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Juventus head coach Massimiliano Canzi said of Arsenal: “Compared to last week, we’ll need to be more clinical when chances arise. We’ll have to stay in the game for as long as we can, despite Arsenal’s strength. Of course we spoke after the game at home and we know we can do better.”

Arsenal’s Emily Fox said of the team’s confidence: “Right now, we’re all very confident in each other and ourselves. And I think with the entire team, we feel together.

• City have declared their opposition to rule changes
• Two-thirds majority required for vote to go through

Premier League clubs and officials were scrambling on Thursday to secure support before a totemic vote on the competition’s rulebook.

At a shareholders’ meeting in central London on Friday, clubs will be asked to pass modest changes to rules relating to associated party transactions (APTs), when clubs generate income from sources related to their ownership. If the rules are approved the competition is unlikely to be materially affected, but ramifications for the simmering conflict between the league and its serial champion Manchester City will be substantial.

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The countdown is on. Not to World War III, or to a former writer of this tea-timely email’s appearance on the Christmas Strictly, or even to Rúben Amorim’s first game as Manchester United manager. Nope, the ticking clock has been wheeled out to inform us that, at the time of writing, planet earth is precisely 23 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds and 0 sanity from Amorim’s first pre-match press conference as Manchester United manager.

‘Rúben Amorim’s ‘grandpa’ coach at Man Utd ‘can’t say two sentences in English’’

‘Man Utd’s fans ‘jaded’ as Rúben Amorim predicted to ruin his career’.

‘Five things we learned from Rúben Amorim’s first training session’.

‘Rúben Amorim has ‘very own whistle’ as he calls time on Antony’.

‘Marcus Rashford gives three-word verdict on Rúben Amorim’s first Man Utd training session’.

‘Casemiro gives two-word verdict on Rúben Amorim’s first Man Utd training session’.

‘Rúben Amorim ‘will make exciting Man Utd request’ ahead of Ipswich debut – EXCLUSIVE’.

‘Supercomputer reveals how difficult Rúben Amorim’s first five games are at Man United – and how it compares to their Premier League rivals’.

‘Supercomputer predicts Rúben Amorim’s Spotify 2024 Wrapped playlist’.

‘Five things we learned from Rúben Amorim’s choice of trainers for this first training session’.

‘What Rúben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation reveals about his preferred lovemaking technique’.

Let’s not give Wales too much credit (yesterday’s Football Daily); after all, it was only Iceland they beat. Surely any half-decent side could make easy work of them to advance in an international tournam … oh” – Chad Thomas.

BC.Game, Leicester City’s shirt sponsor, reportedly being declared bankrupt could prompt a few questions for the board about what kind of diligence they did and how this might affect their already wafer-thin PSR in the entirely unlikely event of them not having got paid up front. After all, this was a Curaçaoan crypto-casino whose social media abomination TwiXer post announcing their sponsorship attracted 2.2billion views, making it one of the most viewed of all time. Given they’ll presumably now be looking for a new sponsor, perhaps the team will soon turn out decked out in John Terry’s monkey pics” – James Blanchard.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

Whoever takes over the hot seat will find the foundations are strong – this is a thing that doesn’t need messing with

When I was young, and random old people my parents knew would ask what I wanted to do with my life, I’d always answer: “Be Des Lynam,” – at the time mainly to end the conversation so I could go back upstairs and play Sensible Soccer. But it seemed like a fun thing to do.

So it was with some excitement a couple of weeks ago that I received a screengrab of the odds for the next host of Match of the Day. I was sixth favourite at 12-1! Gratifying stuff – it was now simply a case of somehow disposing of Dan Walker, Colin Murray, Jeff Stelling, Manish and Chappers and the chair was mine. I guess people might have got suspicious after the first couple disappeared.

Former Ipswich manager is enjoying the club’s resurgence under Kieran McKenna, having taken them to great heights more than 20 years ago

Every so often, George Burley takes a walk through the park and bumps into a vision of his younger self. Kieran McKenna is practically a neighbour; the greetings are always warm and the common ground bountiful. They are the only two men alive who know exactly what it takes to guide an Ipswich side to the Premier League and both have come to understand how success in Suffolk can propel a reputation towards the stars.

In Burley’s case it was a fifth-placed finish in the 2000-01 top flight, straight after going up, that sent him into the pantheon. He was named manager of the season, the first of only five times when the recipient did not win the title, and it capped a fairytale story that barely feels possible now. “It couldn’t get any better, it was an honour, an incredible feat,” he says. “I don’t know if a team that comes up could equal or beat that now. It might never happen again.”

