Kevin De Bruyne to leave Manchester City
The 33-year-old Belgian midfielder, arguably one of the greatest and most influential players to grace the English top flight, has posted a message on X announcing that he will leave Manchester City after a decade at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading,” it reads. “So I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.
“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This City. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won everything.
“Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. ‘Manchester’ will forever be on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts. This will always be our HOME.
“We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family enough for this 10-year ride. Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together!
“Much love, KDB.”
Key events
“The problem with running a modern top-flight football club is that raising revenue is hard to do. Once you’ve grabbed your slice of league-wide media rights, made a vaguely colonial-sounding pre-season tour of the “Far East,” stitched up some sponsorship deals with a gambling company or a country’s tourism agency, and shipped as many shirts as the global merch market can handle, you hit the ceiling of your earning capacity. At that point, as a club, what do you do?”
Thanks David. I saw De Bruyne at Selhurst Park last season and (despite apparently being in decline) he completely bossed it. Physically he looked strong too.
De Bruyne’s performance that day prompted Pep to say more nice things.
“The numbers, presence, consistency have been amazing … He is one of the best players in the history of Man City. The goals, assists, the lot. What can I say? The first goal is unbelievable and so is the assist for Erling [Haaland].”
I also saw De Bruyne in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2023 although he had a less obvious impact in a tight affair. Player of the match then, for me, was Francesco Acerbi who more or less marked Haaland out of the game.
“I was lucky enough to see De Bruyne play just once,” emails David. “A Chelsea-supporting friend invited me to a game against City at Stamford Bridge a few years ago. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it genuinely looked like De Bruyne was operating on a different level to every other player on the pitch that afternoon. It reminded me of the first time I saw Patrick Vieira at Highbury and thought, ‘Ok, this guy is something else.’ Out of the countless hours of football I’ve watched, it’s moments like those that really stick with you.”
Time to recap on the De Bruyne love-in. Here is some of what Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, said earlier after the Belgium international announced his intention to leave the club this summer:
“His assists, his goals, his vision in the final third is so hard to replace,” Guardiola said. “How many years, how many games? It makes him unique. Any person can discuss that his performance has been outstanding.
“He is part of the club … the doors are open to him for the rest of his life. He’s part of the family of this club. The impact of some players transcend what they do on the pitch, and Kevin is one of them.
“Apart from holidays, days off, every single day we were together … now it’s going to be over? Come on … We are going to enjoy the last two months here together. But emotionally it’s tough, it’s difficult.
“It’s immaculate, what he’s done on and off the pitch, and this we will remember forever.”
Will there be De Bruyne a statue at Manchester City? “I don’t know,” Guardiola said. “But I’d bet a lot of money that it’s going to happen.”
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Antonio Rüdiger have been fined for misconduct after their Champions League win over Atlético Madrid and handed one-game bans, suspended for a year, leaving them free to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Rüdiger was fined €40,000 while Mbappe was fined €30,000. However, their one-match suspensions are “not immediately enforced” and are subject to a probationary period of one year, Uefa said on Friday.
Uefa had opened an investigation into a possible breach of disciplinary regulations against the duo as well as Dani Ceballos and Vinícius Jr. after Real Madrid knocked out derby rivals Atlético on penalties.
The players celebrated in front of the fans and video footage showed them dancing and making gestures towards the Atlético supporters, who responded by throwing objects. Ceballos was also fined €20,000 while no disciplinary proceedings were opened against Vinícius.
Arsenal host Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-final on Tuesday, with the second leg on April 16. (Reuters)
Leaders Celtic meet St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Brendan Rodgers just had a chat with Sky Sports News, firstly about the 3-0 win against Hearts last Saturday.
“We scored three excellent goals against a Hearts team who have been doing well,” says the former Liverpool gaffer. “But we need to keep the concentration at same level, and take that into this game.”
The goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who has a shoulder injury, was expected to be out for five or six weeks. But Rodgers thinks he may leave the medics baffled by coming back sooner.
“Medically they’ve said he should be back for the Cup final,” Rodgers said. “That’s what we are told from the scans. He could be back earlier than that … but that’s the timeline we’ve been given. He can still manoeuvre and work technically, but working with his hands and diving, not yet.
“He’s rarely been injured in his career so it’s a new experience … but he’s a real leader, and it’s great to have him on the training pitch with us,” says Rodgers.
Now, what’s all this about the SPL changing in size?
