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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Nicky Bandini , Lars Sivertsen and Sid Lowe to review Wednesday’s Champions League games, the state of Barça and rewards for footballers getting vaccinated The panel start by taking on Wednesday night’s Champion’s League fixtures, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-minute winner , Chelsea’s second-half collapse and Barcelona’s defeat to Benfica . Sid joins to discuss the ongoing ‘crisis’ at the Spanish club – who, following a slash in their salary cap , reportedly have a wage bill lower than Watford. Maybe they need a new manager – but with their issues, who will they attract? Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/sep/30/ronaldos-late-show-and-the-crisis-at-barcelona-football-weekly-extra-podcast

Aaron Ramsdale also included for World Cup qualifiers Jude Bellingham left out to manage his workload The Milan central defender Fikayo Tomori and the Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins have been included by Gareth Southgate in England’s squad to face Andorra and Hungary in World Cup qualifiers. Tomori has been rewarded for his club form in the absence of the injured Harry Maguire and, in a surprise twist, there is no place for Arsenal’s Ben White. Joe Gomez, Ben Chilwell and the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold are also missing from the defensive ranks but Reece James is included despite recently sustaining an injury with Chelsea. Southgate said his understanding was that James had a chance of returning on Saturday against Southampton. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/30/fikayo-tomori-and-ollie-watkins-called-into-england-squad-by-gareth-southgate

Wilner Etienne denies wrongdoing and says claim is a ‘pure lie’ Fifa investigations continue into other Haiti officials A Fifa investigation into a former technical director of the Haitian Football Federation accused of raping several female players under the age of 18 remains unresolved more than a year after he was suspended. Wilner Etienne was provisionally suspended for 90 days by Fifa’s ethics committee last August as part of its investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by the then FHF president, Yves Jean-Bart, and other officials. Jean-Bart was banned for life after being found guilty of abusing his position and having sexually harassed and abused female players, including minors. Nela Joseph – a former supervisor of Haiti’s under-20 women’s team – received a 10-year ban in May for “actively coercing” players into having sex with Jean-Bart . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/30/fifa-inquiry-into-former-h...

The indebted Chinese property giant is said to have missed more payments to overseas investors.

Pressing, and how effectively the sides counteract it, will play a big part at the end of a particularly tough week for City’s players There is a very easy way to make good players look like world beaters: give them time and space. Liverpool and Manchester City are piled high with quality that can rip apart any opposition if allowed to play on their own terms, so it will be important for both sides to execute a perfect pressing game when they meet at Anfield on Sunday. The match could be won by the work done off the ball. City showed how to do this against Chelsea, and Liverpool will be very careful not to fall into similar traps. City had 62% possession but their pressing efficiency was 10% greater than Chelsea’s. City disrupted their opponents’ plan to play out from the back thanks to the relentless nature of their attackers – something they will look to repeat at Anfield. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/30/liverpool...

Are you mispronouncing Bruno Fernandes, Gianluigi Buffon and Wojciech Szczesny’s names? You’re not alone By Euan Burns for The Set Pieces International tournaments expose us to new players, teams and styles of football. Euro 2020 gave us the chance to watch North Macedonia and Finland on such a grand stage for the first time. Although, what can be exciting for football fans, can be challenging for commentators, who have to master new pronunciations. Derek Rae , the voice of the Fifa video games , believes broadcasters do not always pass the test. As ESPN’s lead Bundesliga commentator and a speaker of five languages, Rae prides himself on his pronunciations of player names. “We’d all want our names to be pronounced correctly if we lived in a different culture,” he says. “If people make that effort for you, it’s a huge sign of respect. It’s respect for a language and a culture. I realise not everyone is a linguist and not everyone can do that, but we ought to be trying more than we a...

Asda owners raise wages of service station staff for "heroic" work in pandemic and amid fuel crisis.