• Welsh FA calls allegations ‘extremely disappointing’
• Former international says she ‘cancelled some events’

The Football Association of Wales has said allegations against the former Wales international Natasha Harding, including that she took money for coaching sessions she failed to deliver, are “extremely disappointing”.

BBC Wales News reported on Wednesday that teammates, parents and sponsors have accused the former Liverpool, Reading and Aston Villa forward Harding – who now uses her married name Allen-Wyatt – of taking thousands of pounds that she has not returned.

• Brazilian believes things are heading in right direction
• ‘I’ve suffered so much and still sometimes suffer’

The Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has spoken about his fight against racism, describing it as an ongoing battle that he is happy to take on, but warning that he alone “can’t fight all that Black people have been suffering”.

The Brazilian footballer has been at the forefront of fighting racism in La Liga after facing abuse at more than 10 Spanish grounds. In March he laid bare the toll exacted by years of racist insults, saying that the barrage of abuse was chipping away at his desire to play.

• Blues’ club captain has history of hamstring problems
• Enzo Maresca unsure on time frame for recovery

Reece James has sustained another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s Premier League visit to Leicester on Saturday, with his manager, Enzo Maresca, unsure about the time frame on the recovery.

James felt the problem in training on Tuesday and it is the latest blow for the captain, who had hamstring surgery last December which ruled him out until the final few games of the season. He injured a hamstring again on Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States and played his first match of the campaign at Liverpool on 20 October.

Before Portuguese’s first Manchester United game, the people who know him well explain how he got this far

The road from the Portuguese third tier to Portman Road is a unique journey and one that will take Rúben Amorim from relative obscurity to one of the most-scrutinised coaching roles in the world. Amorim felt forced to quit his first coaching job at Casa Pia after being sanctioned for not possessing the necessary coaching qualifications less than six years ago, but has rapidly risen to become one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe.

The Estádio Pina Manique is on the outskirts of Lisbon, Amorim’s home town and where he has spent most of his playing and managerial career. The venue holds about 2,500 spectators, a long way from the 30,000 or so expected to be in attendance for Amorim’s first match as Manchester United manager at Ipswich on Sunday.

Run of defeats, ageing players and off-field problems have not deterred manager from opting to complete a decade at club

Pep Guardiola’s signing of a new one-year deal at Manchester City’s manager shows the eye of the tiger with this son of Catalonia. For Apollo Creed’s line to Rocky Balboa in Rocky III that “you had that eye of the tiger, the edge, and now you gotta get it back”, read Guardiola’s desire to see off the copious challenges gnawing at his team and club and prove, again, his genius.

The reasons why he could have chosen to walk next summer may be the same that have replenished his will to stay. Either way, the 53-year-old’s decision comes at an intriguing juncture of an era‑defining eight-and-a-half-year reign.

The Gunners may have been top in 1989 but George Graham’s team were swept aside by a resurgent Forest side

By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog

With their title credentials being questioned by many, a win against Nottingham Forest feels like a must for Arsenal after the latest unwanted international interruption. The progress made by Mikel Arteta’s team over the last two years has rightly earned praise, but can the club go one step further and end their long wait for the title?

Comparisons can be made with the last time Forest won a league match away at Arsenal. Coming to Highbury in March 1989 after an international break, Brian Clough’s in-form team were aiming to land another blow on an Arsenal side wobbling under the pressure. Table toppers they may have been at that time, but defeat for Arsenal would ring alarm bells.

Chelsea cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with two games to spare at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. A comfortable 3-0 win for last year’s semi-finalists, thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Ève Périsset, saw them claim an impressive 11th victory in a row.

It is safe to say that it has been a dream start to the season for Chelsea, who have a perfect record in all competitions and are leading the WSL and Champions League Group B. Sonia Bompastor was delighted by her side’s early progression, which eases the pressure on the run-in to the ­winter break.

• 19-year-old was hit by shrapnel in Chiyah on Saturday
• Player remains in intensive care in hospital

The Lebanon youth international Céline Haidar is still in an induced coma, four days after being struck by shrapnel in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday.

The 19-year-old, the latest football player to be impacted by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and now Lebanon, was hit in Chiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

• Midfielder follows David Beckham into MLS ownership
• San Diego will be part of Western Conference from 2025

Juan Mata has followed David Beckham in becoming the owner of an MLS team, after he announced that he was joining the investment group of San Diego FC. The former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder, who now plays for Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s A-League, is the first active player to become a partner in a US franchise. San Diego will be part of the Western Conference from 2025.

