More from Jürgen Klopp, this time on Darwin Núñez … who scored just about the most Darwin Núñez goal yet recorded in Carabao Cup victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday.
The first year was hard for him and then hard for me as well because you see this incredible talent, massive potential, but it is difficult to unfold it.
I am a manager who can help a player but I need contact for that, it can speed up a process by talking a lot with the player. I was not able to do that because I don’t speak Spanish and he didn’t speak English but his English is now that much better.
He is settled in the team and when you see him around the building everything is different and he is in a very good moment. It is still only the start for him.
It’s a good moment, hopefully it continues like that for ever. Then I am a bit afraid of the highs he could reach because there is so much there it is crazy.
Among the considerable FA Cup intrigue this weekend … bracket-tastic Isthmian League South East Division side Cray Valley (PM) – they dropped Paper Mills from their name 25 years ago – make the short, four-mile jaunt to visit Charlton on Sunday. Up front for them is set to be 19-year-old Kyrell Lisbie, the son of Kevin, who memorably scored a Premier League hat-trick for the Addicks against Liverpool in 2003.
Speaking to PA Media, the Cray Valley forward opened up on his joy at the draw:
It was amazing, with how close the two teams are to each other and everything else. I feel like it is written in the stars that we go out there and perform.
They are a good team, but the beauty of the FA Cup is you just never know what the result will be. The boys have fully deserved it. It is going to be a special day and occasion. There have been a few upsets and I just can’t wait for it.”
ICYMI … here’s 10 things from the weekend’s Premier League action. Featuring: West Ham facing bogey team Brentford, Brighton hoping to atone for the 5-1 shooing they endured against Everton last season, and fears about Forest’s form.
Tonight sees a big game in the Championship (8pm GMT), as early pacesetters Leicester host Leeds. After 14 games, the Foxes already have a 14-point cushion over their fellow relegated side from last season, who occupy third place. Leicester’s manager, Vincenzo Maresca, said:
We are going to try and do our best in and use our weapons to prepare in the way we want to play, but nothing more than that.
Our preparation will be the same as the previous one. We’re going to try to have a plan to see how we need to attack, to see how we need to defend when they want to attack us, and see how we can avoid transition.
It’s a special night for sure for the fans; for us it’s a special night because it’s a game.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Leeds’ manager Daniel Farke was effusive about tonight’s opponents:
They deserve this points tally [39] after 14 games … it’s remarkable. I just give them credit and applause. I think it’s a fantastic side, many top players, many players who have played Premier League level and lots of stability in the club … they kept the key players together.
It’s a great game, two big clubs … two quality sides, spotlight game, Friday evening, the floodlights on. Everybody who like the Championship and likes football is looking forward to this.”
Blades news … Sheffield United are currently rooted to the bottom of England’s top tier, with just one point from their opening 10 games. However, manager Paul Heckingbottom is hopeful that full-back George Baldock is ready to return to his starting lineup, having suffered a calf injury on international duty with Greece back in September.
Heckingbottom will reunite with Tommy Doyle when his side host Wolves tomorrow, the Manchester City-owned player who was key during a loan period for the Blades in their promotion campaign last season. He’s now on loan at Molineux, and Heckingbottom opened up on why that’s the case:
He wanted to [move] and we’d have taken him, without a doubt. But City were keen to sell. Finances, that’s all it was.
He had a couple of loans which were indifferent but someone I’d seen a lot of and knew a lot about. I knew his character and also his technical ability. I was pretty sure he was what we were looking for and what we were after. He did great. We were good for him and he was good for us. I have nothing but praise for him.”
The manager also confirmed that Anel Ahmedhodzic and Oli McBurnie will both be out tomorrow.
Eddie Howe speaks!Newcastle’s manager is understandably buoyant following Wednesday’s comprehensive dismantling of Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. Speaking to reporters, he said:
It was great to be able to give everyone an opportunity and I thought they responded magnificently. It was a brilliant team effort.
I thought the spirit, determination and collective mindset was at the highest level. We’re in a good place mentally after the win, the whole squad will be lifted by that performance.
Howe added that Matt Targett is to undergo a scan on the hamstring injury he sustained during the game today, but was pessimistic about its outcome:
It doesn’t look good … when you have a hamstring injury you fear the worst. It’s a real blow to lose him – he’s a top player.”
Last Saturday, Burnley were denied a late equaliser against Bournemouth. This followed a curious, circa six-minute-long VAR confirmation of an offside decision after Jay Rodriguez found the bottom corner in the 89th minute. Refreshingly, Kompany refused to dwell on it:
I have to put the game behind me. I don’t want to be constantly putting us in a victim situation. One of the positive things I have to highlight is that there are open conversations [with referees’ body PGMOL].
So we do voice our opinion – we don’t always agree – but at least there’s a discussion and there’s a way to maybe change some perspectives. It’s been a succession of events that we could have done without, but we have to move on and focus on the next game … and get our rewards tomorrow.”
Kompany confirmed that Lyle Foster will miss tomorrow’s game and is unlikely to feature before this month’s international break, meaning he could also be unavailable against Everton on Saturday week.
Tomorrow, Burnley host Crystal Palace. This sees the Premier League’s youngest manager, Vincent Kompany, test himself against the league’s oldest, Roy Hodgson. For context, Roy’s first job in management was at Sweden’s Halmstads … 10 years before Kompany was born.
Asked about the generational intrigue on the sidelines, Kompany said:
I’ve been looking at his history as a coach. He’s been through so many countries and he has such a huge knowledge of the world.
I can see why he’s still doing it – I can see the passion in his eyes. I’m lucky to have a father who’s around the same age, and still just as active as Roy Hodgson is at the moment. We all hope to be as healthy and energetic at his age.
