Key events
Mikel Arteta has explained why Arsenal took their official team photo this week without William Saliba, who had a doctor’s appointment when the photographer turned up:
What happened was that we tried to do that picture three times already and we had to cancel it last minute for different reasons, and we had some commercial obligations so we decided to do it. We will retake the picture with the whole family. Willy, normally he’s happy about everything and he knows how loved he is and he is completely fine.
Spain have been fined and told to partially close the stadium hosting their next international friendly after Islamophobic chanting was heard during a match against Egypt earlier this year, writes the Press Association.
A section of Spain fans chanted “whoever doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during the friendly in Barcelona on March 31, with anti-discrimination messages displayed on the big screens and announcements made at half-time urging fans to stop the chants.
The Spanish federation (RFEF) sought to have the disciplinary process thrown out, in part on the grounds that the word Muslim is the accepted term for a follower of Islam.
However, Fifa’s disciplinary committee concluded the chants “clearly use religious identity as a means of distinguishing and discriminating against the opposing side” and said a reasonable and objective observer would see the word “Muslim” used in this context “as a marker of exclusion and ridicule”.
The RFEF has been fined $20,000 (£15,000) and ordered to close 15% of the stadium for their next men’s senior team friendly, or fill that percentage of seats with community or special interest groups, such as families, students and anti-discrimination organisations, subject to Fifa’s approval.
Spain star Lamine Yamal said at the time he found the chants “intolerable” as a Muslim himself, adding: “I understand not all fans are like this, but to those who sing these things, using a religion as a mockery on the field makes you ignorant and racist people. Football is to be enjoyed and encouraged, not to disrespect people for who they are or what they believe in.”
Pierre Sage is asked for an update on Crystal Palace’s injured or potentially injured players. “I don’t know because we will train after the press conference,” he says. “For the moment we hope, but we don’t know.” Well that’s cleared that up then.
David Moyes has had a chat with the media ahead of tomorrow’s lunchtimely game against Chelsea. “I’m not an expert on Chelsea,” he says. Oh. He’s then asked about his personal future, and the chance of him signing a new contract to replace his current one, which expires at the end of this season:
I’m getting on with the job and trying to build Everton and keep it going in the right direction. Hopefully we’ve done some half decent things in the last year and a half or so. So, we’ll see. There’s been plenty of talks happening through the summer. Maybe at the moment there’s just a little bit of a lull. But as I’ve said many times, it’s not the most important thing for me.
Emery says he is having a whole lot of fun this season:
More than last year even. Because when we were building the team in a successful year, it was fantastic. But then we were not changing so much the squad, and we had a lot of challenges and I was enjoying how we were achieving, the good performances. But this year especially more because we changed it more than normal. And we have a lot of players, how they can connect, with their style of play, to be strong and to be closer to winning. How we have won against Fenerbahce was fantastic. But we have a lot of work to do and improve.
Unai Emery demonstrates his grasp of English idiom when asked about Aston Villa’s development:
John Toshack said, ‘Don’t avoid the trees not permitting you to see the forest.’ This phrase is fantastic to use in this situation. We have a lot of things to improve. A lot of things to add, to build our structure as strong as possible. I think I explained well.
Keith Andrews: ‘We’ve just got really good players’
Keith Andrews is asked why Mamadou Sangaré isn’t starting for Brentford. “I haven’t spoken much about that with the coach,” Sangaré said this week. “He’s the coach, he’s the boss. I’m a player like so many others. It’s not only about me here. The most important thing is the team. That’s what counts.” And here’s what Andrews says:
We’ve got a really good squad, really good options. It’s difficult picking a team. My main message to the squad is, it’s going to be a long season. We’re going to need everybody. We’ve just got really good players.
Hello again! I bring a bit more news from Enzo Maresca, who has had to spend a surprising amount of his press conference dealing with banana-based queries. He is, in short, supportive. “I didn’t know the history behind the bananas. I hope tomorrow I can see many bananas in the stadium,” he trilled. “I think it creates a nice environment for everyone in the stadium.”
That’s all from me for the moment, Simon is back!