The award of an expansion slot was announced in May 2023, with San Diego chosen ahead of Las Vegas, whose bid was backed by the owners of Aston Villa. The 2025 launch came too late for Mata to be involved as a player, with the Spanish midfielder, who had been released by Vissel Kobe in January, eventually joining Sydney as a free agent in September. Now he has become a part owner with a small shareholding while he continues as a professional, unlike David Beckham, whose ownership of Inter Miami had been written into his contract with MLS when he joined LA Galaxy, but was not announced until he had retired.

• Tuchel worked with coach at Stamford Bridge
• Chelsea unlikely to replace former Portugal goalkeeper

Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff has been bolstered by the addition of Henrique Hilário, who is ending his 18-year association with Chelsea to become England’s new goalkeeping coach. Tuchel, who worked with the former Portugal goalkeeper during his time at Stamford Bridge, begins his new role on 1 January. Martyn Margetson, England’s previous goalkeeping coach, left when Gareth Southgate stepped down as manager last summer.

Hilário was quickly targeted by Tuchel, who does not want a big backroom team, and it has not taken long for an agreement to be reached. Chelsea were reluctant to let Hilário do a job-share with England and that has led to him handing in his resignation.

• Manager needs results against Newcastle and Arsenal
• Former Dortmund manager Terzic under consideration

Julen Lopetegui is facing two make-or-break games at West Ham, who have used the international break to explore potential replacements. Although the club are clinging on to the hope the Spaniard can turn the situation around, belief in the manager is fading and there is a serious prospect of him being fired this month.

It is understood much will depend on how West Ham fare when they visit Newcastle on Monday and host Arsenal on Saturday week. Defeats in those matches are likely to have serious ramifications for Lopetegui, who is under extreme pressure after a poor start. There is even the possibility of a heavy defeat by Newcastle forcing West Ham’s hand.

• Game in Romania abandoned near the end
• Kosovo plan to take case to court of arbitration for sport

Kosovo are preparing an appeal to the court of arbitration for sport after Uefa handed them a 3-0 defeat for walking off the field during Friday’s Nations League tie against Romania in Bucharest, which was eventually abandoned when they elected not to return.

Kosovo left the pitch during second-half stoppage time upon hearing chants of “Serbia” from the home crowd. The match was suspended and when it was clear they would refuse to resume proceedings were drawn to a halt.

Forward issued a timely reminder after becoming first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach double figures for goals and assists in all competitions

By David Segar for Opta Analyst

It has become almost common football parlance in recent years when discussing data. You can barely refer to any attacking statistic without starting the sentence: “Only Mohamed Salah …”

The Egyptian has been a sensation since signing for Liverpool in 2017, scoring and creating goals that have fired the Reds to glory at home and abroad.

From a nightmare spell in Moldova to drawing in blank in Houston, some players enjoyed a unique professional life

Rohan Ricketts started out with Arsenal in 2001 and ended up playing in more countries than some people visit in a lifetime. Deals in Canada, Hungary, Moldova, Germany, Ireland, India, Ecuador, Thailand, Hong Kong and Bangladesh were steered over the line by his increasingly imaginative agent. The attacking midfielder had played once for the Gunners before a more notable three-season spell at Tottenham. There were loans around England with Coventry, Wolves, QPR and a full-time deal with Barnsley before his globetrotting commenced. In 2011 he won the Irish title with Shamrock Rovers, but Dacia Chisinau in Moldova was “an absolute nightmare … I never got paid”. In happier news he came off the bench for Shamrock Rovers to a warm reception at Tottenham in a 2011 Europa League tie. Exeter City and Leatherhead later appeared on Ricketts’ odyssey, although he stayed at the Grecians less than a month, eventually rounding things off with a spell at the gloriously obscure Canadian outfit Unionville-Milliken.

Plus: leagues with most teams whose names bookended by one letter, multiple international debut scorers and more

• Mail us any of your questions and answers

“I make Rúben Amorim the seventh Portuguese to manage in the Premier League,” writes Daniel Keown. “What’s the record for a country outside the home nations? And have any major football countries not produced a Premier League manager?”

On Sunday afternoon, at Portman Road, Amorim will indeed become the seventh Portuguese manager of a Premier League team. José Mourinho was the first, when he joined Chelsea in 2004, and he was followed (in chronological order) by André Villas-Boas, Marco Silva, Carlos Carvalhal, Nuno Espírito Santo and Bruno Lage.

We’ve included temporary managers who were either in charge or originally appointed for a minimum of five Premier League games. That means Cristian Stellini makes the cut; Spurs appointed him for the last 10 games of the 2022-23, only to sack him after four. But Ruud van Nistelrooy isn’t included as he was only ever appointed for two league games. The figure in parentheses covers your Van Nistelrooys and your Saltors.

Nationalities are taken from the official Premier League site. Technically there have been no African managers in the Premier League era, but Jean Tigana (France), Patrick Vieira (France) and Nuno (Portugal) were born in Mali, Senegal, and São Tomé and Príncipe, respectively.

Our cartoonist celebrates a special anniversary with old friends to entertain us in the international break

• Buy your own copy of this cartoon from our Print Shop
• David’s new book, Chaos in the Box: order it now

A club that punches above its weight, Le Zebrette have calmness, flair and focal point up front in Oliver Bierhoff

James Oddy for The Gentleman Ultra

For a club that have never won a Serie A title, picking a five a side team made up of former Udinese players proved monumentally difficult. Nestled in north-east Italy, Udine is significantly closer to Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana than Rome. Yet it has been a nursery for many elite players, as well as providing the stability and seclusion for the more mature player to find their feet and flourish.

This side is a mixture of youth and experience and helps to emphasise just how much talent has graced the Stadio Friuli. My selection based primarily on players who played during my lifetime and ones that would flourish in the five a side game.

It may have been an absolute mess, but McClair’s two-yard wonder strike was a window into the human soul

The reality of corporeality is a hard thing to process; just look at what we look like! But somehow, the agglomeration of weird shapes and freaky textures that comprises us responds to instructions from the quivering lump of jelly that really comprises us, and thus does football eventuate. Jesse Armstrong once said that if a joke isn’t working, one thing to try is sticking it an enclosed space so “the characters are up in each other’s physicality” and such is our beautiful game: a chaotic, hilarious gumbo of bodies controlled by brains that are fickle, stressed and distractible, having been socialised into the fanatical pursuit of an arbitrary aim to which has been ascribed inherent moral value.

Many of the most preposterous events I’ve seen in my life have been football-related: consider John Terry arranging for himself to take a Champions League-winning penalty and adjusting his captain’s armband en route, then slipping and crying, or Steven Gerrard coming on for his last appearance against Manchester United after spending the entirety of the first half being wound up by the away end, then getting himself sent off 38 seconds later. For balance, I was also at the Stadium of Light on the last day of 2011-12, but we all have our own favourites: those moments when players, asked to process footballing obsession multiplied by the human condition, simply cannot.

After five years in storage a statue of Harry Kane has been unveiled – much to the delight of the man himself but less so to the public, with many people claiming it fails to capture its subject. Kane isn't the first footballer to unveil an unflattering statue, however, with depictions of Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and Mo Salah among others facing ridicule.

• ‘Stuff of nightmares’: statue of Harry Kane unveiled after five years in storage

England beat Greece 3-0 in Athens on Thursday night to go top of their Nations League group. Lee Carsley's decision to bench Harry Kane paid off as his replacement, Ollie Watkins, scored the opener after seven minutes. 'It’s important if we want to put players in a position to win the World Cup that these players need to have as many experiences as we can,' Carsley said. 'It’s no slight on Harry. He’ll start the next game. I see the quality the players have got. The younger ones are more than capable with the quality and mentality they’ve got.'

Jordan Pickford kept England in the game with a couple of strong saves before an Odysseas Vlachodimos own goal and Curtis Jones flick sealed the victory.

• Lee Carsley praises England youngsters after Kane gamble pays off in Greece

Gary Lineker is to step down as the presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season, it has been confirmed. The former England striker, 63, took over in the chair from Des Lynam in 1999 and has been a presence on football fans’ screens on Saturday nights for 25 years. Over that time he has brought plenty of memorable moments to viewers while also speaking out on issues he felt needed addressing.

• BBC confirms Gary Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day

• From presenting in pants to political controversy: Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day career

Ruud van Nistelrooy led Manchester United to a 2-0 victory over Greek champions PAOK in the Europa League. Van Nistelrooy, who is standing in as interim manager before the arrival of Rúben Amorim, will manage his last game for Manchester United on Sunday against Leicester. He said: 'For me, it's important now to carry on and build on results of Leicester, of Chelsea and of PAOK.'

Frankie Leonard from Bearsted FC made an incredible save in their game against Fisher FC despite his foot getting stuck in the net, after he ran back to his goal to chase down a lob that hit the bar. Despite Leonard's heroics, Fisher claimed a 1-0 win in their Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division encounter

Rúben Amorim said Sporting’s 4-1 rout of Manchester City was a dream way to sign off in his last home game as head coach but warned that when taking over Manchester United ­he cannot be as 'defensive' as the ­Portuguese champions. 'We cannot transport one reality to another,' he said. 'United cannot play the way we play, they cannot be so defensive. Of course it’s good to beat City. But I’ll be living in a different world, we’ll have to start from a different point'.