“I certainly wouldn’t want it to be smaller,” says Rodgers. “I think ideally, for me, if you could increase it it would be better … there’s financial ramifications and the number of games you would play. My general feeling is it doesn’t need to be smaller.
Three wins will secure the title for Celtic…
“It’s day on day,” insists Rodgers. “The weather we’ve had can make you feel relaxed, but in fairness the players have been brilliant. They are really focused. The finish line is there. But it’s there in the distance. Concentrate each day, work hard and take that into each game.”
Sport’s highest court said Friday it will hold fast-track appeals next month as Mexican soccer club León tries to overturn a Fifa decision to expel it from the Club World Cup in the United States.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) said León and its sibling club Pachuca have separately filed appeals against a Fifa ruling last month that barred León from the Club World Cup because the clubs have the same owner.
What a free-kick that is from the Swedish third tier, by the way.
The Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be without Wesley Fofana and Roméo Lavia for Sunday’s trip to Brentford, as injuries continue to hamper his side’s efforts to finish in the top four. Both players featured regularly for Maresca early in the season, but their progress has been interrupted by injuries.
Chelsea moved fourth after Thursday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. French defender Fofana, 24, recently returned from an extended period on the sidelines due to a muscle injury but only played two league matches before being left out of the squad against Spurs.
“Fofana had a muscle problem a few days ago and we are waiting for more checks,” Maresca said.
Lavia has played only two Premier League games since early December and recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. Maresca confirmed that Lavia will not play against Brentford.
“No, for Sunday, he is out. We don’t know yet how long he will be unavailable for,” he said. “We are waiting for both. Roméo looks a little bit better injury compared to Wes (Fofana), in terms of probably Romeo can be back earlier than Wes.”
Despite having played only 13 matches in all competitions for Chelsea this season, Maresca says the 21-year-old Belgian midfielder is central to the club’s plans.
“If you compare Romeo’s games this season to last season, he’s already improved,” Maresca said. “Because this season it was difficult to go the other way. But the target with Romeo is just to try to keep him fit as much as we can. The next year he’ll play more games than this season.” (Reuters)
KDB is off, I hear. Good little player wasn’t he? Or a good medium-to-large sized player. Email me with your top De Bruyne memories.
Thank you for that heartfelt handover, Will. I did spend a delightful morning at Lord’s watching Middlesex v Lancashire before diverting to the subterranean live blogging cave. Swings and roundabouts, but not much swing for the Lancashire bowlers after the strange decision to insert their hosts in north London. Enjoy the sunshine. Anyway, football!
Right, that’s it from me. While I get out and enjoy the sunshine, spare a thought for Luke McLaughlin, who is now having to descend into the subterranean live blogging cave under the Guardian offices. Them’s the breaks. Over to you, Luke.
Leon Bailey faces a late fitness test before Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest in tomorrow’s late kick-off, while Ross Barkley could also return. “Bailey is getting better but we’ll check this afternoon how he’s progressing,” Unai Emery said. “Barkley is working with the team this week.
“We can feel happy because now we are recovering players and not getting players injured. I will decide this afternoon how the players are for the match tomorrow.”
Premier League clubs learn details of City legal challenge
In other Manchester City news, via PA Media, details of the club’s legal challenge to the Premier League’s updated rules on commercial deals have been shared with their top-flight rivals.
City launched arbitration proceedings on January 20 against the validity of the league’s amended associated party transaction (APT) rules, which seek to ensure deals struck between clubs and entities linked to their ownership are for fair market value.
The league is understood to have emailed clubs on Thursday to inform them of a statement of claim from City, which is dated March 27. The claim sets out the detail of City’s argument against the rules. The Times reports that it criticises the Premier League’s treatment of shareholder loans under the new APT rules, saying that it is “distorting economic competition” between clubs. The Times reports that the claim names Arsenal, Brighton, Everton and Leicester as clubs who have had an unfair advantage as a result of how shareholder loans have been treated.
The APT rules were originally introduced in December 2021, following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle earlier that year. Those rules were successfully challenged by City last year, with a tribunal finding them unlawful on multiple grounds, including the fact that they excluded shareholder loans from fair market value assessments.
That led to the Premier League consulting with clubs on amendments to the rules, with 16 teams voting in favour of the amended rules at a meeting last November. City launched a challenge to those amended rules in January, with the statement of claim shared with clubs on Thursday linked to that challenge. City and the Premier League have declined to comment.
The intention of the rules is to prevent clubs inflating the value of sponsorship and other deals in order to artificially boost revenue, which would effectively increase a club’s spending power. City’s challenges to the APT rules sit separate to more than 100 charges the club face over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018, all of which they deny.