The fast fashion retailer saw pre-tax profits hit by high shipping costs in the six months to 31 August.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær hailed a 'massive moment' for Manchester United after Cristiano Ronaldo’s 95th-minute strike snatched a win against Villarreal and eased the pressure on the manager following a run of three defeats in four matches. Ronaldo was making a record-breaking 178th appearance in the competition and - in fitting style - grabbed a late winner for his side. 'That's just what he's done throughout his career.' said Solskjær. 'When he gets that one chance, it's a goal.' ‘We got lucky’: Solskjær grateful to Ronaldo for Manchester United’s winner Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/sep/30/ronaldo-only-needs-one-chance-says-solskjr-after-late-winner-manchester-united-winner-video

Household spending drove economic growth at a faster pace than previously estimated during spring.

Property prices have risen at 10% or more a year for each of the last five months, the Nationwide says.

Millions of homes and businesses have been hit due to a severe shortage of electricity.

Barcelona beaten 3-0 and bottom of Champions League group De Jong says ‘hard work and being united’ key to bouncing back A 3-0 defeat at Benfica in the Champions League heaped more pressure on Barcelona’s under-fire manager, Ronald Koeman, but the midfielder Frenkie de Jong said sacking him would not solve the club’s problems. Barcelona have made a poor start to the season, languishing in sixth spot in La Liga, five points off the leaders, Real Madrid, and suffering back-to-back 3-0 defeats in the Champions League after losing their opener to Bayern Munich . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/30/sacking-koeman-not-the-answer-de-jong-barcelona-crash-at-benfica

The government announces the support as other schemes, including furlough, close.

The scheme to protect jobs is coming to an end having cost nearly £70bn.

Businesses are under intense scrutiny as President Xi attempts to narrow China's wealth gap.

Victory over Villarreal halts mini-crisis at Old Trafford Ronaldo decisive on day he broke Champions League record Ole Gunnar Solskjær hailed a “massive moment” for Manchester United after Cristiano Ronaldo’s 95th-minute strike snatched a win against Villarreal and eased the pressure on the manager following a run of three defeats in four matches. Related: Ronaldo’s winner fuels Solskjær myth but success seems as far away as ever | Jonathan Wilson Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/solskjaer-massive-result-manchester-united-team-spirit-villarreal-ronaldo

Italian club top Champions League group after win ‘We struggled to create our own rhythm’ Thomas Tuchel said Chelsea lacked mental sharpness after the European champions slumped to a flat defeat against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Related: Federico Chiesa sinks Chelsea to put Juventus top of the group Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/tuchel-says-chelsea-lacked-mental-sharpness-in-defeat-at-juventus

Rams now on one point following 12-point deduction Forest beat Barnsley, Mitrovic hits hat-trick for Fulham Wayne Rooney believes Derby will stay up despite their 12-point deduction following a 1-0 home win over Reading . The Rams closed the gap to a position of safety in the Championship to seven points following Craig Forsyth’s first-half header - his first goal in more than five years. Derby, who remain in administration, are the only side outside of the Championship’s top five still unbeaten at home this season and a proud Rooney declared: “I believe we will stay up if the points deduction stays as it is. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/30/championship-roundup-rooney-backs-derby-to-stay-up-after-reading-win

Manchester United’s Champions League win against Villarreal was ill-deserved – the team are too open and will be punished for it How much time does love buy you? That Manchester United fans want Ole Gunnar Solskjær to succeed is understandable. It’s not just that he scored vital goals, it’s that he embodied a golden age. Who would not want a returning hero to restore the club to glory? But wishful thinking will not organise a midfield. The win will part the clouds a little. Solskjær has survived another mini-crisis, but each one leaves him slightly weaker. And this one comes with Cristiano Ronaldo. It may not be fair, given Ronaldo is 36 and, for all his goalscoring ability, increasingly an anachronism, but his signing has increased the pressure on the manager. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/29/ronaldo-winner-solskjaer-myth-success-far-away-manchester-united-champions-league-villarreal

He was billed as the missing piece of the jigsaw but the Belgium striker was increasingly frustrated in the defeat by Juventus Is it time to talk about Romelu Lukaku? Or rather, to talk about the way in that this mannered Chelsea team still seems to be toying with that final element of its armoury, spinning it on its end, admiring its edges. Lukaku has been called the final piece in this jigsaw so many times, you wonder what kind of jigsaw this is that can become champions of Europe, with such excess talent available, and still claim to be incomplete. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/29/romelu-lukaku-chelsea-thomas-tuchel-juventus-champions-league

Firms still relying on the job protection scheme call for more support as it is wound up.