• Manchester United cannot play the way Sporting do, warns Rúben Amorim

Brazil legend features in Saturday’s big Championship game between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit

The 2024 NWSL Championship between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit on Saturday will be a historic contest and caps off a memorable year. Hosted at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, it already celebrates a massive milestone in yet another year of growth. The Kansas City Current’s home is the first stadium built specifically for an NWSL club and was deservedly awarded the Championship game.

As the NWSL commissioner, Jessica Berman, said: “It was a natural choice to stage the league’s marquee event in a venue that exemplifies the profound impact of infrastructure, investment and community support on the continued development and success of our sport.” The 11,500 capacity stadium sold out every game and is on course to do the same in the final.

• Bundesliga club move to Bluesky and urge fans to follow
• St Pauli concerned X may influence German election

St Pauli have become the first major football club to leave X, ­describing the social media site as a “hate machine” and expressing concern that it may influence the outcome of the forthcoming German election.

Scrutiny of the role played by X in platforming hate speech, far-right conspiracy theories and racism has intensified since Donald Trump’s victory in last week’s US election. Trump was vociferously supported by the entrepreneur Elon Musk, who bought X – then known as Twitter – in October 2022. Musk was given part-control of a new “department of government efficiency” this week.

• ‘My life has dramatically changed over the past two years’
• No timeframe but player vows to return ‘stronger than ever’

Matildas winger Cortnee Vine will prioritise her mental health and take a break from football after an “overwhelming” rise to prominence over the past few years.

For the second consecutive international window the 26-year-old made herself unavailable for selection and was again a notable absentee from interim coach Tom Sermanni’s 36-woman squad for Australia’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Taiwan.

Salento club may not have a storied history but players did not have to stay long to make their mark

By Michele Tossani for The Gentleman Ultra

Picking five players for a rational Lecce side should be easy, on paper. Salentini are a club that first stood in Serie A in 1985-86, which is relatively recent. The first Lecce game I remember was the 2-2 that the newly promoted side imposed on the then Campioni d’Italia of Verona in September 1985.

But Lecce are a club that featured great players. So, in the end, building Lecce’s five-a-side lineup was not as easy as expected to be.

• Controversy remains over Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid
• The 54-year-old was re-elected Fifa president last year

Gianni Infantino will avoid any ­scrutiny of the controversial decision to give the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia next month after Fifa opted to stage the qualifying draw for the 2026 tournament as a virtual event.

Saudi Arabia’s successful 2034 bid will be confirmed by acclamation at an extraordinary Fifa congress, to be held online on 11 December, while the Guardian has learned that the draw for European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup two days later will also take place remotely.

• Spain great starts first major venture since retirement
• Club are currently seventh in 12-team division

Andrés Iniesta has become co-owner of the Danish third-tier club Helsingør in the Spain legend’s first major off-field venture since retirement.

Helsingør announced that NSN, the sports management and consulting company jointly founded by Iniesta, would take control alongside the Swiss investment group Stoneweg. They are seventh in their 12-team division, to which they were relegated last season. According to NSN’s website, the firm had been working with the club on a consultancy basis to “consolidate its position and give the opportunity to worldwide talents to come and play in Europe”.

Abdelrahman Kuku is part of a side that cannot play at home but wants to bring joy there

“I am excited, everyone is excited, you have to be excited,” the Sudan international Abdelrahman Kuku says and that’s understandable. Sudan need a point against Niger on Thursday to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations – for the fourth time in 24 tournaments – and eliminate Ghana. That would be impressive enough given the circumstances but the Jediane Falcons are also soaring at the top of their World Cup qualification group after four games as they seek to qualify for the first time.

The circumstances, though, are as dire as can be. The country of almost 50 million is being torn apart by a fierce civil war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia. The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, said in October that millions are not able to escape from a “nightmare of violence, hunger, disease and displacement”.

• Player had been placed into artificial coma
• Midfielder was married with a young son

Ecuador and FC Cincinnati midfielder Marco Angulo has died from his injuries sustained in a car crash that also killed his former youth team teammate Roberto Cabezas, the Ecuadorian Football Association said on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Angulo was a passenger in the car that crashed into a metal barrier on the Rumiñahui highway southeast of Quito on 7 October. The driver and Cabezas, who played for Independiente Juniors, were killed in the incident.

• Priestman is banned by Fifa after alleged use of drone
• Review reveals ‘past pattern of an unacceptable culture’

The departure of the Canada women’s national team head coach, Bev Priestman, has been confirmed by Canada Soccer, following an independent review into the drone spying scandal that rocked the team’s Olympics campaign.

