Reweloae

The Guardian - * Bale in squad for World Cup qualifiers after return from injury * Page: ‘Gareth is exactly where we thought he should be’ Gareth Bale is “raring to go” and on course to win his 100th cap for Wales after being named in Robert Page’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Belgium. Bale has been out since 8 September after sustaining what was described by Page as a “significant hamstring tear”. But the Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, says the forward may be involved in the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and Page has named the 32-year-old in a 28-man squad for Wales’s vital double-header. Bale would become only the second Welshman to reach 100 caps after Chris Gunter, who achieved the feat in March. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Athletic’s captain sought out goalkeeper after late equaliser in a gesture that symbolised why this rivalry is like no other When the final whistle went at the end of the Basque derby, Iker Muniain embraced the referee and then made his way through the noise and the rain straight to Alex Remiro. By the time he got there, Iñaki Williams was already hugging the goalkeeper and soon more Athletic players came to comfort him. The clock had shown 90.47 when Remiro made the mistake that cost his team victory and there was little consolation, just a lost expression, but that didn’t stop them trying. “I tried to raise his spirits, give him affection, tell him it it’s OK, it doesn’t matter,” Muniain said, standing pitchside still catching his breath. Muniain and Alex Remiro are not teammates, not any more. Remiro is the Real Sociedad goalkeeper, Muniain the Athletic captain whose shot had just raced past him and into the net to make it 1-1 at the end of a wet, wild night. And i...

The Guardian - Like this? Forward it to your friends and they can sign up here If you stick a ferret down your trousers it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when it nips your crown jewels, so it’s no great shock that Tottenham’s appointment of a conservative, counter-attacking manager did not lead to them playing the kind of liquid football all involved with the club were hoping to see after the departure of José Mourinho. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Manager preparing to face Atalanta in Champions League * Solskjær says he has ‘players to play many different systems’ Ole Gunnar Solskjær conceded “one swallow does not make a summer” after Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Tottenham, and said criticism fuels his drive for success. The Norwegian’s job was in the balance after United’s 5-0 humiliation by Liverpool yet Solskjær survived and responded by leading his team to Saturday’s emphatic victory in north London. Yet with United at Atalanta for Tuesday’s fourth Champions League Group F match before hosting Manchester City on Saturday in the Premier League, Solskjær knows United must put a string of displays together. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan to discuss Manchester City and Liverpool dropping points at home – before they react (mid-pod) to Tottenham’s sacking of Nuno Espírito Santo Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. We begin at the Etihad, as Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace produced one of the shocks of the season so far to beat champions Manchester City by two goals. Why did we all underestimate the former Arsenal midfielder’s managerial credentials? And is this result a blip for Pep’s men, or maybe indicative of a wider issue? Continue reading...

The Guardian - Goalkeeping is a precarious career where someone is more likely to be remembered for mistakes than successes as Karima Taieb found out as her two errors, among a litany of saves, set Chelsea on their way to the Women’s FA Cup final at Manchester City’s expense. The game was effectively settled in five first-half minutes as first Erin Cuthbert thrashed the ball through Taieb’s hands, before Melanie Leupolz did much the same but in a tamer fashion to leave the goalkeeper crestfallen as City’s hopes of a third successive FA Cup triumph were dashed. Beth England put the result beyond doubt late on. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Steven Gerrard said Rangers were close to perfect as they romped to a 6-1 win over Motherwell to take them four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. After falling behind to an early goal by the Well defender Bevis Mugabe, the champions went into the interval leading through goals by their captain, James Tavernier, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, and Fashion Sakala, who finished the game with a hat-trick. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Fans’ fury at Daniel Levy is understandable – the on-pitch stagnation is only highlighted by the luxury surroundings There were always going to be boos from one end of the ground or the other and, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side pulled off another of those increasingly familiar job-saving victories, they came from Spurs fans. At half-time, at full time and, probably most significantly, when Lucas Moura was taken off for Steven Bergwijn. By the end there were chants against the chairman, Daniel Levy. It seems absurd to say it 11 games into the manager’s reign but already for Nuno Espírito Santo the situation is critical. Manchester United were more solid than they have been. There may be problems ahead if Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba have to go without regular football for a protracted spell, but for now the 3-4-1-2 has brought short-term relief. Solskjær at least has the fallback of good players who can do brilliant things. Continue read...