Tech firm CEO Jeff Lawson warns bosses not to make hasty judgements about their employees.

The GB stickers motorists use when driving abroad are no longer valid after a change in UK rules.

Thousands of newly-retired people have not been paid their state pension owing to a backlog.

Warehouse workers can no longer be sacked for time off task if they have good reason to take breaks.

East Midlands clubs occupy Championship’s bottom two spots, though Derby’s problems are more severe on and off the pitch It was a scene Derby County supporters had been dreading, one that made everything depressingly real. The setting – the club’s Moor Farm training base – and backdrop – an advertising board filled with a myriad of sponsors – were familiar, only in the foreground it was not Wayne Rooney talking team news but administrators telling how they plan to dig Derby out of the mud. Less than 24 hours after the club had plunged to the bottom of the Championship , Andrew Hosking and Carl Jackson, insolvency specialists in suits and ties, shuffled into position and delivered a cautiously optimistic opening gambit. Derby are clinging to such hope amid the disconcerting headline numbers, minus points and debts north of £60m. They owe HM Revenue and Customs at least £26m, Arsenal transfer fees from the £10m deal that made Krystian Bielik the club’s record signing, the former manage...

Manager Carlo Ancelotti says stunning 2-1 loss was undeserved Sheriff Tiraspol’s captain Frank Castañeda ‘knew we could win’ Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, struggled to explain how his side were beaten 2-1 at home by rank outsiders Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League on Tuesday after dominating every aspect of the match with the exception of the scoreline. Luxembourg international midfielder Sébastien Thill scored an outstanding late half-volley to snatch an unlikely victory at the Bernabéu for Sheriff, who had reached the Champions League group stage for the first time this season after winning four qualifying rounds. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/everything-we-did-turned-out-badly-real-madrid-reeling-after-sheriff-tiraspol-shock-champions-league

Lionel Messi lit up Paris even before his second-half goal while Raheem Sterling wasted chances for the visitors Gianluigi Donnarumma Brilliant. Thwarted a Sterling break, held a Cancelo bullet and stopped a late Mahrez free-kick, remaining steadfast behind a shaky defence. 8 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/psg-manchester-city-player-ratings-champions-league

China hands out twice as much development cash as the US - mostly high-interest loans from state banks.

Villarreal’s penalty shootout hero is thrilled to face Ronaldo tonight on his first trip to Manchester despite a spell with City “‘Gero, don’t screw it up. Just stick it in.’” Gerónimo Rulli puts himself back on the spot and smiles. “And that’s what happened,” he says. All that and it came to this , to him. One shot that would be for ever. Well, two: the penalty he would take and the penalty he would face. It was 10-10 in an extraordinary shootout at the end of the Europa League meeting with Manchester United in May, the first final Villarreal had played, this team from the town of just 50,577 , and history was calling him. So was the referee. “I was walking away when he said: ‘Goalie, your turn,’” Rulli recalls. “‘Me? Are you sure?’ I’d lost count. ‘Are you sure there’s no one left?’ From the moment I took the ball, the key was not to think. In a shootout for a goalkeeper there’s a lot of time alone to think, for pressure to build. Your teammates are scoring all of their penalties...