Amorim has also reserved some high praise for De Bruyne ahead of the Belgian’s last Manchester derby. “He was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League,” said the United manager. “The time passes to everyone so it is a natural thing. He improved the league.
“He was on the wrong side of Manchester so I wish him good luck. It was a pleasure to see him in Portugal a lot of times.”
We’ve got some more injury news coming through on the wireless, this time from Radio Old Trafford. Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are back in contention for Manchester United, but Matthijs de Ligt is a doubt for Sunday’s Manchester derby. “[Mount] can start, but we have to manage his minutes still,” said Ruben Amorim of the England international, who has not started since December’s 2-1 win at the Etihad.
“I think Kobbie is returning to training, so we’ll see and assess for this game already. Of course, he cannot play a full game, he’s a long time without training. I think Matta [de Ligt] has an issue. He has something during the game [at Nottingham Forest] and we have to assess. I think the rest is normal.”
David Raya has also been doing the press rounds before Arsenal’s trip to Goodison Park. Unsurprisingly, he’s delighted that Bukayo Saka is on the comeback trail after his long injury layoff. “It’s so good to have Bukayo back and especially scoring after seven minutes [against Fulham in midweek] is incredible,” he said. “It’s what we wanted from him as well and I think for him it was what he needed to feel like he’s back and feel ready to go.”
Arteta says White and Timber may return at Everton
While the loss of Gabriel Magalhães until next season is a major setback for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has some tentative good news regarding his other defensive injuries. “Ricky [Calafiori] is not fit, in the last week or so we lost four players, and that’s obviously a big task, but let’s see how Ben [White] and Jurriën [Timber] are for tomorrow [against Everton],” he said. “There is a chance [they might be available]. We’re going to have to decide this evening or tomorrow very early in the morning which players we can play and for how long.”
Arteta was also asked about De Bruyne and, given their time together at City, it was no surprise that the Arsenal manager was full of praise. “I rank him up there. He is one of the best players in the Premier League. [I’ve] never seen a player that can deliver that precisely at that high speed.”
Let’s have some more from Guardiola, shall we? Asked about De Bruyne’s greatest assets, he said: “His assists, his goals. His vision in the final third is so difficult to replace. Everyone can make actions and assists but how many years and how many games makes him unique.
“We have won a lot of trophies and he has been involved in every single one. He is part of the club. The door is open for the rest of his life at the club. He is part of the family of this club. The impact of some players transcend even the impact that they have done on the pitch and he is one of them.”
Other managers are starting to weigh in on De Bruyne’s impact on the Premier League. “I’m a little bit shocked,” said Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, when told of the Belgian’s impending departure. “I can only praise him. One of the best midfielders in the Premier League ever. There’s a few good ones, but let’s say the more offensive central midfielders, let’s say [Frank] Lampard, [Steven] Gerrard, of course iconic England ones in the centre of the pitch, [David] Beckham … I think De Bruyne is up there. I think he is a top player, an almost complete player.”
Posting on Instagram, Jack Grealish has paid homage to De Bruyne. “One of the reasons I joined City was to play alongside you brother,” he wrote. “The best I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with for sure. Legend!”
Elsewhere, the Matildas have secured a morale-boosting 1-0 win over South Korea in the buildup to the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. Here’s the report.
The De Bruyne tributes continue to pour in, including to my inbox. “Hello Will. KDB – what a player!” writes Krishna Moorthy. “It is not a coincidence that he is leaving at the same time that the fortunes of City are waning … Pep will follow in my opinion, as City without KDB will be like Barça without Messi for Pep.”
Guardiola hails De Bruyne as ‘one of the greatest’
Asked about De Bruyne’s legacy, Guardiola has ranked him among the best players to grace the Best League In The World™. “In the Premier League he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the club,” he said. “Great, if not the greatest. Always have respect for the players who play many roles and are incredible players to play 20 or 30 years in this club.”
Hello! It’s a lovely afternoon, unless you’re Pep Guardiola, in which case it’s a “sad day” on account of De Bruyne’s big announcement. Reflecting on his relationship with the Belgian, the Manchester City manager said: “Kevin is a special person and player … how many games, meetings, training, food and bad moments [we’ve shared]. Hugs and shouts, he’s been involved for a decade, except holidays we were together.
“It’s an emotional moment like with Sergio [Agüero]. All the strikers here benefited from Kevin’s talent … of course, we are going to enjoy the last two months together but emotionally it’s tough, it’s difficult.”