The Guardian - * 42-year-old diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis * Dyer says he is is positive ‘he will overcome minor setback’ The former England midfielder Kieron Dyer requires a liver transplant, his club Ipswich have announced. Ipswich, where Dyer has been working as under-23s manager, confirmed that the 42-year-old was undertaking tests in hospital on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Zaha posts screenshots of abuse he received on Instagram * ‘I’ll always be black and proud,’ says Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha has highlighted racist abuse he was sent online after Crystal Palace’s victory at Manchester City on Saturday. Zaha scored the opener in Palace’s 2-0 win, a match in which City defender Aymeric Laporte was sent off for a foul on the forward. The Ivory Coast international subsequently posted screenshots on Instagram of racist abuse he had received following the match. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Visitors make most of key decisions to claim 2-0 win * Patrick Vieira: ‘You have to be prepared to suffer’ Patrick Vieira said his players “suffered” during their 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium while Pep Guardiola refused to blame Aymeric Laporte’s red card and Gabriel Jesus’s VAR-adjudged offside goal for the champions’ second defeat of the season. Wilfried Zaha was the standout performer in what was Palace’s first away win, scoring the opener and later in the first half forcing Laporte, as the last man, to wrestle him to the grass. Laporte was sent off by Andre Marriner and Zaha’s devilry subsequently caused Bernardo Silva to be booked for chopping him down. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Cardiff battle back from 3-0 down to claim 3-3 draw * Huddersfield climb to fifth after beating Millwall Managerless Cardiff pulled off a remarkable comeback at the Bet365 Stadium, as Stoke let slip a three‑goal lead to draw 3-3. Jacob Brown put the hosts ahead after 10 minutes and Steven Fletcher grabbed a goal in each half to put them in control. But three goals in five minutes hauled Cardiff level. Rubin Colwill pulled one back in the 66th minute, Mark Harris added a second four minutes later and Kieffer Moore struck almost instantly to complete the fightback. Continue reading...

The Guardian - * Stryjek saves Giakoumakis stoppage-time spot-kick * Hearts miss chance to go top after defeat to Aberdeen Giorgos Giakoumakis missed a stoppage-time penalty as Celtic squandered the chance to go top of the cinch Premiership in a goalless home draw with Livingston. The Greek striker’s weak effort was saved by Max Stryjek after Abi Obileye had gifted the hosts a rare chance when he hit out at Kyogo Furuhashi in the box and received a red card. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Sean Dyche spoke of his delight at Burnley changing the narrative after they recorded their first win of the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory over Brentford at Turf Moor. On the day Dyche reached nine years as the club’s manager, his side scored three times without reply in the first half, via Chris Wood in the fourth minute, Matt Lowton in the 32nd and Maxwel Cornet four minutes later. Continue reading...

The Guardian - At half-time the crowd were urged to raise money for the Royal British Legion by participating in an auction to win “match worn” signed shirts streaked with mud, sweat and, in the case of Newcastle’s players, quite possibly tears. No prizes for guessing whose top Chelsea fans would bid most money for. Reece James’s two second-half goals allowed Thomas Tuchel’s Premier League leaders to translate dominance into points as they left Newcastle stuck in the bottom three and still seeking their first win of the season. Continue reading...

The Guardian - What is taught in school now does nothing to reduce prejudice but the sport I love has the power to change perceptions As somebody who has played football since I was tiny, spent two decades in the game and been fortunate enough to become a manager, I would like to think I am an asset to the sport. Then I remember that I am one of the very few lucky people in my position. Imagine if I had felt obliged to step away and find another profession because I didn’t feel there was a pathway for me, for no other reason than the fact people had decided there was nothing I could contribute? I know so many black and minority ethnic people who would have made fantastic managers, directors of football and coaches, but they just cannot see where the opportunities might come. Football loses some great minds because they feel the door is closed to them, and it is genuinely upsetting. Society is full of unconscious biases and, given football mirrors life closely, we have to accept they...

The Guardian - Chelsea defender discusses the German manager’s demands, feeling like the bogeyman and learning not to fight “A lot of people don’t know me,” Antonio Rüdiger says as he considers how perceptions of him have changed since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Chelsea in January. Rüdiger has been one of the most watchable players in the Premier League this season, entertaining supporters with aggressive defending, powerful runs and expressive mannerisms, but he does not feel any different. “I have always been as I am now,” he continues. “It’s just that things are going well. Obviously everyone has their opinion. I’ve always been the same Toni.” According to Rüdiger, that Toni is “a guy who is serious about his own things,” but with a penchant for creating a good vibe in the dressing room. He bats away suggestions that he is a joker, but he is hardly a shrinking violet on the pitch. He is tough on opposition forwards and he showed his humour when he stuck out his tongue at Chelsea’...

The Guardian - * Clubs meet in FA Cup semi-final in Manchester on Sunday * Hayes praises influence of forward Pernille Harder Emma Hayes has warned Chelsea not to be complacent when they attempt to reach the FA Cup final at the expense of struggling Manchester City on Sunday. City are ninth in the Women’s Super League after a surprisingly poor start and are depleted by injuries, but Hayes will not make the mistake of underestimating Gareth Taylor’s team. Continue reading...

The Guardian - Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has said he is ready to fight back after the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool. Responding to a comparison between his situation and Sir Alex Ferguson's near-dismissal in 1990, he said he could emulate the legendary former manager. Solskjær also addressed claims that the club had suspended contract talks with Paul Pogba, which the Frenchman later refuted in a social media post. 'When it’s blatant lies, they have to stand up and say so. All the opinions and reports, fine, but don’t make lies about players or me' he said. * Defiant Solskjær vows to emulate Ferguson fightback at United – live! Continue reading...

The Guardian - Manchester City have not lost in the Premier League since the opening weekend and Crystal Palace have only two points on the road and one win overall, so the favourites are clear. Patrick Vieira, the visiting manager, is a City Football Group alumnus, having coached Manchester City’s elite development squad and New York City: but for the 90 minutes there will be zero sentiment allowed by his opposite number, Pep Guardiola. Jamie Jackson Saturday 3pm Continue reading...