Plus: a French addition to our long solo goals, Liverpool’s and Chelsea’s identical results and injured physios Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU “Serie B side Frosinone were managed last season by Alessandro Nesta,” writes Bogdan Kotarlic. “Their manager this season is Fabio Grosso, another member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning team. Which club has been managed by most World Cup winners?” With Brazil having won the big one five times, let’s start in South America. “Santos were managed by nine World Cup winners,” writes Marcelo Schleder. “Seven of them as players and two as managers. Aymoré Moreira, who was in charge when Brazil became world champions in 1962, kickstarted this trend in 1952, a full decade before the pinnacle of his career in Chile. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/the-knowledge-which-football-club-has-been-managed-by-the-most-world-cup-winners-knowledge

One of Liverpool’s greatest strikers who played a key role in England’s 1966 World Cup victory The footballer Roger Hunt, who has died aged 83, was a key member of the England team that won the World Cup in 1966, appearing in all six games in the finals and scoring three goals in the process. He was also one of Liverpool’s all-time greats, winning two First Division titles and an FA Cup at Anfield in the early 1960s and becoming the club’s highest league scorer – a position he retained, with only Ian Rush surpassing him in all competitions. However, for all his feats Hunt was occasionally a target for criticism from the footballing public, not least because in 1966 he had inadvertently taken on the role of the man who kept Jimmy Greaves out of the World Cup final. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/roger-hunt-obituary

‘We know what we need to do at Anfield to win’ City defender frustrated at missed chances in Paris Rúben Dias is confident Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain will have zero impact on the Premier League champions’ trip to Liverpool on Sunday, the third of three challenging away matches. City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first, Saturday’s league game, before going down to strikes from Idrissa Gueye and Lionel Messi in Tuesday’s second Champions League Group A match at Parc des Princes. The loss leaves Pep Guardiola’s side third, a point behind PSG and Club Brugge, and Dias is not concerned it will affect confidence when playing the Premier League leaders at Anfield. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/ruben-dias-psg-defeat-affects-nothing-as-manchester-city-head-to-liverpool

The UK retailer calls for the government to relax immigration rules for workers.

The vast majority of its 67,000 US employees comply with the airline's Covid-19 vaccine policy.

The site in Somerset is 49% complete after five years of construction.

Ministers will relax regulation of gene-edited crops to allow their commercial growing in England.

Boris Johnson says the fuel situation is "improving" as about 150 military tanker drivers begin training.

The deal comes as the cash-strapped firm faces another interest payment deadline on Wednesday.

Baggies hit four unanswered goals against Bluebirds Ben Brereton Diaz scores two as Blackburn beat Huddersfield West Brom moved to the top of the Championship table with a dominant win over slumping Cardiff . Mick McCarthy’s side were thumped 5-1 by Blackburn at the weekend and this was another miserable night as a 4-0 loss made it four successive defeats. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/championship-west-brom-go-top-of-table-after-thrashing-cardiff

An exhilarating 2-0 win against Manchester City showed flickers of what Paris Saint-Germain and Messi 2.0 can do together And so it came to pass. With 73 minutes on the clock, He finally turned up. Lionel Messi had done very little for the previous 20 minutes at Parc des Princes. A promising first half had given way to one of those extended periods where Messi resembles a man maintaining a pretence of polite interest while milling around a notably disappointing flea market. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/28/psg-fans-gorge-on-the-luxury-of-lionel-messis-moment-of-brilliance

A-League renamed A-League Men, W-League now A-League Women ‘It’s not men’s football or women’s football – it’s just football’ Australia’s top-flight men’s and women’s football competitions, the A-League and W-League, have been collectively rebranded under the merged banner of the A-Leagues. In a decision designed to promote gender equality and inclusivity, the A-League has been renamed A-League Men and the W-League A-League Women, with the Y-League retitled A-League Youth. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/29/australian-football-scraps-w-league-brand-for-gender-neutral-a-leagues

Argentinian strikes in 2-0 win against Manchester City ‘I’m adapting to my new team,’ says former Barça player A delighted Lionel Messi hailed his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain as an “important moment” as Manchester City were beaten 2-0 at Parc des Princes to take the French club top of their Champions League group. Messi, returning from a knee problem that caused the 34-year-old forward to miss PSG’s past two matches, scored with a memorable second-half strike, exchanging passes with Kylian Mbappé before beating Ederson from 20 yards to clinch victory. This followed Idrissa Gueye’s opener before the break. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/lionel-messi-psg-paris-saint-germain-manchester-city-champions-league

The US Department of Justice says he "jeopardised the national security of the United States".