Will De Bruyne play at the Club World Cup?
It’s no secret that if the headline comes in the form of a question, the answer is invariably no, but Pep Guardiola has just said he doesn’t know if his skipper will represent Manchester City at the Club World Cup.
The Belgian’s contract expires on 30 June, while the tournament starts on 14 June and ends on 13 July. I’ll leave m’learned colleague Will Magee to wrassle with that particular alligator, as I’m off for a lie-down after the morning’s excitement. Thanks for your company and have a great weekend.
Women’s World Cup: The tournaments in 2031 and 2035 are likely to be great events but will be hosted by those who need them the least, writes Tom Garry.
Man City to bid De Bruyne an ’emotional farewell’
In the wake of the Belgian’s announcement that he will leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, the club has released a statement.
“Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club,” it reads.
“The Belgian, a global icon of the game, has played 413 matches for City. During that period, he has scored 106 times, making him the first City midfielder since Colin Bell to reach a century of goals.
“The 33-year-old has won a remarkable 16 major honours with City, including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, one Uefa Champions League and two Community Shields.
“Kevin announced the news today on his personal Instagram account.
“The Club and all of our fans will now take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to one of the greatest players to ever play in the Premier League.”
Bournemouth: The club are thinking of fast-tracking Ryan Christie’s surgery on a chronic groin injury that would rule the Scotland midfielder out for the rest of the season. Christie has been a regular for the Cherries this season but has not lasted the full 90 minutes in any of his last nine appearances.
After he left the pitch in the 26th minute against Brighton in late February, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola suggested he would probably need to go under the knife at the end of the campaign. The 30-year-old has played four times since then, including in Bournemouth’s midweek defeat by Ipswich, but will definitely be sidelined for this weekend’s trip to West Ham.
this morning, Iraola revealed that Bournemouth may send Christie for surgery sooner rather than later in order to have him fully fit for the start of next season. “Ryan’s situation is worrying because he has been dealing with a groin issue, the pubis, the abductor, a little bit of everything since the beginning of the season,” he said.
“He’s so honest and he wants to push, even with pain he has been playing, and he’s played very well for a lot of time. I think it’s a moment where his body is telling him that maybe it’s time. We are trying to go with him until the end of the season but, against Brighton, there were moments where he felt he couldn’t anymore.
“That’s probably something that we have to analyse. There is a chance we decide that he should have the surgery now, recover, take his time and be ready for next season. It’s not something that we’ve decided but it’s a situation that we have to analyse well because I think his body is telling him he’s pushed it a lot.”
Justin Kluivert is touch-and-go to face the Hammers at the London Stadium tomorrow as Bournemouth look to arrest a three-game losing run that has dropped them to 10th in the Premier League.
Kevin De Bruyne: While not entirely unsurprising, the news that De Bruyne is going to leave Manchester City (and almost certainly the Premier League) at the end of the season has still come as something of a shock.
Signed from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015, the former Genk, Chelsea and Werder Bremen midfielder has won 18 trophies with City, including six Premier League titles, a Champions League, five League Cups, two FA Cups and two Community Shields.
Shortly before the last World Cup, he also granted the Guardian’s City-supporting interviewer Simon Hattenstone an interview, but only on the very strict condition that our man with the long list of probing questions came around to his house and got to know his wife Michele, his mother-in-law, his three kids and Coco the cat too. Here’s what happened next …
Liverpool Women MD Fraser leaves club
Tom Garry
Exclusive! The Guardian understands that Russ Fraser, managing director of Liverpool’s women’s team has left the club. It is understood the football decision-making at the club is set to move to be more closely aligned with the men’s senior staff and an appointment of a new MD for the women’s team is expected imminently. Fraser had been in his post since 2021.
Kevin De Bruyne to leave Manchester City
The 33-year-old Belgian midfielder, arguably one of the greatest and most influential players to grace the English top flight, has posted a message on X announcing that he will leave Manchester City after a decade at the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
“Seeing this, you probably realise where this is heading,” it reads. “So I’ll get straight to it and let you all know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.
“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This City. This club. These people… gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won everything.
“Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye. Suri, Rome, Mason, Michele, and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family. ‘Manchester’ will forever be on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts. This will always be our HOME.
“We cannot thank the city, club, staff, teammates, friends, and family enough for this 10-year ride. Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together!
“Much love, KDB.”