Can Chelsea continue to outscore their xG?
“I hope so,” says Alonso. “Our goal is to keep doing that [scoring at this rate]. If we improve the level of scoring, and decrease numbers of conceding, we will be in a better way … tomorrow at Everton will be tough … I haven’t been to this stadium but they tell me it’s a nice one, with good atmosphere. I am looking forward to it.
“I want that we compete. We know it’s tough to win games away … but we are able to deal with that … for sure, the experience against Brentford is not forgotten.”
Potentially unpopular personal opinion alert: Perhaps Chelsea are outscoring their xG because xG is meaningless nonsense?
Will Chelsea’s activity in the January transfer window be affected by James’s injury?
“No. I don’t think so,” says Alonso. “We expect for that time he is back … the timeline is not exact. But it will not affect it [activity in the January window.]
“He’s the captain. A very important player. He has a good mentality. We need him.”
James absence ‘not going to be short’, says Chelsea’s Alonso
“We are disappointed, especially for him,” the Chelsea manager says of Reece James’s surgery on a knee injury. “In the last training he picked up an injury … but now the surgery has been successful … he will be close to the team, he is a great influence. We wish him the best recovery. We don’t set timelines, but he will be out for several weeks.
“It’s not going to be short. It’s not going to be two-three weeks … time will tell. Things have to be done properly … it’s a disappointment for everyone, for him … we have a squad for that, to deal with the injuries.
“We have until the next break, four more Premier League games, a Cup game … we will be able to manage well with the players we have … we feel good.”
Has Maresca sought guidance on the current situation from anyone outside Manchester City?
“I am quite a ‘respect’ person,” Maresca says. “Everyone can say what they want … I don’t have a problem with people having an opinion … [but] I think it’s better to wait for the final words [the result of City’s appeal].
“I trust the club. I don’t need people from outside the club to understand the situation … they explained the situation. It’s very clear. I trust them [City’s owners], this is the reason I joined the club.
“There is a lot of outside noise. We need to try and make our own noise. The different kind of noise, we are not able to control that.”
Pep Guardiola was at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday for the Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain. Did Maresca speak to him?
“I saw him after the game. We were talking about the game, about the first half, about the second half … he was very happy to be at the stadium, very positive about things he has seen during the game … it was great for the fans to see him at the stadium … this will always be his house.
Did Pep speak to the players? “No, not at all.”
Maresca feels ‘no stress’ about off-field issues at City
“Very happy. very pleased. Two big games, Liverpool away and PSG at home [in the past week]. We handled quite good, I think all together – the club, fans, teams, everyone. Tomorrow it’s the same points [on offer against Ipswich] as Anfield. That’s why it’s important we try to win.
“I am very happy. I don’t feel any kind of stress about the outside situation [verdict on financial charges]. It’s something I don’t control. I focus on how we can try to win the next games.
On Phil Foden: “He will score tomorrow. I just try to work with him, day by day. Since the international break, since the red card, he’s training well. Very positive, very good. He is available for tomorrow. No doubt he is going to give us something.”
Manchester City’s Enzo Maresca also had a chat with the media. He says it’s a “good moment” and a time to rotate players … and also that he is not focused on any records as a manager, after City’s perfect start. He is focused on Ipswich.
The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson asked Carrick if Martinez should have apologised personally to Jason Wilcox for his comments on Tuesday.
Carrick said: “He’s released his statement. That’s enough for us to move on with.
“From our point of view, the acknowledgement of what’s been done has been enough. We’ve moved on. We’re not looking it back now.
“I think I understand emotion at times. We ask for passion, emotion, fire, for players to care. There is a way of doing that and that’s been acknowledged. We need to carry that intensity and willingmess and use it in the right way.”
Carrick is asked – how can people outside believe that everything is OK, given the strength of Martinez’s comments?
“The players believe me. People talk from the outside. I am telling you the truth. The squad today was in a fantastic place, better than I’ve seen for a while … Someone said something maybe they shouldn’t have, at a certain time … that doesn’t distract us from what we are creating here. I’m telling you, we are not affected. I thought there was a good reaction today.