The Englishwoman Priestman was removed from the Olympic Games in Paris and received a one-year ban from football by the world’s governing body Fifa in July, after a drone was allegedly used to spy on a training session of one of their opponents, New Zealand. The analyst Joseph Lombardi and the Canada assistant coach Jasmine Mander were also banned after the allegations, and on Tuesday a statement from Canada Soccer said: “The three individuals currently suspended by Fifa will not be returning. The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will commence shortly.”

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

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

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

• Next Generation 2023: 20 of the best Premier League talents

The two Americans were on our list five years ago but their paths show the professional game is rarely straightforward

Career paths are rarely straightforward, whether in football or any other area of life. Circumstances often change. Injuries and illnesses happen, there are often changes in leadership which have an impact on the individual while personal lives also play a part.

Career paths are therefore very difficult to predict. Looking down the list of our 2019 Next Generation, which we have now followed for five years, there were no guarantees any of the players would become household names. OK, Alex Holiga, who covers the Balkans for us, was confident that Josko Gvardiol would make it big – which he has – but apart from him, and perhaps Ansu Fati, Eduardo Camavinga and Jérémy Doku, there were no certainties.

A remarkable year for the youngster. Made his Bundesliga debut on 18 January and has not looked back since. He now has 23 first-team appearances and has established himself as a starter and one of the most talented young players in Europe. “I’m still learning a lot tactically,” he said in August. “There is a very big difference between youth and professional football. Making the right movements and creating space for myself and others is what I still need to learn the most.

A tumultuous year for the young American who was caught in the crossfire of a feud between his own family and the USMNT coach, Gregg Berhalter, after the World Cup, during which he played a mere 52 minutes of the US’s four games. Injuries have once again hampered him but he is back to full fitness now and a US return seems likely too after talks with Berhalter.

They should be one of the Africa Cup of Nations favourites, instead Ghana are facing up to another chaotic failure

What made it especially painful was that, just briefly, it seemed they might get away with it. But they did not. Ghana did not get the win they needed in Angola on Friday and so Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey and Antoine Semenyo will not be at the next Cup of Nations, which begins in Morocco in December 2025.

Ghana have been terrible in the qualifiers. Their elimination is deserved. They went into their final pair of games needing to win both and hope Sudan lost both of theirs. The likelihood was that it would all be over on Thursday, when Sudan, managed by the former Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah, which has added a whole other tier of complication, went to Niger. But Niger won, 4-0. Nobody had expected that. For Ghana there was a glimmer of hope.

Refereeing is basically a nightmare now. Is it really a huge surprise a Premier League official should end up brutalised and spitting toxins on a sofa?

Farewell then, David Coote. You were the one who looks a bit like a hungover version of Ross from Friends. Let’s take a look at your best bits. Not sending off Jordan Pickford for an attempted amputation at Goodison Park. Not sending off Fabinho for performing on-spec achilles keyhole surgery on Evan Ferguson at the Amex.

Plus of course, the decision to let yourself be filmed propped up on a sofa, saying all the bad stuff out loud, and in the process completing the amazing character arc of the English football referee, from taciturn northern master butcher, to the current crop of beleaguered full-time reality TV stars.

Fans of the women’s game have had to wait for merchandise such as collectable stickers and demand is intense as a result

Gripped in the pocket of my Adidas joggers was a little stack of stickers with an elastic band around it. Flicking down the edge of the bundle with my finger I would glance at the huddle of boys trading the hottest commodity in the playground with a nervousness that was enough to hold me back from even trying to join in.

I could play football, sure, that was the easy part, but could I talk their talk, did I know football? Of course I did. I watched it, I played it, I read the back pages, but it never felt like I belonged. And so, my little stack of swaps remained unswapped, shinies unshared, and my pocket money was depleted week on week as I spent it desperately trying to accrue my missing targets, never completing a book.

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In its largely forgotten previous incarnation before the big rebrand, Football Daily rarely bothered to muddy its spats in the world of South American football unless it was to poke fun at the kind of news we would otherwise be forced to tut sanctimoniously over if it happened closer to home. A ref getting booted repeatedly up the backside after being chased around the pitch by an angry Ecuadorian centre-back, for example. Or a mass brawl that resulted in three Chileans and two Paraguayans getting shown straight reds and refusing to leave the field. Or perhaps a pitch invasion led by angry Peruvians upset that one of their players has been sent off for blowing his trumpet in the fourth official’s ear at full blast. In summary, the kind of scenes that “nobody wants to see”, unless of course they happen to unfold thousands of miles away, in which case we all want to see them.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. I see one of San Marino’s goals was scored by Nicola Nanni. A few more and Nanni could be their Goat” – Trevor Field.

I’ll admit, I was sniffy about the Nations League when it was first introduced, but there’s nothing like a plucky underdog story to win the doubters round. I actually found myself getting quite emotional seeing this nation of part-time pub players secure not just one, but two scarcely believable victories, when I and many others had given up hope of ever seeing them win a competitive fixture in my lifetime. Huge congratulations to Steve Clarke and everyone at the SFA who made it possible” – Ollie Forrest.

Mexico’s Aguirre hit by a beer can (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition)? Was it the Wrath of Grog?” – Tim Grey.

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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Watson, Ewan Murray and Ben Fisher to round off the latest international break as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all finish strongly

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On the podcast today: we begin with the news that Pep Guardiola has agreed a one-year contract extension at Manchester City before moving on to talk about promotion for Wales in the Nations League, with manager Craig Bellamy remaining unbeaten as they thrashed Iceland 4-1.

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As any Irish football fan of a certain vintage can attest, Liechtenstein can be a famously difficult place to go. In June 1995, Jack Charlton took a Republic of Ireland side that was ranked ninth in the world to this tiny country for a Euro 96 qualifier against a team of part-timers that included several bankers, a draughtsman, a wine grower, a mechanic, a builder and the obligatory postman. In Mario Frick, Liechtenstein boasted their only professional player as they lined up in the ramshackle 4,500-capacity Sportpark-Eschen Mauren to face a team that included the likes of John Aldridge, Niall Quinn, Jason McAteer, Paul McGrath and Denis Irwin. The ground was full, with the crowd largely comprising Ireland fans who expected a rout but ended up applauding the home side on their lap of honour after they had held their opponents to a scoreless draw. To their acute embarrassment, Ireland had somehow failed to score from any of their 40 shots on goal and drawn with a ski resort.

The mention of 90s BBC lunchtime staple Turnabout (yesterday’s Football Daily) inevitably resulted in me trawling YouTube to find old episodes of a quiz show I used to love, given its run coincided with me being in sixth form or at university. Imagine my surprise when I read the comment ‘Guardian Football Weekly has brought me here’ – from two years ago. Were you recycling old content? I suppose it’s consistent with a wider green agenda” – Adam Clark.

Something has gone very wrong in the world this month when Donald Trump has been reelected, Gary Lineker is unemployed, Mike Tyson looks mellow and now Scotland are winning both home and away, despite not even being on the telly any more. Is this some kind of rip in the tartan fabric of the space-time continuum?” – Justin Kavanagh.

Re: Memory Lane (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). Either that fella with the bass is emulating Hendrix on the guitar and playing a right-handed bass left-handed, or whatever they were serving at the Hilton was a hell of a lot stronger than what they’d serve pro footballers these days” – Dave T Lloyd.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Jenna Schillaci and Sophie Downey to discuss all the weekend’s WSL games

On today’s pod, the panel discusses Chelsea’s rise to the top of the WSL table after a hard-fought win over Manchester City. Is this the start of their title charge?

The panel also looks at the late drama across the league, with Fran Kirby’s goal sealing Brighton’s victory and Ebony Salmon coming off the bench to give Aston Villa their first win of the season.

Midfielder enjoyed glittering career around the world and had impact off the field as advocate for LGBTQ+ community

As the final whistle blew in Stockholm on Saturday afternoon, fans of Rosengård and hosts Djurgården rose to their feet. Signs and flags were raised aloft at the Olympic Stadium and a standing ovation ensued as Caroline Seger, a name synonymous with Swedish women’s football for the best part of two decades, walked off a competitive football pitch for the final time.

Every footballer dreams of ending their career on a high but relatively few manage to achieve it, particularly when they have already bid farewell to the international stage. Seger, however, has managed to go out at the very top, a deserved finale for an individual who has transformed the game in Sweden on and off the pitch.

Plus: title winners with multiple clubs, a very southern English top flight, more palindromes and mascots on shirts

• Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

“Aberdeen were thrashed 6-0 by Celtic in the Scottish League Cup, ending a 16-match unbeaten run under Jimmy Thelin. What’s the heaviest defeat to end an unbeaten run?” asked Matthew Shore last week.

We added the caveat of an unbeaten run of at least 15 games, and Chris Roe got busy crunching the numbers, for English football at least. “There have been 487 instances of unbeaten runs in league fixtures of at least 15 matches in length,” he tells us. “Of those, 290 were ended by a single-goal defeat, and 133 by a two-goal margin.”