An email: “Just a quick comment on Ange’s complaints about VAR,” writes Huw Price. “It’s annoying to hear him harping on about VAR (as much as I agree that it should be scrapped!) when his club had the opportunity to join Wolves in voting against it last year and didn’t. Maybe he needs to have a word with his (possibly soon-to-be ex) bosses.”
The Lionesses: England’s women will face Belgium in the Nations League at Ashton Gate tonight, in the first game of a double-header against the Red Flames. England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, has said she will be using the games to help her get her ducks in a row ahead of this summer’s Euros in Switzerland, where England are in a group with France, Wales and the Netherlands.
“I think it’s important that we have a good picture of our team,” she said. “Of course we go out to play Belgium twice and we want to win those games, but also getting the team ready for the Euros to know who we have available and know who’s in good form.
“So you’re always thinking in that direction. These two camps [in previous international breaks] have been very competitive games, really enjoyable to watch but you saw the level went up again. We talk about connections all the time, consistency. Now we are also preparing for our next opponent Belgium, the challenge is different to what Portugal has done and Spain, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Another email (and it’s a belter): “Ange Postecoglou thinks he’s the lone voice complaining about VAR?” writes Guy Stephenson. “No wonder he needs to cup his ears.” Honk!
An email: “Of course it’s wrong for a footballer, let alone his family, to receive threatening messages in response events on the pitch,” writes Jake Lynch and you can sense the b-word looming on the horizon. “But something has to be done about Everton and the approach they take to the derby.
“For Liverpool players to be seriously injured or subjected to treatment that brings risk of serious injury, is too regular an occurrence to be regarded as part and parcel of the game. Think of the absurd ‘challenges’ by Pickford on van Dijk, and Richarlison on Thiago in the same match, a few years back.
“The attitude seems to be, Liverpool are the better team but we’re going to even things up by fouling them – recklessly if necessary. Maybe a move to their new stadium should herald a change of attitude.”
Everton: David Moyes has offered his tuppence worth on the online abuse levelled at James Tarkowski in the wake of that injudicious challenge on Alexis Mac Allister in the midweek Merseyside derby.
“The club have issued a statement,” he said. “It’s not acceptable for anybody, in any walk of life. Having looked at it again I believe it could have been a sending off but I don’t think that means you should get abused online because of that. It’s part of football.
“He made what I thought at the time was a really good tackle but having looked at it again I think it was a bit reckless.”
Coventry City: The Championship club have confirmed the news many expected to hear by revealing their goalkeeper Oliver Dovin will undergo surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 22-year-old was forced off during the first half of last Friday’s Championship defeat by Sheffield United and City’s fears have now been confirmed. “So, he has got, as we feared, an ACL injury, which ends his season,” said Frank Lampard in a chat with the club website. “He is going to have surgery and we’re really disappointed for him.”
Some correspondence: “In a season where we’d already lost 15 games in the league and were losing another, whilst playing dreadfully, I don’t think it unreasonable for Tottenham Hotspur fans to have a bit of a go when odd decisions are made,” writes Gareth Evans, who does have a dog in the Ange Derby.
“And taking Bergvall off did feel like that, but perhaps he wasn’t fully recovered from a virus. I’ve wanted Postecoglou to turn things around with us and am exasperated that we’re clearly going to have to get rid now. Most fans have been behind him from Day One but after another game where we started as if on heavy medication, were undone by a long ball pumped between our centre backs after three minutes and gave all the time and space Palmer and Enzo needed to score the winner, you can see it’s all gone awry.
“It happens every game and Ange is either not able to work out what to do about it, or he can’t motivate the team to enact his instructions. Neither is sustainable. So, another summer of random managerial targets, a late resolution, a couple of kids signed and the 18 month timer starts back up. [Bill Murray with Punxsutawney Phil gif here]”
Newcastle United: Talking ahead of his team’s trip to Leicester City on Monday night, Eddie Howe has dismissed suggestions that Newcastle’s star striker Alexander Isak is injury-prone. The 25-year-old Sweden international scored his 24th goal of the season in Wednesday’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Brentford, but, not for the first time this season, is nursing a groin problem.
The Newcastle manager, whose playing career was ended prematurely due to a knee injury, was asked if it was a myth that the frontman is fragile. “Yes,” he said. “Speaking on my behalf as a very injury-prone player – if you look at my record, that’s an injury-prone player – Alex certainly isn’t.
“He’s had issues with a groin problem that tends to rear its head every now and again. It came to the fore just before we played Liverpool, but with rest he was fine and good to go and played really well in the cup final. For whatever reason, it did just resurface before Brentford. It’s a very minor problem that will go away quite quickly.”
