» Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool: Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg – live
“I’m not usually one to cut any of the Big Six some slack (even with PSR most of them have got more brass na wit, as they might say in Yorkshire),” begins Richard Hirst, “but you look at the strength of the two benches and you feel just a little bit of sympathy for Ange.”
Yeah but look at the strength of Spurs’ treatment room.
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» West Ham appoint Potter after sacking Lopetegui … and Steidten may go too
West Ham have appointed Graham Potter as their manager after ending days of uncertainty by firing Julen Lopetegui. The shake-up could also lead to the departure of the technical director, Tim Steidten.
It is understood Steidten, who joined in 2023, played a minor part in the negotiations that led to Potter agreeing to replace Lopetegui on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Talks were led by West Ham’s vice-chair, Karren Brady. Sources have indicated West Ham are increasingly unhappy with Steidten over his transfer record, and believe the German could be sidelined if he stays.
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» Barcelona able to field Olmo and Víctor after Spain’s sports council intervenes
- Sports council grants players temporary registration
- Pair could feature in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final
Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor will be able to play for Barcelona after Spain’s supreme sports council (CSD) granted them temporary registration while it investigates an appeal lodged by the club against the removal of their licences by La Liga.
Registration did not arrive in time for Olmo or Víctor to play the semi-final of the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night, but they will be available for Sunday’s final against Real Madrid or Real Mallorca.
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» EFL hits back at Arteta’s complaints: ‘All clubs play with the same ball’
- Manager criticised Puma ball after Carabao Cup defeat
- Puma will manufacture Premier League ball next season
The English Football League (EFL) has defended the ball being used in this year’s Carabao Cup in response to Mikel Arteta complaining that it “flies differently” after Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle on Tuesday.
Arsenal lost the first leg of their semi-final at Emirates Stadium 2-0 despite having 23 shots, with three on target. Arteta suggested the ball, which is manufactured by Puma, could have played a role in their defeat because it is different to the Nike balls used in the Premier League.
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» Young v Young: father-son FA Cup meeting could join football folklore
Ashley Young hopes to line up against his son Tyler when Everton face Peterborough in the FA Cup on Thursday
Arsenal v Manchester United and Tamworth v Tottenham are two of the more arresting fixtures in the FA Cup third round, but Everton’s encounter with Peterborough has the potential to create history. At Goodison Park on Thursday there is a chance the hosts’ 39-year-old wing-back Ashley Young will find himself on the same pitch as his 18-year-old son, Tyler, a promising midfielder who signed for Posh in League One last summer.
“WOW … Dreams Might Come True #GoosebumpsMoment #YoungVsYoung,” wrote the former England international on X after last month’s draw.
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» Met police hand over ‘full file’ to CPS on Premier League player accused of rape
- Unnamed 31-year-old player has been on extended bail
- Police decided to take no action over June 2021 incident
The Metropolitan police have handed a “full file” of evidence on a Premier League footballer accused of rape to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022 at an address in Barnet and was rearrested while in custody following allegations of two more incidents of rape, taking place in April and June 2021, by another woman. Since then he has been released on bail, which has been repeatedly extended, and was questioned further in November. Meanwhile, the police confirmed a technicality meant it would be taking no further action over the incident that took place in June 2021.
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» Liverpool seal loan signing of Sam Kerr … from Bayern Munich
- Scotland midfielder won domestic title with Bayern
- Everton sign Hayley Ladd from Manchester United
Liverpool have signed Sam Kerr on loan until the end of the season. Not to be confused with Australia and Chelsea forward of the same name, the midfielder joins Liverpool from Bayern Munich. Having moved to Germany from Rangers in 2023, Kerr won the Frauen-Bundesliga in her first season.
The Liverpool manager, Matt Beard, said: “We nearly had a deal done for Sam before she went to Bayern Munich. She’s a player we’ve watched from afar for a long time. We’re probably getting a more complete player now, a little bit older with experience of playing for one of the biggest European women’s football teams.”
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» Neymar playing with Messi and Suárez in Miami is a fascinating idea. But is it a good one?
The former Barcelona teammates getting together for one last hurrah in MLS would draw in the fans. But injuries have taken their toll on the Brazilian
Lionel Messi’s Florida sanctuary for former Barcelona players could soon have another resident. Comments made by Neymar on Tuesday hinted at a possible reunion with his former Barça teammates, Messi and Luis Suárez, at Inter Miami seven years after the trio formed arguably the most formidable forward line in soccer history. The prospect of the ‘MSN’ reunited in MLS is tantalising.