Why widely-used PFAS coatings found on objects like frying pans and raincoats are in the spotlight.

Roger Hunt, a member of England’s 1966 World Cup team and winner of two First Division titles with Liverpool, has died at the age of 83. Hunt, who won 34 caps, played in all six matches at the 1966 finals and scored three goals. He partnered Geoff Hurst in the final against West Germany and was the player closest to the ball when Hurst famously, and controversially, scored via the underside of the bar. 'I thought it was over the line,' Hunt once said. With Liverpool, for whom he played from 1958-69, Hunt won the top division in 1964 and 1966, and the FA Cup in the season in between, under Bill Shankly. Roger Hunt, England World Cup winner and former Liverpool striker, dies aged 83 Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/sep/28/roger-hunt-world-cup-winner-and-liverpool-legend-dies-aged-83-video-obituary

Panic buying of petrol has left some key workers unable to get fuel to travel to work.

England World Cup winner scored 285 goals for the Anfield club and became known as ‘Sir Roger’ among Liverpool supporters Buckingham Palace never bestowed a knighthood on Roger Hunt for services to England’s finest moment but he could cherish the honour regardless. “I never needed it” was his take on whether the 1966 World Cup winners should all have been knighted. “I was knighted by the Kop. That means more.” Hunt, who has died at the age of 83 , will for ever be known as “Sir Roger” to the generation of Liverpool fans who experienced the club’s lasting transformation under Bill Shankly. And to many more who followed – including Jürgen Klopp, who wrote to Hunt on his 80th birthday in 2018 expressing admiration and gratitude for what the legendary forward achieved in a Liverpool shirt. It is an extensive list featuring the Second Division championship, two First Division titles, the FA Cup and the considerable feat of remaining the club’s leading goalscorer for eight consecutive seas...

Potential victims who dial it will be automatically connected to their bank's fraud prevention service.

Forward was part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s victorious 1966 squad Won two First Division titles under Bill Shankly at Liverpool Roger Hunt, a member of England’s 1966 World Cup team and winner of two First Division titles with Liverpool, has died at the age of 83. Hunt, who won 34 caps, played in all six matches at the 1966 finals and scored three goals. He partnered Geoff Hurst in the final against West Germany and was the player closest to the ball when Hurst famously, and controversially, scored via the underside of the bar. “I thought it was over the line,” Hunt has said. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/roger-hunt-england-world-cup-winner-and-liverpool-striker-dies

Our cartoonist on how to pacify rabid corners of the internet, Emi Martínez’s behaviour, Norwich and more Like what we do? Consider supporting our journalism Doing some shopping? Buy a Squires cartoon here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/sep/28/david-squires-on-self-flagellating-footballers-and-the-fuel-crisis

Mizak Asante, 15, scored a superb individual goal for Golden Kick FC in the Greater Accra Regional Football Association (GAFRA) second division last weekend. The attacker took on four players before skipping past the goalkeeper and smashing the ball into the roof of the net. His goal sent his teammates into hysteria as they piled on top of the teenager. The game, played between Golden Kick and Mobile Phone People in Ghana, went to penalties after the teenager's late goal. Asante's side won the shootout and secured promotion to the top division Watch more from the amazing world of sport series here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2021/sep/28/fifteen-year-old-scores-spectacular-solo-goal-in-ghanaian-football-final-video

Switching from one tech to another will no longer require long phone calls to several companies.