Howe also revealed that midfielder Sean Longstaff’s future is “unclear” as he approaches a potentially pivotal summer in his career. The 27-year-old Geordie is on the fringes of Newcastle’s first-team squad and Howe was asked to defnie the midfielder’s role at the club.
“His role is to be ready to play, ready to come on and I have trusted him in big games where he has come on and played his part in those wins,” he said. “We are going to need the whole squad in our league season. We have nine massive games to come and everybody has to be ready.
“His long-term future is slightly more unclear. But what I can say is that behind the scenes, Sean has been very good, helping the group, training to a high level and I cannot speak highly enough of him as a person.”
Ange Postecoglou on VAR: ‘I am the lone voice’
The Australian has also lashed out at VAR for ruining football as a spectacle, in a diatribe I’m sure many of us get behind. During his side’s defeat at Stamford Bridge, officials took a combined nine minutes to make just two decisions, both of which were ultimately correct.
“No doubt,” he said, upon being asked if the curtain-twitchers based in Stockley Park are having an adverse effect on top flight football. “It is not the game. Maybe I was influenced by England and the old First Division. I loved the frenetic pace. I could have watched other divisions but it was always England, end-to-end stuff, speed and tempo, I loved that.
“I’ve tried to design a game plan that has tempo and energy because I feel if you want people in there, you want them off their seat. There was 12 minutes of extra time yesterday that’s not why VAR was brought in. I am the lone voice. I don’t hear anyone else saying. That’s why I am sat here and saying maybe I am disconnected. When I retire, I will probably watch less football and find another hobby.”
Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou is attending to his media duties ahead of his side’s appointment with Southampton on Sunday and needless to say, the ear-cupping gesture he aimed in the direction of Tottenham’s fans following a Pape Sarr “equaliser” that was subsequently disallowed was the first order of business on the agenda.
“I made a mistake last night in that I celebrated a goal,” he said. “Since VAR came in here, there were four or five incidents in Scotland and I thought I am not really going to celebrate goals. I just felt we needed something, a cracking goal from Pape. I heard the fans weren’t happy and I felt the need to celebrate and it could be a real momentum shift to finish strong. My mistake was celebrating a goal, VAR defeated me, I won’t be doing that again.”
Asked if he is affected by the abuse from travelling fans, who made no secret of their displeasure at seeing Sarr come on for Lucas Bergvall a couple of minutes before his disallowed goal, Ange said he is not.
“No, I am fine,” he said. “I don’t get affected by that and I will continue fighting my whole career. People want me to say something that will change the mood of the fans but I have never done that. My job is the performance of the team. I get that they are frustrated and angry but at the same time, I understand the criticism towards me. But if anyone looked at the players and said they aren’t trying – then I am sorry they are not watching the right game.”
Everton condemn online abuse of James Tarkowski
Andy Hunter
The club have released a statement following the online abuse aimed at James Tarkowski and his family. The player’s wife, Samantha, posted on social media last night that her husband had received death threats following the controversial challenge on Alexis Mac Allister that earned him a booking in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, a punishment the PGMOL subsequently admitted should have earned the Everton skipper a red card.
“Everton Football Club is aware of threats made towards James Tarkowski, and his family on social media,” it reads. “Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and has no place in football or society. “The club is liaising with James and his wife Samantha, and stands ready to engage with the social media companies and assist the police with any potential investigation.
“Everton strongly condemns any form of online or offline intimidation, threats or abuse directed at players, staff, or their families.”
In her Instagram post, Samantha Tarkowski vented her spleen against her husband’s detractors in an often potty-mouthed tirade which made little or no attempt to conceal her contempt for those “so called fans” who were levelling vitriolic abuse at her and her husband, the Everton captain and father of their two children.
“I wasn’t actually going to say anything because we usually just laugh if off but fuck it,” she wrote. “The level of abuse my husband is receiving – wishing death on him, vile comments about me, about us as a couple, and about him as a person – is beyond disgusting. People forget that he is more than just a footballer. He is a husband, a father, a brother, a friend, and most importantly, the father of our two children.
“He goes out there and does his job and does it very fucking well yet he’s subjected to so much hate. For those acting like he deliberately set out to hurt someone – r u serious?! Football moves at speed, and tackles are split-second decisions. No player goes out there to injure someone and do you think any player would feel good about it if they did? But the pure shit messages, the threats? That’s intentional. That’s on you. Football is a sport, but the way some so-called ‘fans’ behave is disgraceful. The abuse, the threats – it’s not passion, it’s pathetic. We’re real people, and this goes far beyond football.”