“I don’t need results. We all do. It’s not about me. Manchester United is bigger than me … it’s not about me … I don’t go into work, or this game, thinking about me. It’s about the football club. What we stand for. What we live for. The history of what we need to live up to. It’s not about me.”
Carrick: Manchester United players have moved on after outburst, confirms Martinez is in squad
“It’s done. We’ve moved on. One of those things. He [Martinez] has come out and acknowledged the situation,” says Carrick.
“As a group we’ve moved on. Really not a drama for us. This morning [in training] there was a really good feeling around the squad. We’ve moved on really quickly.”
What was discussed internally?
“From the outside, you’re asking for big information, big discussions …
“It was pretty simple. We understood the situation and what it meant. He [Martinez] acknowledged it’s a mistake from him. And that was it, really. We’ve got a really good feeling in the group, within the club.
“Results-wise it’s not gone to plan but the spirit, the togetherness … today was one of the better training sessions we’ve had … we want to do something about this situation [on the pitch].
“We understand the situation, but it’s been dealt with, and we’ve moved on, genuinely moved on … there was a freshness about the group today that I really liked.”
Carrick confirms that Martinez is part of the squad for Sunday’s match at Leeds.
Carrick speaks!
Spain have been fined $20,000 and ordered to partially close their stadium for the next friendly after fans chanted Islamophobic slogans during a game against Egypt in March, Fifa said.
The sanctions relate to incidents at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, home of Espanyol, where some Spain fans chanted, “Who doesn’t jump is a Muslim” during a World Cup warmup match.
After the second occurrence of the chant, the stadium announcer issued a warning and the scoreboard displayed a message against discriminatory behaviour.
The Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, condemned the chants at the time, describing them as disrespectful and intolerable and calling those responsible “ignorant and racist“.
Spanish police launched an investigation the next day while world governing body Fifa later started disciplinary proceedings against the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF).
The RFEF argued that the word “Muslim” was “neither insulting nor pejorative“, adding the fans’ conduct should be assessed under Fifa’s Article 17, which covers political, ideological, religious or offensive messages, rather than Article 15, which deals with discrimination and racist abuse.
However, Fifa’s’s disciplinary committee rejected that argument, saying Article 15 does not require the explicit use of a slur and that a term can be discriminatory when used in context as “an insult, taunt, or marker of inferiority“.
Fifa fined the RFEF and ordered the closure of at least 15% of available seats for Spain’s next friendly. Reuters
Croatian leaders slammed pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic chants by Hajduk Split football fans before the Conference League match against Ajax, while Israel’s embassy voiced shock.
Groups of Hajduk Split fans, known as the Torcida, marched through the coastal town ahead of Thursday’s match.
Dozens of fans were detained for violence. During the match Torcida fans set off flares and other pyrotechnics in the stands, forcing a stoppage.
An investigation was opened into the pro-Nazi chants and suspects are being detained, police said.
President Zoran Milanovic on Friday in a statement condemned the incident as “unacceptable and shameful”.
He urged swift action against the perpetrators to “show that there is no place in Croatia for the glorification of Nazism and Ustasha ideology”.
Israel’s embassy in Zagreb, in a statement obtained by AFP, said it was “deeply shocked by the serious anti-Semitic incident that took place in Split”. AFP
Martin O’Neill hopes Celtic can re-energise themselves on returning from Portugal to take on Hearts at Parkhead on Sunday.
The 4-1 Europa League defeat by Benfica in Lisbon last night left the Hoops with zero points from a possible six after two league phase matches, but the Celtic boss is upbeat.
Celtic have to prepare quickly for the clash with the Jambos, who drew 1-1 with FC Nordsjaelland in their Conference League clash at Tynecastle on Thursday.
O’Neill said: “I said to the players at the end of the game, we should take encouragement from it. Yes, we’ve been beaten in the game, 4-1 suggests that you’re well beaten.
“But for me, I thought the second-half performance was absolutely terrific and that augurs well for us. We’ll try and get our energy back again for the big, big game on Sunday. And we have not given up in this competition, not by a long way.” PA Media
Enzo Maresca of Manchester City is also due to speak at 1.30pm BST, along with Carrick, not to mention Xabi Alonso of Chelsea. Strap yourselves in.
Michael Carrick, head coach of crisis club Manchester United, is also up in front of the media very soon, so they say. Lisandro Martínez has issued an apology of sorts after his post-Atlético tirade, and below are a couple of pieces – from Jonathan Liew and Jamie Jackson respectively – responding to the centre-back’s outburst aimed at the club’s hierarchy earlier this week.
Rock-bottom Fulham face Hull tomorrow.
Sky Sports News anchor: “How much pressure is Álvaro Arbeloa under?”
Sky Sports News reporter: “Oh, a lot.”
Antonee Robinson, the left-back, is available again for Fulham after missing the 2-1 defeat by Ipswich last weekend, but the involvement of Sweden international Hugo Larsson is in doubt due to a groin injury.
“We have a small problem with Hugo and his groin,” Arbeloa said. “We will have to check after the training session but I’m not sure he will be available for tomorrow. All of the other players are fit and available tomorrow.”
“I know we are not in an easy situation, but we need to stay true to our ideas and keep doing the things that put us in front,” Arbeloa added. “We have been training really hard. I have seen the commitment of my players all week and we are ready for another battle tomorrow. The players are so focused on tomorrow’s game.” More here on the official Fulham website.
Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler had a chat with the media not too long ago, but judging by the quotes just on my telly, it wasn’t very interesting.
“He might not be the quickest player, but sometimes he’s quickest in the head,” the manager said of Pascal Gross, who has assisted goals in each of his last three matches.
Brighton face Palace on Sunday afternoon. Here is Ed Aarons with something to look out for this weekend:
Brighton’s momentum appears unstoppable at the moment, although supporters will be wary of Sunday’s showdown against Crystal Palace given their recent history. They haven’t beaten Palace since a 4-1 thrashing at the Amex in February 2024, when Roberto De Zerbi was in charge, while Fabian Hürzeler managed only a point in four encounters with the Eagles under Oliver Glasner. Both are having to juggle European commitments this season and Brighton will start as heavy favourites against Pierre Sage’s side after their superb start to the campaign. Palace have big concerns in defence, but can the Frenchman defy the odds against the Premier League’s top scorers?
Le Mans v Toulouse is the Ligue 1 offering this evening, a fixture that evokes motor sport and rugby more than soccer, if you ask me, which you didn’t. It’s 14th v 15th in the French top-flight and I can hardly wait!
Chelsea’s James expected to be out for three months
David Hytner
Reece James is expected to be out for three months, the Guardian has been told. The Chelsea captain has had surgery to address a knee problem, which the club have been keen to describe as “minor.” Xabi Alonso, the manager, said after last Saturday’s win over Bournemouth that James, who missed the game, had “some little issues on the knee.”
It does not sound particularly minor given the length of time that James will be unavailable. What is not in doubt is that he has had zero luck on the fitness front. The 26-year-old has a long history of hamstring problems while this knee issue was sustained in training. James was not involved for England during the recent international window.
Fixtures are here. Everton v Chelsea is the first Premier League match on the weekend menu, at 12.30pm BST tomorrow, and David Moyes is rumoured to be speaking to the media shortly.
Marco Rose, the Bournemouth manager, says the prognosis on Alex Scott’s injury is “much, much better”. Which is nice, especially as he picked it up on international duty for England recently.
Rose is also asked about Scott’s future – his contract runs for the next 18 months. He looks a bit miffed. “The last transfer window just finished, and we are already talking about the next one?”
Thank you Simon, hello everyone. What a fantastic audience!
Football is happening around us, constantly, and this weekend is no different. There will be a wealth of Premier League manager press conferences coming up in the next few hours. And a ton of non-Premier League assocation football news and previews, too.
Right, I’m going to step away from the blog for a while. I leave you in the capable hands of Luke McLaughlin, who you can email here if you fancy. Back in a bit!