But just because the signing of Neymar is a compelling idea, that doesn’t make it a good one. Neymar is a shadow of the player who scored 105 goals in 186 games for Barça. Injuries have taken their toll on the 32-year-old, sidelining him for much of the last year. He has only played seven games for Al-Hilal since joining the Saudi Arabian club in August 2023. There may not be much soccer left in him.
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» Tyra Mills: ‘My football videos got a lot of views … hate and bullying comes with it’
Former Tottenham Under-23s player has been open about her battles and is determined not to let the trolls win
Tyra Mills is in reflective mood. She may only be 24 years old but it feels as if she has been on a journey already that some may not experience in a lifetime.
Mills is a multitalented content creator and rose to popularity when she started posting videos of football tricks, skills and crossbar challenges during lockdown. At the time she was playing for Tottenham Under-23s but had also started to put on weight and in the end did not feel comfortable continuing. Cyberbullying didn’t help: she became a target as soon as her first football video went viral.
This is an extract from our free weekly email, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions.
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» Football quiz: in which minute were these iconic goals scored?
They are some of the most famous goals in history, but do you remember when they hit the net?
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» Which football teams have won the league without a shirt sponsor? | The Knowledge
Plus: non-football athletes wearing football crests on their kit; and teams who were sponsored by news organisations
- Mail us any of your questions and answers
“Chelsea are firmly in the title race despite what their manager says,” wrote Will Nichols before Christmas. “But who was the last team to win the English top flight without a shirt sponsor? Has it been done more recently in another country?”
Chelsea’s conscious uncoupling from the title race doesn’t change the fact that this is a cracking question. Let’s start with the English top flight. Knowledge regular Dirk Maas has trawled the brilliant True Colours website – which, if you are the type of person who reads this column, is likely to be an endless source of serotonin – to find the answer: Aston Villa in 1980-81. Not content with using only 14 players (if you’re under the age of about 40, let that sink in) all season, they didn’t have a shirt sponsor either.
Brighton & Hove Albion British Caledonian
Coventry Talbot
Everton Hafnia
Liverpool Hitachi
Middlesbrough Datsun Cleveland
Nottingham Forest Panasonic
Southampton Rank Xerox
Stoke Ricoh
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» Didier Deschamps to leave as France coach after 2026 World Cup
- Deschamps in charge since 2012 and won 2018 World Cup
- Zinedine Zidane the early favourite to take over
France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, has confirmed he will leave when his contract expires after the 2026 World Cup, saying it will be time to stop. Zinedine Zidane is the early favourite to take over.
Deschamps took charge of the national team in 2012 and led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018, becoming the third man to win the tournament as a player and a manager.
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» Football transfer rumours: Chelsea in for Mainoo? Rashford to Dortmund?
Today’s tittle-tattle is going to have to call you back
Manchester United fans’ 48-hour reprieve from a historically miserable season came to an end last night, as news emerged that the club would listen to offers for young guns Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund. Mainoo is thought to be underwhelmed by the new contract being inched across the table towards him – and Chelsea are thought to be monitoring developments closely.
United may need to clear out the drawer containing Antony, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford in order to spend in January, or add a couple of zeroes to Mainoo’s deal. Milan are in the running for Rashford, but they have been joined by Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, who fancy a Sancho-esque six-month loan revival. Dortmund are also interested in Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka, who is available this month along with forgotten footballer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
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» Isak’s razor-sharp edge provides painful point of contrast to Arsenal’s meanderings | Barney Ronay
Newcastle striker isn’t just a player Arsenal have wanted, but a type they have missed – there isn’t a better centre-forward in England right now
And here’s what you could have had. No, maybe don’t look too closely. It is no secret Arsenal made attempts to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad a few years back. There was some vague, whisper-on-the-wind talk of a bid again this summer. Good luck with that one now. How much would it take these days? A hundred and fifty million? A six pack of gold Fabergé eggs encased in Parmesan cheese? Ten thousand head of cattle and half of Hertfordshire?
Isak isn’t just a player Arsenal have wanted, but a type they have missed, a razor edge in a team that still basically wants to tickle you to death. No doubt after this 2-0 semi-final first leg victory for an excellent Newcastle team, driven by a wonderful performance from Isak, there will be some painful focus on the points of contrast with Arsenal’s own meanderings in attack.
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» Men’s transfer window January 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues
All the latest Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A deals and a club-by-club guide
After financial fair play concerns limited spending last January, this could be a busier window for Europe’s biggest clubs. In the Premier League, Liverpool are flying high but are yet to secure new contracts for Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold – with all three now able to speak to other clubs about pre-contract agreements.
Behind them, Arsenal are weighing up whether to boost their attacking options, and Manchester City could recruit a new midfielder with Rodri’s absence derailing their title hopes. Further down the table, Manchester United may need to clear players out before Ruben Amorim can make signings, but Ange Postecoglou is planning to bolster his underachieving Tottenham squad.
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» Manchester United will listen to offers for Mainoo, Garnacho and Højlund
- United not seeking to offload but trio not untouchable
- Offers will also be considered for Yoro, De Ligt and Ugarte
Manchester United will listen to serious offers for any of Ruben Amorim’s squad, including Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund, who were previously deemed untouchable.
United are not actively seeking to offload the trio but there is recognition from Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the club have been poor sellers. With finance limited because of profitability and sustainability rules, sales have to become a key part of healthy squad management.
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» Women’s transfer window January 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues
Every deal in the WSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guide
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» David Squires on … Thomas Tuchel’s thrilling start to life as England manager
Our cartoonist looks at how the German is filling his time after beginning his new role at FA headquarters
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» Sérgio Conceição sees instant impact in Milan’s Supercoppa derby triumph
New Rossoneri coach is regarded as a hard, emotionless taskmaster but Monday’s win prompted cigars and hugs
Sérgio Conceição warned us on Friday that “I don’t like to give out hugs”, but sometimes a moment gets the better of you. In Milan’s changing room on Monday night he danced, smoked a cigar and, yes, gave Théo Hernández a squeeze on camera. If ever there was a time to break character, it might be after winning your first trophy with the club you took charge of a week ago.
Has there ever been a footballing speed-run like this one? Hired to replace Paulo Fonseca as Milan’s manager – a transition so poorly handled that his predecessor wound up announcing his own sacking from a car window – Conceição led his first training session last Monday and flew with his new team to Riyadh a day later. Since then, he has produced come-from-behind wins over Juventus and Inter, delivering Milan their first silverware in three years.
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» Liverpool’s holiday wobble won’t matter if their rivals can’t punish it | Jonathan Wilson
Liverpool may have got away with one in Sunday’s thrilling draw with Manchester United. But without a sustained challenge from those in chase, it may not matter
Title races are never just about the winners. In other circumstances, a run of three draws in six games for Liverpool might be cause for concern. Are they tightening up? Is there validity to that vague sense that the fixture list so far has been kind to them? But even if there is, it doesn’t really matter. Before the first of those draws, at Newcastle on 4 December, they were nine points clear of Arsenal in second; after Sunday’s draw at home to Manchester United, they are six points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand.
And that really has been the story of the past month, the great hectic splurge of the festive period. There has been a lot of heat and light, a lot of drama and excitement, and in the end not much has changed. Liverpool were far from their best on Sunday, could easily have suffered a surprise defeat, but in seven of the last nine match days the chasing pack of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have managed one or fewer wins between them. That does, admittedly, leave Nottingham Forest, who will close to six points with a game in hand if they beat Wolves on Monday, and who are Liverpool’s next league opponents, but it has been a remarkable achievement for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side to get to where they are; realistically there is going to be some drop-off in the second half of the season.
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» PSG denied Monaco a trophy but Adi Hütter is making them a force | Eric Devin
Monaco’s hearts were broken by Ousmane Dembélé’s last-minute winner but they are going places under Hütter
By Eric Devin for Get French Football News
Heartbreak, again, for Monaco. Despite another nip-and-tuck match against Paris Saint-Germain – much like their meeting in Ligue 1 three weeks ago – Monaco were cruelly felled at the death in the Trophée des Champions. Ousmane Dembélé scored the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute, finally beating Monaco’s second-choice goalkeeper Philipp Köhn, who put in a fantastic display. The real star of the show though – as has been the case all season – was Monaco manager Adi Hütter.
Given his goalkeeper’s strong performance, and the fact his side missed out on what would have been their first trophy since they won the league in 2017, it may sound strange to pick out the manager for praise, but Monaco would be nowhere near PSG’s level without the Austrian. It’s an opinion shared by the club’s hierarchy, who extended his contract this weekend, no small matter given the number of managers they have churned through since Leonardo Jardim left in 2018. From Thierry Henry, to Jardim’s return, to Robert Moreno, to Niko Kovac and Philippe Clement, the club have lacked stability (and defensive solidity) for nearly a decade.
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» Pellegrini rewards Ranieri’s call with starring role in Derby della Capitale | Nicky Bandini
The midfielder has been linked with a move away from boyhood club Roma but answered his critics against Lazio
Claudio Ranieri does not have all the answers. It can seem as if he does: the man who steered Leicester to a Premier League title and who long before that built a reputation in Italy as the first person to call when a top team was failing. In case of emergency, do not break the glass, just dial Claudio instead.