While I roll back the tape on some Important Vincent Kompany Chat … check out this lovely piece from Paul McGreal, on the unexpected joy of sharing matchdays with his daughter: “What started as a slightly selfish opportunity for me to go to football matches masquerading as parental responsibilities morphed into important bonding trips …”
Martin Ødegaard in contention to start against NewcastleArteta’s captain missed last weekend’s heavy defeat of Sheffield United with a hip problem. He came off the bench to score a consolation in defeat by West Ham in midweek, and today the manager said:
We have tried to offload him a little bit because he had a little issue that he was grumbling with. He felt much better in the last few days, and we gave a few minutes against West Ham which was good to see, and his contribution was really good. He will train today and if he’s fine he will be ready.
Arteta had a less positive update regarding another of his midfielders, Emile Smith Rowe, who suffered the latest of his litany of injury setbacks this week.
I think he will be out for weeks. How many will determine in relation to how he progresses in the first few weeks especially. It’s a big blow because he was getting some momentum and some minutes and we’d started to get the Emile that we needed, but unfortunately he’s going to be out again.
Smith Rowe set up one of Eddie Nketiah’s three goals against the Blades last Saturday.
Mikel Arteta speaks!The Arsenal manager suffered a setback with the limp midweek Carabao Cup defeat by West Ham. He admitted his disappointment:
Every time you have a defeat it takes a few days to get over, but the full focus now is on Newcastle. There are obviously things that we had to do much better in the game, especially the way we competed and the way we conceded the goals. I don’t think the scoreline reflects what happened in the game at all but we should have done much better.
If you take your foot off the gas in any action in this league, against this type of opponent, you get punished. It’s as simple as that so you have to give the standards the maximum level if you want to keep winning and winning.”
Luis Díaz back in Liverpool trainingJürgen Klopp spoke about Díaz this morning:
He was in training two days ago, yesterday he had a session and will be part of the team [training].
We must wait. If he feels right, he will be here and train with us. The session he had with us you can see when he is with the boys he is fine, he is OK, but you could see he didn’t sleep a lot.
We have to see how he is and we go from there. The news from Colombia gives us a little bit of hope. We are waiting for the really good news, but that’s it pretty much.
I cannot say what we will do because we just wait where we can pick up the boy from and go from there. But it’s all about him, if he makes himself available or not, and I will not force anything.”
Luis Díaz’s father ‘expected to be freed’ – reportsReports have emerged overnight that Díaz’s father, Luis Manuel, is expected to be freed in the coming days. Colombia’s government said the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest guerrilla group, is known to have been behind the kidnapping, and that negotiations for his release are taking place.
Otty Patiño, who leads the government peace delegation that is negotiating, said: “We demand that the ELN releases immediately Mr Luis Manuel Díaz and we say as of now that they are entirely responsible to secure his life and integrity.”
Early dispatches from today’s Premier League press conferences are starting to land. More detail to follow but a couple of early notable highlights:
Luis Díaz is back training with Liverpool – last week his parents were kidnapped in Colombia, and his father remains missing. Jürgen Klopp’s side visit Luton on Sunday.
Martin Ødegaard is in contention to start against Newcastle tomorrow, having recovered from the hip problem that kept him out against Sheffield United last Saturday. Emile Smith Rowe, however, is expected to be “out for weeks”.
Here’s how the state of play with Erik ten Hag stood and Manchester United overnight …
Erik ten Hag is expected to continue as Manchester United’s manager for Saturday’s trip to Fulham but must oversee an upturn in results to keep his job.
Although there is no desire among the executive to replace Ten Hag, who they have backed as the right man for the long term, there is an acceptance after eight defeats in the first 15 games of the season that the Dutchman needs to turn around this run of form, starting at Craven Cottage.
After Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off, for which Casemiro is a doubt, United go to Copenhagen for their fourth Champions League group match on Wednesday. Ten Hag’s side have taken three points from their opening three games but are point one behind Galatasaray, who are in the second qualifying position. Jamie Jackson
Read more below. Ten Hag is due to be up before the assembled media later today.
A nice curveball to start the day. Uefa have decided to geg in on the Ballon d’Or from next year …
The prestigious Ballon d’Or awards will be co-organised by Uefa from 2024. European football’s governing body has reached an agreement with Group Amaury, the owner of media companies France Football and L’Equipe, to “enhance the stature and global reach of the awards”.
The merging of the awards means an end to the Uefa awards handed out in August each year, with the exception of the President’s Award which will still be presented alongside the draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
There will also still be accolades for the best player in each of Uefa’s club competitions, which are determined by its technical study group and announced within days of each competition’s final.
Under the new partnership, Uefa said all existing Ballon d’Or awards will remain in place with the addition of men’s and women’s coach of the year prizes. Groupe Amaury retains control of the Ballon d’Or brand under the agreement and of the voting system, which will be unchanged. PA Media
PreambleHello and welcome. Another one of those Fridays where “your weekend really does start here” … with Leicester hosting Leeds in a Battle Of Two Relegated Sides tonight in the Championship, just after the First Round Proper of the FA Cup kicks off in both Barnsley and Sheppey.
Erik ten Hag has an awkward-looking trip to Craven Cottage tomorrow, in a week where the temperature has risen markedly on his heated seat. On Monday, Mauricio Pochettino returns to Spurs with a Chelsea side that’s variously taken forwards, backwards and sideways steps so far this season.
We’ll be getting into all that, Bayern licking their
Saarbrücken-imposed wounds with the small matter of a trip to Dortmund, Jonas Eidevall hoping to get his Arsenal women’s side back on track against WSL pacesetters Manchester City, and much, much more.