Dionisi says report of Watford sacking ‘fake news’
Despite reports suggesting he would be sacked if Watford lost at Cardiff on Tuesday, Alessio Dionisi remains in post. “There is good news, bad news or fake news probably,” the Italian told the BBC yesterday. “In this case for the moment, it is fake news. But I don’t decide.”
The situation at the club is dire: a squad haphazardly thrown together, with no money spent on transfer fees in the summer, the division’s lowest wage bill, few players arriving until the final days of the window, a miserable dearth of Championship experience (which the club leadership acknowledged and pledged to address at the end of last season, and for that matter before most recent transfer windows), a disjointed and lopsided squad notably bereft of midfield options, and an aloof and increasingly unpopular owner.
Since the start of March the club have played 21 league games and won only three, the worst record of any club which has been in the division throughout that time (indeed Coventry, Ipswich, West Ham and Oxford United all have more wins and more Championship points despite spending much of it in other divisions). Most recently they played Burnley at home when their opponents were bottom of the league and lost 4-0, and then went to 21st-placed Cardiff and lost 5-1. They are now 22nd, and both Elton John – who said he was “upset and disappointed at the decline” – and Troy Deeney have criticised the way they are playing and the way they are being run.
Today Gino Pozzo is meeting a representative of fans’ group the 1881 Movement – who recently published an open letter stating their “complete loss of confidence” in Pozzo, and criticising “the endless cycle of appointments and dismissals [which] has reduced a once-proud club to a source of ridicule”. Tomorrow they host 13th-placed but also troubled Charlton, who won three of their first four league games but have not secured a victory since August.
Word is that the club has already made contact with potential replacements for Dionisi, but that the level of vitriol coming from those fans still sufficiently motivated to turn up to games has stayed Pozzo’s hand, for now. The club certainly have some players, the likes of Othmane Maamma and Myron Boadu, who are able to play at a much higher level to the one the team is currently showing, but do they have the motivation (and the teammates) to demonstrate that ability, or has the cycle of sackings drained the squad of all motivation and cohesion?
Coventry boss Frank Lampard is not prepared to relax after watching his side record back-to-back wins in the Premier League, writes the Press Association.
The Sky Blues looked to be in for a long season after losing their opening four games without scoring a goal. But they have kick-started their campaign with wins against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle and as he prepares to visit Tottenham on Monday Lampard wants to keep the foot on the gas.
“Keep driving it,” he said. “It’s very important to look at the the good things out of the game, also the things we can improve. But when we talk about the good things, I’m not overly patting them on the back because we have to work hard to get better.
“Every game brings different challenges, so I think the players understand me and my approach and the staff’s approach here. We never want to rest. I don’t. I’m always fearful of resting on something and thinking that you’ve made it. This league’s too difficult for that.
“So one of my first jobs is to keep pushing from that front, and the players need to feel that.”
Sky are reporting that Reece James, who Chelsea confirmed this morning had undergone minor knee surgery, is expected to be out for three months.
Jacob Steinberg
Fulham fans fretting about life under Álvaro Arbeloa will not feel any better when they remember how things were under Marco Silva, who was one of the most effective managers in the Premier League when it came to making substitutions.
Silva’s substitutes were involved in the fourth-highest goal contributions last season and the most in the 2024-25 season. Fulham knew how to dig in and salvage unlikely points. But Silva left last summer, joining Benfica after concluding he could achieve nothing more at Craven Cottage, and his replacement is already under pressure after some puzzling tactical choices.
The worrying shift under Arbeloa was evident during Fulham’s collapse against Ipswich last weekend. The west Londoners were 1-0 up and looking good for their first league win of the season when Arbeloa weakened his midfield by replacing Shea Charles with Manuel Ángel in the 70th minute.
It was a strange way to shut up shop. Charles is physically imposing, has impressed since joining from Southampton and was doing well alongside Sander Berge. The 22-year-old Ángel is 5ft 7in, was making his Premier League debut and has little experience of senior football. Ipswich’s comeback to win 2-1 was not a surprise, particularly when Arbeloa’s other rejigs included bringing on Rodrigo Muniz and switching from a 4-2-3-1 system to a flat 4-4-2 in an attempt to defend the lead.
More here:
Can you name the three teams still without a win in this season’s Premier League? If so, you’re approximately 6.7% of the way to full marks in the sports quiz of the week!
Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa has held his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Hull, and has been quizzed on how confident he is that he will still be at the club in a week’s time if they are not able to win:
I am focused on tomorrow’s game, on my players, on my team, that is the most important thing. It’s not about me, it’s about the club, it’s about the players, it’s about the supporters. For me it’s been a normal week. We’ve been working hard. We were preparing for a difficult match against a very difficult team.
I saw the commitment of the players this week, how they have been training. They are so focused on tomorrow’s game. I saw them, how they can play. For me it is the most important thing, the performance of the players. It’s not about my future, it’s about the club and about the players. They are looking for their reward, and looking for a game where they can get a win for our supporters and I think they deserve it.
Donald Trump is likely to end up as the only political leader awarded the Fifa peace prize after Gianni Infantino was told at Thursday’s meeting of Fifa council to make major changes or scrap the controversial award.
The Guardian has learned that several council members demanded the award be abolished and others called for the prize to be depoliticised, with Fifa’s football social responsibility committee to make a recommendation before the next council meeting in Doha on 16 December.
More on this from Matt Hughes and Nick Ames here:
The Women’s Super League table is taking shape for 2026-27. The defending champions, Manchester City, have five wins from five games but more intriguing stories lie elsewhere. Why are Arsenal struggling, who is performing better than results suggest, and in which way are two promoted teams smashing expectations? Andrew Beasley has the answers:
Chelsea captain Reece James has knee surgery
Chelsea have announced that Reece James has had “successful” and “minor” surgery on a knee injury sustained in training. “Reece has already begun his road to recovery and will be supported by the club’s medical department at Cobham during this rehabilitation phase,” the club wrote on social media.
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Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle says he is uninterested in dwelling on what might have been when highly-rated Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi visits St James’ Park this weekend, writes the Press Association.
Manzambi looked set for a switch to Tyneside over the summer but the deal was hijacked as Villa swooped in to sign the Switzerland international, who has flourished during his short time in the midlands.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring in Villa’s 6-0 Champions League rout of Fenerbahce in midweek and he could rub salt into his former suitors’ wounds when Newcastle welcome Unai Emery’s side on Saturday.
But while Jaissle, who succeeded Eddie Howe after Manzambi snubbed a move to the north-east, is a fan of the youngster, the German side-stepped the question of whether he would have liked him in his ranks.
“He is a really good player,” said Jaissle, who will be looking for a response after Monday’s 4-1 loss at Coventry. “But I’m not here to talk now about players, about rumours, about potential signings. The pure focus is on our players. We have many things to do, many things to improve, and that’s the approach to not get distracted by anything else.”
Joelinton is poised for his first start of the season for Newcastle on Saturday while Dan Burn looks set to be on the bench again, with Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey poised to return to light training next week.
Is there a correlation between running more and winning more in the Premier League, I wonder? We have the answer for you! And it is, to summarise, um, kind of but not really but maybe a bit. Read about it, with graphs and everything, here:
Preamble
Hello world, and happy Friday! Yes, we are all one day closer to finding out if there are any new depths for our teams still to plumb, which is certainly an exciting prospect for my fellow Watford fans. In unusual coincidence news, this Premier League weekend sees all four English teams who were in action in Europe last night play each other on Sunday – Bournemouth v Sunderland, Brighton v Crystal Palace – while the two Scottish teams who played in Europe last night also play each other on Sunday, with Hearts heading to Celtic. Meanwhile table-topping, relegation-bound Manchester City host Ipswich and second-placed Arsenal head to Nottingham Forest, while Fulham and Spurs, like Bournemouth winless in the league this season, seek those magic three points at home to promoted teams, Fulham v Hull on Saturday and Spurs v Coventry on Monday.
But we get the ball rolling with an apology, after Lisandro Martínez begged forgiveness not for what he said about the shambles at Manchester United, but for the fact that the “time and place … perhaps were not the right ones”, which the way I read it is very much a partial climbdown rather than the fulsome version that some are interpreting it as. Anyway, read all about it!