Fans urge board to discuss ‘short- and long-term strategic vision’ They want explanation of ‘how success will be measured’ The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has requested a meeting with the club’s board to discuss the “short- and long-term strategic vision” for the club. Spurs have suffered successive Premier League defeats by Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal. They appointed Nuno Espírito Santo in June but despite topping the table after beginning with three 1-0 wins, the Portuguese head coach’s position is coming under intense scrutiny. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/28/tottenham-supporters-trust-calls-on-club-to-explain-their-plans-at-meeting

Writer, actor and activist explains how he fell in love with this England football team and his respect for players making a stand “I went to an England game at the start of the Euros,” Benjamin Zephaniah says while explaining how he has come to love the national team for the first time in his 63 years. Zephaniah is a warm and amusing man who refers to himself, wryly, as “a dub revolutionary poet”. He is also a writer, an actor (most recently when playing the role of a preacher in Peaky Blinders ) and an activist who has fought against racism most of his life. Zephaniah has loved football since he was a boy supporting Aston Villa in the late 1960s. But his relationship with England has always been a tangled affair – at least until Gareth Southgate built a team full of players Zephaniah identified with, admired and even loved. He reels off some of the names in the squad that prepared for England’s first game of the European Championship – Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane...

Pump prices have reached an eight-year high, the motoring body says, amid the current fuel crisis.

The government says it will consider options for more action, including financial penalties.

Al Gore's Generation Investment Management buys a 13% stake in UK firm Octopus Energy Group.

The country has seen electricity shortages that have left some factories and homes without power.

Just over half of women think working from home will help advance their careers, says a survey for the BBC.

The US carmaker vows to "lead America's shift to electric vehicles" with largest ever factory.

The head of one of Afghanistan's biggest banks says the country's financial sector is near collapse.

Can a hamster trading cryptocurrency beat human investors in the stock market? Mr Goxx can.

Facebook delays its child-friendly Instagram version to do more work with concerned parents.

An electricity shortage affecting factories has now spread to some homes.

Campaigners say you should see your money as a secret superpower that can help save the planet

The robot football league that is hoping to eventually beat the best human team in the world.

All the action from the M23 derby at Selhurst Park Football clubs need to remember that they are playing with people’s lives Email Will or get in touch via Twitter: @Will_Unwin 7.36pm BST Graham Potter is a huge Patrick Vieira fan, which is nice. “They are putting themselves there to be shot at or to fail, because just because you’ve been a top player doesn’t mean you’ll be a top coach,” said Potter. “But the fact that they are on that path is commendable and admirable. They will need the right support and opportunities. But for the game I think it’s important to have those guys involved as long as we can. It shows their intelligence, it shows their humility. Both of those guys are some of the best players to play in the modern era. 7.30pm BST Barry did my preamble for me. Related: The Fiver | Crystal Palace v Brighton: arguably the Premier League’s weirdest rivalry Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/sep/27/cry...

Forward recovers from knee injury before Champions League tie Coach plays down spat between Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Mauricio Pochettino has declared Lionel Messi available for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League meeting with Manchester City on Tuesday, with the head coach backing the forward to be successful following a slow start to his time at the club. Messi was a doubt for the Group A match due to a bruised knee that has forced him to miss PSG’s past two games. But Pochettino confirmed on Monday that he is fit for selection. “Leo is in a very good way. I think he will be in the squad tomorrow but I still haven’t decided on the starting XI,” he said. “We will confirm the starting XI tomorrow.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/champions-league-lionel-messi-manchester-city-paris-saint-germain-mauricio-pochettino

Liverpool have won last two games at Porto 5-0 and 4-1 Porto are unbeaten in eight games so far this season Jürgen Klopp has said Liverpool must be wary of a Porto team seeking to avenge recent routs in the Champions League when they return to the Estádio do Dragão on Tuesday. Klopp’s team have scored nine goals on their last two visits to the Portuguese club and their 5-0 win in 2018 remains Porto’s heaviest home defeat in European competition. Liverpool, who have never lost in eight meetings with Porto, recorded another emphatic away victory in the quarter-finals the following season, winning 4-1 en route to lifting the trophy for a sixth time. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/klopp-warns-liverpool-to-forget-the-past-for-trip-to-face-top-team-porto

