Key events
Nick Woltemade. He looked like a risky signing for Newcastle but is already looks vital to Eddie Howe’s rejigged attack. Harry Patterson of WhoScored explains why here.
Ødegaard ‘progressing’ but too early for Arsenal return date
More from Arteta now. He could not confirm a return date for Martin Ødegaard, and said Ben White and Kai Havertz were still out, with Noni Madueke “getting closer” to a return.
On Ødegaard: “It will be weeks. No definite date for his return, but he’s evolving well. Very unlucky, what’s happening with him and his injuries this season. But yeah, I think he will be back in a few weeks.
“We’ll have to see how he progresses, how the knee is healing, how he manages after the next steps in his rehab. So, too early to give an answer.”
United have not won at Anfield in nearly 10 years: a Wayne Rooney goal in January 2016 was their most recent victory on the red side of Merseyside. Yet Liverpool were second best in the most recent meeting of the sides, the 2-2 draw in January this year – remember that late Harry Maguire miss to win it for United?
Amorim’s men will be second favourites on Sunday for sure, but the way he sets teams up against the bigger and better sides, together with Liverpool’s clunky form makes it an intriguing contest. I can’t see it being 7-0.
There’s lots of fairly tiresome ‘who is the bigger club?’ chat around the Liverpool v Manchester United fixture, as per. Given Arne Slot’s side found themselves in an unexpected slump before the international break and the litany of issues affecting Ruben Amorim and United, it feels a bit odd not to focus on the actual… football.
Here’s Arteta on Gyökeres, speaking ahead of the Gunners’ clash at Fulham tomorrow:
He brings so much to the team. Watching the games back, I’m very pleased with what he is bringing to the team.
I told him, in our first meeting ‘the nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn’t score for six or eight games he can handle that. If not, you have to go somewhere else.’
The pressure is going to be there, the expectation is going to be there, if you put the number nine shirt on for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, six games I don’t score am I different player? Do I act in a different way?
I want more of the same of what he is doing. When we have the opportunities put it (in the net), I’m sure it is going to happen.
Mikel Arteta has been speaking about how Viktor Gyökeres has adapted to life at Arsenal. There were no shortage of naysayers after the 27-year-old’s £64m move to the Gunners from Sporting; his age and lack of experience in Europe’s elite leagues were held against him, but Gyökeres has scored three in seven in the league and impressed Arteta with his attitude.
Could Gyökeres get 20 in the league season? If he does, the title could be heading to north London after a 22-year absence. We’ll bring you Arteta’s comments in the next post.
Steven Smith is taking the Rangers reins for the visit of Dundee United tomorrow, but spoke about Kevin Muscat’s suitability to become the club’s new permanent manager.
The Ibrox club have been searching for a new manager since sacking Russell Martin departure earlier this month, with former Gers defender Muscat, currently in chaarge of Chinese side Shanghai Port, the new frontrunner.
Asked at the pre-match press conference if Muscat was the type of character Rangers needed to go forward, Smith said: “Probably. It’s an interesting question. Obviously in the past four or five years we’ve had different types of managers, there is no guarantee of success anywhere, and it’s really difficult to guarantee success when you’re at a club where the expectation is to win all the time.
“That’s never going to happen. But we’ve experienced different managers, whether it be managers that have played here, managers have been deemed head coach types that are more tactical.
“So we’ve had every type of manager, but the priority is always to win. I was a young player [when Muscat was at Rangers], so I only came across him a few times. When I was a young player, my job used to be to clean Alex McLeish and the coaching staff’s boots, so I used to pass him in the corridor and, again, as a person, he was really pleasant.
“I know there’s a reputation there as a player. But the communication I had with him, he was always very pleasant to the younger players.”
Thanks Taha. 14/17 on the quiz for me so I’m pretty chuffed with that.
There’s plenty more press conference goodness for us to churn through as we approach lunchtime.
That’s all from me – Dominic Booth is here to guide you for the next few hours.
Sixty-four? Nah, not for me.