Brighton: Fabian Hurzeler takes his Brighton side to Selhurst Park tomorrow for what promises to be a spicy M23 derby between two sides whose extreme animus mystifies many but dates back to the 1970s. Brighton go into the game on the back of an emphatic midweek defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, while Crystal Palace will be hoping to return to winning ways after their late, late smash-and-grab to rescue a point at Southampton on Wednesday.
With his side just four points away from the fifth place that will almost certainly guarantee qualification for next season’s Champions League, Hurzeler has urged his players to prepare for a succession of finals during the run-in. “The whole season we have to deal with setbacks and it’s always about how you come back,” he said. “It is always the question, if the glass is half full or half empty and I always see it as a half-full glass and that’s the main message. It’s to see all the upcoming games like a final, and like this we have to prepare, and like this we will go into the games.
“Everything in the past was in the past and now it’s really about winning something and we have to be on our highest level. We need two things. We need this togetherness and we need this positive energy. We will go all in with the staff, with all the players and then we see what we get.”
Palace inflicted the first home defeat of Hurzeler’s reign by romping to a 3-1 success at the Amex Stadium in mid December and the 32-year-old German is fully aware of the importance of the fixture to Brighton supporters and admits his side have a duty to make amends.
“I can feel it [the passion] and I think it’s also our responsibility to give them something back,” he said. “In the first derby we weren’t on our highest level, we didn’t give the fans what they deserve and tomorrow it’s an opportunity for us and also our responsibility to make it better than the last time. There’s already a big motivation because it’s the final third of the season, it’s about achieving something, it’s about winning something, and every game will be important, and therefore the motivation is very high. We will go all in, we will try to win this game for our fans.”
Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Tariq Lamptey, Igor Julio, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner and Georginio Rutter remain sidelined for Brighton.
An email: “On the subject of Ange Postecoglou,” writes Peter Wilkinson. “I’m not a Spurs fan so I don’t have a dog in the race but it amuses me that while fans give players and managers absolute pelters, as soon as they get a bit back the fans start clutching their pearls saying it’s a disgrace. If you can’t take it, don’t give it out.”
A fair point well made, Peter. Ange is due to face the press shortly in an appointment he’s probably looking forward to with as much relish as a trip to the dentist for root canal surgery. It could get spiky, mate.
José Mourinho: Fenerbahce have issued a strident defence of their manager after he grabbed the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk in bad-temperered scenes that followed the Turkish Cup quarter-final clash between the two sides on Wednesday night.
The altercation occurred following Fenerbahce’s defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals, but Fenerbahce claim Buruk was play-acting by tumbling to the floor after Mourinho pinched his hooter. The Portuguese was shown a red card for his troubles and now faces a potentially lengthy ban but his club are standing resolutely by their man, insisting his opposite number incited the incident and then dramatised his reaction.
“[Buruk] had the audacity to make disrespectful hand gestures after crossing the police line,” harrumphed a Fenerbahce statement posted on X. “After our manager touched his nose momentarily in response to these provocations, the person in question threw himself to the ground in an exaggerated manner.
“The disrespectful statements and actions of this person, who professionally threw himself to the ground with a ‘shot’ reflex as a continuation of this plan after excessive provocations, are recorded in the images.
“The meaninglessness of a person whose nose was touched jumping to the ground and writhing for seconds and the acting that was played are known to the entire public. It is obvious that the images of this person throwing himself to the ground from his football career continued in his coaching career, and that this attitude is a characteristic stance.
“It is clear that the evaluation of the ugly provocations and what happened afterwards should not be one-sided, but should be based on a cause-and-effect relationship.”
As Elton John famously sang, sometimes sorry seems to be the hardest word.
Leeds United: In news that is unlikely to comfort fans who are worried their team will “do a Leeds” and blow their chances of promotion o the Premier League, Daniel Farke has assured Leeds fans their team will not “do a Leeds” and blow their chances of promotion to the Premier League.
Second in the Championship table after surrendering a five-point lead, Leeds have won only one of their last five matches and could fall out of the automatic promotion places if they fail to beat Luton Town tomorrow and Burnley get a result against Coventry, but Farke is convinced they will be in the top flight next season.
“I was involved in that [2018-19 promotion, with Norwich City] battle and yes, Leeds fell apart and I was struggling to explain it because they had a really good coach in Marcelo [Bielsa],” he said. “And for me, I liked the Norwich team, but Leeds had by far the better players and by far the better side and I was thinking, ‘why does this happen?’.”