He had retired after leading Cagliari to an improbable escape from relegation last season, but Roma lured him back. The club – his club, the one he grew up supporting – was in shambles: 12th in the table despite an almost €100m summer transfer splurge and now seeking a third manager of this season. How could he say no, even at 73 years old, to his first footballing love?
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» Amad Diallo’s manic midfield energy gives Manchester United an air of hope | Barney Ronay
Ruben Amorim tightened things in the middle for Liverpool trip, and the rest of the team stepped up in a pulsating game
This was a thrilling, bruising game, and even a very funny one at times. Not least in its final significant act in the 97th minute, a cross from the right that found Harry Maguire unmarked in front of goal and wreathed suddenly in the cold, hard spotlight of destiny, but opting instead to smash the ball into the crowd like a man punting a crumpled beer can over a factory fence.
The end result was a good draw for Manchester United, which is no small thing, and definitely an improvement on the recent trend for bad defeats. It was probably a good result for Liverpool too after a performance that was spirited at times but some way short of the sunlit stroll of the first half of the season. This point will perhaps mean more by the end than some of those cloudless victories.
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» The 100 best male footballers in the world 2024
Rodri has beaten Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland to top our ranking of the most talented players in the world this calendar year
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» Rodri stands tall on top of the world after year of glory and pain
The Manchester City midfielder becomes the sixth player to top our ranking of the world’s best 100 male footballers
One of the worst things about seeing Rodri in agony on the pitch against Arsenal in September – and the subsequent news that he had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament – was that in the buildup to the injury he had criticised the workload being put on players. It was as if he knew something bad was about to happen.
In April, after an epic 3-3 draw at Real Madrid the Manchester City and Spain midfielder said: “I do need a rest.” He added: “Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is. I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”
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» The 100 best female footballers in the world 2024
Aitana Bonmatí finishes top of our rankings for a second consecutive year, with Caroline Graham Hansen second and Sophia Smith third
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» Aitana Bonmatí on top of the world again but England close gap on Spain
The Spanish midfielder wins for a second consecutive year on a fast-moving list that sees 15 players appearing for the first time
Aitana Bonmatí emulates her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas and takes back-to-back wins in the Guardian’s 100 best female footballers in the world list.
The double Ballon d’Or winner received votes from all 99 of this year’s judges, finishing 667 points clear of her club teammate Caroline Graham Hansen, the Norwegian climbing to her highest ranking after a superb individual year for both club and country.
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» Arteta sings virtues of ‘versatility’ as Arsenal overcome sickness bug to win – video
Mikel Arteta praised his players’ fortitude after a patched-up Arsenal side overcame a sickness bug in the squad to defeat Brentford 3-1 and keep up the pressure on Liverpool. Arteta gave Ethan Nwaneri his first league start more than two years after he became the youngest player in Premier League history at the same ground. The 17-year-old played a part of Arsenal’s second and third goals and Arteta said he deserved his opportunity.
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» 'Every coach is in danger': Amorim thriving on pressure after latest Manchester United loss – video
Ruben Amorim knows his job will be at risk if Manchester United's results do not improve but said he enjoys the pressure. 'The manager of Manchester United can never, no matter what, be comfortable, and I know the business that I’m in,' Amorim said after a third consecutive defeat and fifth in seven games. 'You can say I am here one month and I’ve had four training [sessions], but we are not winning. That is the reality and I’m quite comfortable with that.'
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» 'I was happy the sixth one went in': Slot warns against complacency despite Liverpool win – video
Arne Slot urged his players to keep their foot on the accelerator after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points with a wild 6-3 victory against Tottenham. Although the manager felt his team produced their best attacking performance in an away game under him, he was not happy with a drop in intensity at 5-1 that gave Spurs brief hope of a comeback. The score was pulled back to 5-3 and Liverpool, who ended up capitalising on Chelsea’s draw with Everton earlier in the day, were reminded that they must maintain their focus if they are to win the league.
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» Amorim says Manchester United players and fans are suffering after Bournemouth defeat – video
Ruben Amorim said Manchester United's players and fans were 'suffering' after a damaging 3-0 Premier League loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Dean Huijsen exposed United's frailties from set pieces with a first-half header before Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo added goals after the break to secure three points for the visitors
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» Pep Guardiola defends Haaland after latest Manchester City defeat – video
Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City striker Erling Haaland after his team fell to their ninth defeat in 12 matches. CIty have now lost six of their past eight Premier League games following a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. After the game, in which he failed to find the back of the net, Haaland told TNT Sports that he hadn't been scoring his chances and that he needed to do better.