Can you do any better? Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

Our cartoonist on champions’ new habit of losing and that video of a Premier League referee slagging off Liverpool

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Ipswich’s young English duo catch the eye, Liverpool march on and the brilliance of Brighton’s Carlos Baleba

It took them an hour of huffing and puffing, but Arsenal did something at Stamford Bridge they hadn’t managed since September – they scored an away goal in the Premier League. After toothless performances at Newcastle and Inter in the past week – and last month at Bournemouth – Gabriel Martinelli’s cute finish was itself a moment of relief, but Mikel Arteta was frustrated that his team didn’t find a winner. Their expected goals figure was lower than Chelsea’s (1.27 to 1.69) but that does not account for Leandro Trossard’s costly miskick at the death nor Kai Havertz’s would-be opener, which was just offside. The Gunners will almost always control games, especially now Martin Ødegaard is fit and firing again, but that age-old itch has not been scratched. They are not ruthless enough and they still lack a penalty box killer. Dominic Booth

Match report: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Match report: Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa

Match report: Brighton 2-1 Manchester City

Match report: Manchester United 3-0 Leicester

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle

Match report: Tottenham 1-2 Ipswich

Match report: Brentford 3-2 Bournemouth

Inter legend enjoyed a remarkable career in Spain and Italy, but football was not his only love growing up in Sydney

I am having to explain to Christian Vieri that despite us being in London and only a few miles from Lord’s, organising a game of cricket with Sir Ian Botham is probably going to be a bit tricky. I just don’t have that sort of pulling power, but also because the former Ashes legend is in Australia and a bit banged up after falling into crocodile-filled waters on a fishing trip.

The thing is, Vieri – the former striker who at one time became the most expensive footballer in the world when he moved to Internazionale in 1999 for about £30m – doesn’t just like cricket, he loves it, having spent most of his childhood in Australia.

The Premier League players who have belied expectations (in a good way) so far this season

The Cameroonian had a debut season to forget in England. A series of blunders during a nightmarish Champions League campaign helped contribute to Manchester United’s group-stage exit, while high-profile errors on the domestic front led to serious questions about his future. Onana has enjoyed a far better start this time, dropping no conspicuous clangers and keeping five clean sheets in 11 games, the highest of any goalkeeper. He is overperforming in shot-stopping metrics and boasts a pass-completion rate that is on course to be higher than last season. An unexpectedly reassuring presence during another period of early-season turmoil at Old Trafford.

In a country where thousands of migrant workers have died since 2016 a huge building project lies ahead. December’s coronation will stand as surely the most wretched, bloody, damaging act in the history of global organised sport

“People will die.”
Amnesty International

“You can never say again that you did not know.”
William Wilberforce

Sexual assault accusations ended flourishing coaching career at Chesterfield but now he feels he has much to give

James Rowe remembers packing a suitcase before the day of his trial verdict, looking at his two young sons and wondering when he would be able to hold them again. He feared that had a jury found him guilty he could have been in prison for up to two years. The level of anxiety was extreme; the loss of control felt almost overwhelming. “Saying goodbye to them is something I’ll never forget in my life,” he says. “I’m feeling I can’t stop the train: that it’s just running away.”

Rowe, a free man since his acquittal last month, orders a still water as he tells his story in a Suffolk pub. He would like a swift return to doing what he loves: to further a career that was flourishing when, as manager of Chesterfield on 24 January 2022, life was essentially put on pause. That morning he was at the family home in Derbyshire when John Croot, the Spireites’ CEO, told him he would be suspended after an allegation of sexual harassment. “It had been released to the media before I could put the phone down,” Rowe says. A matter of days later, police arrived at the house to arrest him; he was charged the following September.

Erling Haaland has been voted the best player in the world for 2023 by our 218-strong panel, with Jude Bellingham finishing second

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Aitana Bonmatí, Sam Kerr and Salma Paralluelo top the list of female footballers in the world in 2023 according to our judges

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The Norwegian is only 23 but his devastating goal record has seen him voted as the No 1 player in the world by the Guardian’s expert panel

When Pep Guardiola tearfully claimed Manchester City could not replace the departing Sergio Agüero in May 2021, he didn’t just create a meme. Guardiola was soft-launching a global audition for his team’s new attacking talisman. An unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Kane in the summer of 2021 came between two title-winning seasons where Ilkay Gündogan (13) and Kevin De Bruyne (15) were the club’s top league goalscorers. Guardiola’s slick creative machine needed a new front man, and they found him in Erling Haaland.

Like Agüero before him – and in contrast to many of City’s most successful Pep-era signings – Haaland arrived as a bona fide superstar, a plug-and-play addition to an already stellar lineup. Whether he was a bargain is another question. The release clause paid was €60m (£51.2m), but some reports suggest Haaland’s five-year deal could cost the club in the region of £300m. And while there was an ominous logic to the move for City’s rivals, questions remained.