Farke sensed the weight of expectation at Elland Road from the opposition dug-out when his Norwich side won 3-1 there in February 2019 when both teams were vying for top spot.
“I was thinking then I loved so much to be in this stadium and the atmosphere and what a big club this is,” he said. Of course I was working for a different club at this time, but I was thinking one day I would like to come back and help this club to stay, in these situations, a bit more calm and positive. This is why I wanted to sign two years ago. I know how difficult it is to stay calm and cool with this club, believe me.
“So my composure and calmness is more than enough for all Yorkshire. Everyone is allowed to panic, it shows how much they care. But my task is to make sure we stay cool, that we stick together, don’t over-react, that we’re not over-motivated and that we totally believe.
“This is what I bring to this club. I can’t guarantee [promotion] right now, but I’m totally calm right now, totally composed and I totally believe the boys are doing a great job. And believe me, in the end, next season we will play in the Premier League. I’m 100 per cent convinced of this.”
Leeds face relegation battlers Luton tomorrow at lunchtime and Farke, who has no new injury worries, has confirmed goalkeeper Karl Darlow will start in place of Illan Meslier after a string of costly errors by the Frenchman.
West Ham: Graham Potter’s side host out-of-sorts Bournemouth at the London Stadium tomorrow, hoping to win for the first time in four Premier League outings. West Ham go into the game on the back of a defeat at the hands of Wolves on Tuesday, their sixth loss in 11 matches since Potter took over from Julen Lopetegui. The 49-year-old has told his misfiring West Ham stars they are “some way off” what he expects of them and says they are playing for their futures.
“You can’t play for West Ham and throw games away,” he told reporters. “It’s impossible. Every game is massive for us. So we have to remember that, starting with Bournemouth on Saturday and finish as strong as we can. I would say we are some way off, for sure. In the end we want to control games and dominate games through attacking football, and we are far from that.
“When you understand where we’ve come from and what the bigger picture is, it’s a bit more understandable. But at the same time we have to acknowledge we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll need to carry on improving daily and then see how we can improve the team in the next transfer window, and keep taking steps. But with the ambition I have for this football club, we are some way off from where that is.”
England women: Leah Williamson has praised the form of her Arsenal and England teammate Alessia Russo before the No 9 spearheads the Lionesses’ attack in their Women’s Nations League double-header against Belgium, starting in Bristol tonight. Tom Garry reports …
The weekend’s Premier League fixtures
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Everton v Arsenal (Sat 12.30pm BST)
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Ipswich Town v Wolves (3pm)
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Crystal Palace v Brighton (3pm)
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West Ham v Bournemouth (3pm)
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Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest (5.30pm)
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Tottenham Hotspur v Southamptopn (Sun 2pm)
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Brentford v Chelsea (2pm)
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Fulham v Liverpool (2pm)
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Manchester United v Manchester City (4.30pm)
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Leicester City v Newcastle United (Mon 6pm)
Absolution of Hillsborough officers prompts fury
A 12-year investigation into the Hillsborough disaster by the police watchdog has concluded that no senior South Yorkshire police officers were guilty of misconduct for falsely blaming misbehaviour by Liverpool supporters. David Conn and Peter Walker report …
Postecoglou cops earful during Spurs loss
Tottenham Hotspur: Despite his post-match protestations to the contrary, Ange Postecoglou appeared to goad Tottenham’s travelling fans at Stamford Bridge last night with a gesture that further damaged the increasingly fragile bond between the Australian manager and dissatisfied supporters. Jacob Steinberg reports from Stamford Bridge …
Premier League: Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of Thursday’s game to move Chelsea into the top four, while a clearly exasperated Ange Postecoglou may have finally fractured his relationship with Spurs fans beyond repair. David Hytner reports from Stamford Bridge …
The weekend is almost upon us …
Welcome all as we strap ourselves in ahead of another weekend of piping hot football action. The weekend’s first order of business is tonight’s Women’s Nations League match between England and Belgium at Ashton Gate, but before that we’ll get to see and hear no end of top flight managers fielding interrogatory projectiles from the men and women of the Fourth Estate ahead of the latest round of Premier League action.
As is customary, we’ll be here throughout the day to flag up all the major talking points and bring you any other news that happens to present itself as the day unfolds. In the meantime, our crack team of writers have been scouring the weekend fixture list to come up with these 10 things you ought to keep your eyes peeled for in the Premier League this weekend.