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» Own goals and bicycle kicks: the best and worst football moments of 2024 – video
In 2024 the world of football was filled with incredible skill as well as some unique moments. From stunning strikes to own goals and animals on the pitch, here are some of the most entertaining moments the sport had to offer.
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» European football: lifelong Roma fan Pellegrini takes down Lazio in derby
- Under-fire captain helps extend Ranieri’s perfect record
- Dembélé’s last-gasp strike wins French Super Cup for PSG
Claudio Ranieri extended his perfect record in the Italian capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season.
Roma’s captain and lifelong club fan, Lorenzo Pellegrini, scored a superb opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area to end his long wait for a goal. Then Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes.
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» David Squires on … bold predictions for Australian football in 2025
Our cartoonist on the coaches, clubs, characters and collective crises set to define the new year
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» Mikel Oyarzabal: ‘Not going to the World Cup made me win the Euros’
Euro 2024 champion reflects on sealing Spain’s triumph and how a team without big names were stronger together
After breakfast on the morning of the Euro 2024 final, a small group of players stayed in the dining room on the first floor of Spain’s hotel on Marlene-Dietrich-Platz and talked. They had sat together most days over the five weeks spent at their Der Öschberghof HQ outside Donaueschingen and all round Germany, from Gelsenkirchen to Düsseldorf, Cologne to Stuttgart and Munich, a bunch of friends chatting about everything and nothing, but 14 July wasn’t most days. Back in Berlin where it had all begun, this was the last. It was also the best day of Mikel Oyarzabal’s life and theirs, too. And somehow they knew.
“There was some feeling inside,” Oyarzabal recalls five months on, strolling across the pitch at Zubieta, Real Sociedad’s training ground, and into the warmth of a small office. “Álvaro Morata says I’m going to score. Álex Remiro too. And that morning the five of us from la Real were sitting at the table: Remi, [Mikel] Merino, Zubi [Martín Zubimendi], Robin [Le Normand] and me. We would always hang about after eating and chat. I’d been saying it for a while and I said it then: one of us was going to be important, we would have our moment.”
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» Atalanta show their mettle at Lazio to keep in-form Inter off Serie A summit
- Marco Brescianini scores in 88th minute to earn 1-1 draw
- Martínez ends drought in Inter’s 3-0 win at Cagliari
Atalanta’s 11-match winning streak in Serie A ended with a 1-1 draw at Lazio, but Marco Brescianini’s 88th-minute equaliser kept them top of the table.
Fourth-placed Lazio dominated the first half in Rome and were rewarded in the 27th minute when Nicolò Rovella played a high through ball to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who cut inside the box and sent a bouncing volley into the net to break. But Gian Piero Gasperini’s relentless side kept pushing and earned a draw in a thrilling finish to the game.
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» Barcelona hope to finally register Dani Olmo after agreeing VIP seating deal
- Sale of boxes at Camp Nou likely to secure player’s future
- Barça had to find way to comply with FFP by 31 December
FC Barcelona have reportedly closed a last-minute €100m (£82.9m) deal to sell VIP boxes at the newly renovated Camp Nou to Middle Eastern investors. The club are hopeful the sale will allow them to meet financial fair play rules and finally extend Dani Olmo’s registration.
With the deadline for registration just three days away and Barcelona facing the prospect of Olmo leaving as a free agent just six months after joining on a €55m (£45.6m) transfer, the club president Joan Laporta exercised a sale option on Saturday which the club believe will see the first payment made before 31 December.
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» River Plate women’s players released from prison after arrest for alleged racism
- Four players were detained after game in São Paulo
- Match was called off after apparent monkey gesture
A Brazilian judge has ordered the release from prison of four players from River Plate’s women’s football team, all of whom were arrested over an alleged racial slur during a match against Grêmio.
Judge Fernando Oliveira Camargo decided to free the Argentinian club’s quartet of Candela Díaz, Camila Duarte, Juana Cángaro and Milagros Díaz, on condition they remain in Brazil and show up at court in São Paulo every month until the case is concluded.
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» Sporting sack Ruben Amorim’s replacement after just eight games
- João Pereira sacked on Boxing Day after poor run
- Rui Borges takes over at Portuguese champions
Sporting have appointed Rui Borges as head coach, after the Portuguese champions sacked João Pereira on Boxing Day. The new head coach has signed a contract until June 2026, with an option to extend a further year.
Pereira, who took over after Ruben Amorim’s departure to Manchester United in November, was in charge for eight matches, of which Sporting won just three, enduring successive Champions League defeats and falling to second in the Primeira Liga behind their rivals Benfica.
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» Atlético's Hitman bursts from Spider’s shadow to end 18-year wait at Barça | Sid Lowe
Diego Simeone summons Alexander Sørloth from the bench to finish off anyone daring to hold up his title charge
The first time Diego Simeone met Alexander Sørloth, he told him he had come up with a name for him. “He calls me Hitman, I hope to live up to that,” the Norwegian said, and so when the boss needed a really big job doing this weekend, there he was: 6ft 4in and 15 stone of ice cool striding past the bodies lying at his feet. He had sat in the shadows silently watching, biding his time, working out where the opportunity would arise and he could appear and then, at just the right moment, he did. He had known and now it was done, plan executed to perfection. Sørloth shotgun. “Cold,” Simeone called him.
There were 23 seconds left on Saturday night when Sørloth scored the goal that beat Barcelona 2-1 at Montjuïc and it had to be him: a single shot, the aim as true as the timing, sending Atlético Madrid to the top of the table, a little bit of history made and title credentials confirmed. It is 13 years since Simeone became coach and he has transformed the club, leaving the Camp Nou in 2014 with a league title that may still be the greatest feat the competition has ever seen, and taking another title seven years later. But he had never actually won a La Liga game against Barcelona there and Atlético had not done so since February 2006, back when Fernando Torres was a player not a plasterer. Sørloth on the other hand had: in 2022-23 he had come with Real Sociedad and scored the second in a 2-1 win, in 2023-24 he had scored in the 99th minute to take Villarreal to victory, and now this. Three years, three clubs, three wins. “I told him: you had to come for us to win here,” Jan Oblak said.
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» Schick and Wirtz run wild to show only Leverkusen can live with Bayern | Andy Brassell
Celebrations were dampened by tragedy in Germany but two 5-1 wins left two teams in the Bundesliga title race
The celebrations were not what they might have been. Bayern Munich had planned a Christmas display after the Friday night game with RB Leipzig, the full stop to their calendar year, which was swiftly cancelled after news filtered through of the awful attacks in Magdeburg, as the club’s CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, explained on the pitch at full time. While the mood was understandably dampened, Bayern had said what they wanted to on the field, just as Bayer Leverkusen did later on Saturday. In case you were in any doubt, there are just two to watch in the title race in the second half of the Bundesliga campaign. The team of 2024, and the team that is determined to make 2025 theirs.
A 5-1 statement by the leaders answered in kind less than 24 hours later by the champions. Leverkusen needed their equally resounding win over Freiburg to keep pace with Bayern after their demolition of RB Leipzig. They also needed it to cut away the rest of the pack, to clarify the title race to come. Never mind the four points by which Leverkusen trail Bayern. It is the five that separate the second-placed Werkself from Eintracht Frankfurt in third, after the latter’s surprise home defeat to Mainz (last week’s conquerors of Bayern), which mean that the table has been adjusted to more reflect reality going into the Winterpause.
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» Enjoy the pain, never tire of the beauty: some advice for football fans in 2025 | Max Rushden
Whoever you support it’s a long year ahead, but here’s a few tips from one of many who should be old enough to know better
Chances are none of you have spent time looking back on my 2024 attempts to produce a column alongside esteemed journalists who actually write for a living. But through the various subjects, from set-piece coaches to VAR, from the dark arts to PSR, the one consistent theme appears to be a fortnightly mid-life crisis published straight on to your Guardian app.
Perhaps the opportunity to stare at a blank document on a laptop while contemplating life once every other week has staved off other more visceral cliches; skinny three-quarter-length jeans, a moustache, a motorbike seem some way off.
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» Wayne Rooney the manager can’t escape his man-cave or his luminous teenage past | Barney Ronay
His managerial ability remains unproven, but the old-school energy Rooney represents ensures he is still fondly regarded
Re-centre your de-centred centre. Thirty-seven new year wellbeing tips on how to simplify your wellbeing tips. I lost seven inches of neck fat without visiting a gym, changing my diet or having any neck fat to begin with.
The problem with this kind of new year newspaper stuff, the endless weekend articles about how to make yourself feel better, is that it is usually quite complicated. There is a need to understand things, balance your energies, interact with a baffling digital world.
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» From Rashford to Esse: 10 players who could be on the move in January
High wages could stop Manchester United reject finding a new club, but lots of Premier League teams want fresh faces
Age 27 Nationality English Club Manchester United
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» Football Daily | Mikel Arteta, matchballs and Arsenal excuses that just fly differently
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West Ham have finally told Julen Lopetegui to show himself through the door marked Do One … just as soon as he has finished taking training. Yep, awkward’s the word. Graham Potter, who may be hiding around the corner from Rush Green, is poised to take over having been offered a longer two-and-a-half-year deal. “The first half of the 2024-25 season has not aligned with the club’s ambitions and the club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives,” said a West Ham suit.