Matt Hughes has the latest on the WSL and its drive for growth.
Sources involved in the discussions said the WSL wants to lead investment in women’s football rather than leave it to the clubs, whose financial commitment to the sport remains patchy, even in the top flight.
A respectable 12/17 for me.
Enzo Maresca says Palmer does not require surgery. “We try to protect Cole as much as we can. The most important thing is that when he comes back he is fully fit. We hope six weeks are enough but it’s a problem we need to see step by step, week after week. For sure, he’s going to be OK.”
It was initially expected that Palmer would be out till late October. He’s appeared three times in the league this season, his last appearance coming against Manchester United on September 20.
Cole Palmer out for six more weeks
Troubling news for Chelsea: Cole Palmer, who has not played since September, faces six more weeks out with a groin injury.
Government officials seeking to lift ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans
The latest on Maccabi Tel Aviv’s visit to Aston Villa:
Senior government officials will meet on Friday as they look to reverse a decision by West Midlands police to ban fans of the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv from a European match at Aston Villa next month.
Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa is back on the grass, and the Newcastle manager is asked about the appointment of Ross Wilson as sporting director. “I wasn’t overly involved [in process of recruiting him] … I back Ross’ appointment and hope we can work together really well.”
On the rivalry with United, Slot says: “I look forward to every single Premier League but maybe even more towards the Man United one because I know how special it is … United, in my opinion, have had a better start to the season than maybe the league table is showing.”
On Alexander Isak: “I think now he’s had his five, six weeks of pre-season which is normal for every player, especially if you’ve been out for three or four months. Fitness-wise he’s close to the level he should be and I think we can judge him in a fair way from now on.”
Slot lays out his side’s troubles this season:
“We’ve conceded too many goals. We’ve conceded nine where four of them are from set pieces. That is still a strength of ours, which sounds weird if you concede four … The other five were two fast breaks and three from open play. In open play we are conceding too many crosses so that is one of the things we have to address and do better.” He also cites how teams are going long against them. “We have to find answers to that.”
Slot: Alisson to miss Manchester United clash
Arne Slot has the injury updates: Ryan Gravenberch is “completely fit”, Ibrahima Konaté is training … but Alisson will not play this weekend and has yet to return to practise.
After losing their campaign opener against Lyonnes, Arsenal are on the board in the Women’s Champions League after beating Benfica. But there’s still plenty of work to do:
Arsenal’s midfielder Mariona Caldentey said ‘almost everything’ needs to be better after a laboured defeat of Benfica secured the holders’ first win of the Champions League campaign.
Here’s the latest on the news that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend their side’s Europa League meeting with Aston Villa next month.
New Manchester United stadium ‘an amazing opportunity’ for region
Jamie Jackson
Collette Roche, Manchester United’s chief operating officer, believes the club’s construction of a new stadium to replace Old Trafford is “an amazing opportunity” which can drive the regeneration of the region.
While plans for the facility are yet to be finalised, Roche is confident there will be wider benefits. “It’s very early in the journey, but it’s an amazing opportunity that we’ve got, not just for Manchester United, but for the region,” she told We Built This City podcast. “Whilst we’ll build a stadium that’s great for our team and for the club and our fans, it’s so much more than that.
“It’s become a regional project and probably will be one of the biggest in Europe. As such, it’s bigger than us at Manchester United. So, we needed to get support and work with a lot of stakeholders across Manchester and central government. It’s not just a Manchester United vision. It’s a vision for the region. It’s a vision for Trafford and it’s a vision for Manchester, and that’s why Andy Burnham [the mayor of Greater Manchester] and Trafford council are really keen to work with us.”
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome back to the Premier League. The big one this weekend? It’s Manchester United’s visit to Liverpool on Sunday, with the defending champions on a three-match losing streak. Maybe the international break ends the funk; Arne Slot will be speaking to the press shortly.
Here’s a bit on that as well as the rest of the weekend’s lineup. Let’s get stuck in:
