around the club, I can’t control,” says Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca. “Is it real noise? I don’t know.”

Does he prefer the quiet life? (Compared to, for instance, famously temperamental former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.)

“We are all different,” says Maresca. “I played with Antonio for three years with at Juventus. I know how calm is Antonio.” [Cue laughter]

Do Chelsea’s players think it’s all coming together after a run of wins?

“When you win games, it’s always energy, trust, confidence. For sure it’s helping the process.

“The players, they know when team plays well or not. They are convinced. They can see the identity we have every game. For them it’s them it’s most important thing.

“As I already said, I really don’t think we can compete with City and Arsenal [for the Premier League title].

“City have been working with the same manager for nine years. Arsenal, five years. If you want to compete for important things you need that time.”

Arsenal’s first-team manager, Arteta, is asked if last weekend’s 4-2 win against Leicester shows that tomorrow’s Premier League encounter against Southampton will not be straightforward. Needless to say, perhaps, he concurs.

“Yes. Every three days, we have an unbelievable test. Three days ago it was Paris [Saint-Germain]. Before that it was Leicester … different expectations, ways of playing.

“We have to adapt to that but we try to be ourselves. We will have the same ambition and determination to win the game.”

Mikel Arteta of “The Arsenal” is speaking now.

Maresca: Chelsea not ready to compete for title

Ed Aarons

The Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, is hoping the short preparation time he has had with his players following the shock Champions League loss at Lille will be sufficient.

As they prepare to host Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday, Ancelotti said Wednesday’s loss was a reality check after a penalty scored by Jonathan David earned the French side a 1-0 victory over the holders, ending the 15-times European Cup winners’ 36-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

“[Villarreal] are doing really well, tomorrow it’s an opportunity for us to reconnect, to get back to playing good football,” Ancelotti said.

“[The mood] is fine, as always. Defeat is an opportunity, if we take it and react well. We are self-critical. There are times when you have to reconnect and you need to do it quickly.

“Sometimes a good run makes you think you’re invincible, but a defeat brings you back to reality. We are still not at our level, we have players who are not at their best. We are not far from where we want to be. There is a lack of defensive intensity and, offensively, a lack of ball circulation.” (Reuters)

Gary O’Neil of Wolves is having a chat. He mentions last weekend’s narrow home loss to Liverpool.

“From people who know football, they know last weekend was a fantastic effort against a team who have won nearly all their games this season, they world-class players from 1 to 20,” O’Neil says of his side’s display.

“They were pleased to get out of there with an important victory. They were well tested on the day.

“We go to Brentford tomorrow, we will look to play our way, and it’s an opportunity to get our first win.”

Wolves are bottom, with a point from six games.

Guardiola was also asked about clubs apparently being obliged to send their strongest squads to the new, enlarged Club World Cup.

“I am not going to say before the games which [players’] have to play. I will decide, that’s for sure.”

If you have any thoughts on any of this, you can email me.

Guardiola is also asked for a fitness update on his squad. “Erling Haaland is OK,” he confirms, and there is no fresh injury news, according to the manager.

He lists the existing injuries: “Nathan [Aké], Kevin [De Bruyne], of course Rodri and Oscar [Bobb] … the rest are fine.”

“For tomorrow he’s not ready …” Pep adds, asked for more about De Bruyne. Then the fact he’s asked not to play for Belgium in November.

“How can he go when he didn’t play one game? I never understood that. He cannot play with us, he cannot play with Belgium. He didn’t say to me he’s going to retire from the national team from Belgium, he didn’t say that to me. I don’t know ‘in the mind’ from Kevin. But for that game, he’s injured, he’s not available.”

Guardiola refuses to comment on Manchester City future