He would like to yes, obviously. Anybody would want to – so would I. His grandmother was born in Liverpool, and we have relatives in Liverpool, and we were fortunate to know quite a lot of the Beatles because they grew up with some of my family. So, we are attached to Liverpool, you know” – Errol Musk comes up with all kinds of emotional reasons as to why his son would be up for buying the Premier League leaders. The way he’s carrying on we’re guessing the Musk family originated on Scottie Road, had regular knees-ups in the Grafton, got their chippy tea in the Lobster Pot and knew all the words to Poor Scouser Tommy.
‘We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot’ reminds me of the old definition of chutzpah; a boy who kills his parents and then asks the judge for a lighter sentence because he’s an orphan” – Noble Francis.
Paul Scholes (and many others) going in two-footed on Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). Has everyone forgotten who still owns most of the club? In exchange for selling 28.9% of Manchester United, the Glazers have managed to deflect 100% of the negative attention – and trousered more than £1bn in the process. Cynically brilliant business as usual from that family” – Adam Elder.
Should Nottingham Forest start believing in Leicester-like miracles (yesterday’s Football Daily)? More to the point, if they do a Leicester, what then? See Leicester” – Bruce Ellis.
Alec Johns should have got letter of the day yesterday. Can I just take a moment to acknowledge his astonishing feat of memory. I’m sure I’m not the only one of 1,057 to wonder how the heck did he remember that? Does he have an encyclopaedic memory of all Big Paper/Website content from the past couple of decades? In which case, good luck metabolising all those oddly frequent articles about whether or not we can cheat ageing and achieve immortality, or is it simply that it was the only memorable and interesting thing he read in Big Paper/Website in 14 years? Either way, subscribing to the daily drivel output of the Daily must be mental torture, so hats off for fortitude” – Jon Millard.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
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» Football transfer rumours: Randal Kolo Muani to Manchester United?
Today’s rumours think about your dumb face all the time
Manchester United seem to be plotting a double raid on Paris Saint-Germain, after identifying Randal Kolo Muani as the answer to their striking problems and Nuno Mendes as their ideal left-back, though neither transfer looks straightforward. Kolo Muani, who moved to the Parc des Princes for £77m only 16 months ago and has scored twice in 14 appearances this season, could be available on loan and is also interesting Tottenham while also finding himself on a three-man shortlist drawn up by Juventus, where he is joined by United’s own Joshua Zirkzee and West Ham’s mostly-injured Niclas Füllkrug – the Old Lady are hoping to free up funds by selling the former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz back into the Premier League, with Manchester City one of three clubs they have offered him to.
Mendes meanwhile is in the final 18 months of his contract in Paris, and the Telegraph reports that “there have been several discussions” between United and the 22-year-old’s representatives, but also that PSG are hoping to convince him to sign a new deal and that there are “doubts he will demand a transfer during this window”.
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» Winter mailbag: who will Arsenal’s next manager be? – Women’s Football Weekly podcast
Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Sophie Downey, and Tom Garry to answer your questions
On the podcast today: the panel answer your questions in a mailbag episode. The winter transfer window is open, and the panel discusses the early moves, including Olivia Holdt joining Tottenham and Kelly Gago heading to Everton. What surprises could this window bring, and which teams need reinforcements the most?
The panel also answers questions regarding Arsenal’s ongoing managerial search, the challenges facing Liverpool this season, and whether the winter break should be shortened to avoid fixture congestion later in the year.
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» Manchester United upset the odds at Anfield – Football Weekly
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jacob Steinberg and Paul MacInnes as Manchester United earn an unexpected point in a thriller at Anfield
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.
On the podcast today; a fantastic and largely unexpected performance from Manchester United against Liverpool saw them draw 2-2 and very nearly win in the last seconds but for Harry Maguire’s finishing letting him down.
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» Moving the Goalposts | From the Euros to Canada’s new league: women’s football in 2025
Controversially postponed Wafcon will finally take place and Brazil will hope to retain Copa América title
New landmarks, historic wins and the USA gaining Olympic redemption – the last 12 months in the women’s game certainly delivered once again. And 2025 promises to be yet another memorable year as Switzerland host the European Championship, the Africa Cup of Nations finally gets under way and the start of a brand new league brings new hope for Canada.
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» Guess the Premier League season from the nationality of the managers – quiz
The flags signal the nationality of each club’s manager on the final day of the season in the order the teams finished
In some places you may see two flags together. The first represents where the manager was born, the second is the nation the manager represented in their playing days.
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» David Squires on … football’s headline-grabbing acts from 2024
Our cartoonist on the notable people and eye-catching moments as we wave goodbye to another frantic year
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» Which football teams survived after being bottom at Christmas? | The Knowledge
Plus: the QPR player signed on Christmas Day, footballers doing panto and more in a festive special
“How many teams have rallied to survive after being bottom of the English top flight at Christmas?” asks George Jones. “And did any of these clubs do it without sacking a manager.”
“Nigel Pearson’s great-escaping Leicester City team of 2014-15 fit the bill – and then some, since as per George’s follow-up question, he survived the entire season (though not much longer),” writes Jack Hayward, who has gone above and beyond in answering this question. “On Christmas Day 2014, the Foxes were bottom of the Premier League, with only two wins and 10 points. They were still bottom as late as 18 April, when a 2-0 win over Swansea, plus QPR and Burnley dropping points, lifted them into 18th. A few weeks later, they had finished a lofty 14th and laid the foundation for the most extraordinary story in English top-flight history.
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» The Guardian Footballer of the Year Sofie Junge Pedersen: ‘We wanted to send a message’
The Inter and Denmark player wins the award for her climate activism and being behind an open letter to Fifa regarding Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues
The Guardian Footballer of the Year is an award given to a player who has done something remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty.
If the football had not worked out, perhaps Sofie Junge Pedersen could have run away to the circus. When her after-school youth club in Aarhus put on its annual week of performances there was one challenge that struck her in particular: the chance to juggle with fire torches and mock knives. “It was quite serious,” she laughs. “We practised a lot beforehand and I thought it would be fun. I just wanted to be the best.” So it proved and there is no evidence that anyone has beaten the time she set, aged 13, for keeping the two airborne simultaneously.
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» Age of tactical ideologues is over as Spain dominates new era of pragmatism | Jonathan Wilson
Coaches such as Arteta, Iraola and Emery play variations of the Guardiola model – flexibility and adaptability are in vogue
Spain are the European champions. Real Madrid won the Champions League. Rodri won the Ballon d’Or and has only come to seem more important since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Spanish managers won the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 last season. No fewer than five Premier League clubs are managed by Spaniards.
It has been another year of Spanish domination but the manager who more than anybody has been the architect of what is now considered the Spanish style is facing the biggest crisis of his career.
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» Proposals, tears and flying pies: my life behind the bar on football’s concourses | Honor Pullman
From the Den to Old Trafford, via Craven Cottage and the Emirates, I saw it all during my years pulling pints for fans
I was 17 when I started working at football grounds for some extra cash on the weekends. As the youngest of three girls, I could easily have followed my older sisters into a Saturday job at a local cafe. Instead, I signed away my life (and social life) to a hospitality agency, in exchange for a tenner an hour, flexible shifts and a variety of unflattering uniforms.
As a diehard Hull City fan, I was no stranger to the concourse, but I wasn’t prepared for the trials and tribulations of working in them. From Millwall to Manchester, I’ve seen it all – proposals, tears (mainly my own) and flying pies.
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» Which Thomas Tuchel will turn up on his first day as England manager?
The coach is faced with the difficult task of preserving Gareth Southgate’s legacy of unity while also turning the team into one that can end a 60-year trophy drought
Volker Kersting, Mainz academy director, sighed. Thomas Tuchel, as of Wednesday England’s new manager, had that look in his eyes. “He just said, ‘Volker’ and I knew what was coming,” Kersting said in Rulebreaker, the Tuchel biography by Daniel Meuren and Tobias Schächter. “I’d been dreading it. He really wanted to go up the mountain and dig up that pin.”
“The pin” was a grubby, small Mainz badge which during a summer pre-season training trip in Austria for Tuchel’s then Mainz under-19s team had assumed almost sanctified status. Alongside four-hour training sessions – something of a shock for teenagers – Tuchel also displayed the gift for team bonding that he will require for the England job. One day in Austria, Tuchel insisted the whole squad hire mountain bikes and ride to the summit of the Simmering mountain, where they had lunch and admired the beautiful views before the head coach demonstrated his rhetorical powers, using the moment to tell the team that their goal was to win the league, something never achieved previously by Mainz’s youngsters. Tuchel wanted a ceremony to mark the covenant between team and coach so made do with Kersting’s Mainz badge, which was solemnly wrapped in a Snickers wrapper and buried at the mountain top. “When we reach our final, we will return to dig up our treasure!” Tuchel told them.
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» Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football
From Franco Mastantuono to Estêvão, we select some of the most talented players born in 2007. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back
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» Next Generation 2024: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs
We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and look at the editions from further back
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» Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football
From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018
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