Lionel Messi expected to start on the bench Manchester City beat PSG twice last season Pep Guardiola has said his Manchester City players need to brace themselves for “pain” and having to “suffer” when they face Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League encounter on Tuesday night. City are in the French capital for their second Group A fixture and will come up against what is arguably football’s most formidable attacking trident. Guardiola says he is not entirely sure how any team, including City, can stop Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi if they are in the mood. “We have to be compact, help each other and know we’re going to suffer and have pain,” said City’s manager. “It’s how you handle the pain;. They’re so good, these type of teams, you have to be able to suffer for 90 minutes.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/its-how-you-handle-the-pain-pep-guardiola-prepares-manchester-city-psg-champions-league

The club needed some light and the 18-year-old’s goal 323 days after suffering a knee injury provided plenty of it Hope appeared on a Sunday afternoon, light let in at last. Just that smile would have been enough, the look of this kid stepping back on to the pitch 323 days later, taking it all in like it was the first time; the look of every kid everywhere stepping into a football stadium for the first time, overwhelmed yet inspired, at once tiny and huge. Ansu Fati though doesn’t do enough and doesn’t do waiting, so there was more. The youngest player ever to score for Barcelona and for Spain, the boy who found the net 111 seconds into his first Camp Nou start , finally headed back out there on the day he said was like a debut and by the time he came off again he had another goal. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/barcelona-rediscover-ansu-fati-and-hope-when-they-most-need-to-la-liga-sid-lowe

Administration can strike at the very heart of a community, no matter what level of football it involves When your club are on the edge of an abyss, it can shape your attitude towards football. In 2008, I was playing for Bournemouth when we started to hear things weren’t right. Our wages were being paid late and rumours began flying around the place. We had a meeting with the hierarchy and our fears were confirmed: we were going into administration. I was 24 and had just taken out a mortgage for the first time. I had to borrow money to keep up with payments, while many of my teammates had mouths to feed at home. It was a turbulent period: we had 10 points deducted and even though our squad pulled together and fought to the last we were relegated to League Two. The club was so close to going under. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/27/clubs-need-to-remember-that-they-are-playing-with-peoples-lives

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! One of those long-running feuds that goes back so long that few (least of all the warring factions so heavily invested in it) can quite remember what prompted it in the first place, Crystal Palace and Brighton resume hostilities on Monday night in what is arguably the Premier League’s weirdest derby. A quick recap : having endured a somewhat pr1ckly relationship during their playing days at Tottenham, Terry Venables and Alan Mullery were appointed managers of third division clubs Palace and Brighton respectively, within a month of each other in 1976. The sides would go on to meet five times that season, tensions simmering on each occasion before reaching – quite literally – boiling point after the fourth encounter when a Palace fan threw a cup of coffee over Mullery. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/the-fiver-crystal-palace-v-brighton-premier-league-weirdest-rivalry ...

Max Rushden , Barry Glendenning , Jacob Steinberg and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan react to Arsenal’s convincing win in the north London derby and the rest of the Premier League action Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . We start with the north London derby, as Arsenal’s incredible first-half display sank a woeful Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates. Were we too quick to judge Mikel Arteta’s team? Or can they not be properly assessed against such a lacklustre Spurs side? Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2021/sep/27/arsenals-derby-delight-and-pep-outsmarts-tuchel-football-weekly

Are Manchester United being left behind? Eidevall’s plans pay off for Arsenal while Brighton’s brief tenure at the top is over Manchester United’s 6-1 home defeat to Chelsea was a stark reminder that there is no scope to coast for clubs in the Women’s Super League. United landed on the scene with big promises and big ambitions in 2018, they launched with a statement and no-nonsense manager in Casey Stoney and last year recruited the services of US forwards Christen Press and Tobin Heath to aid the team’s bid to break the stranglehold of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. Stoney is gone, frustrated by United talking the talk more than they walked the walk when it came to facilities and support, Heath and Press have left without like-for-like quality or numbers replacing them, and, ultimately, United have stood still. Victories over Reading and Leicester under new manager Marc Skinner masked the cracks that Chelsea blew apart and with teams around United having upped their investmen...

Marco Rose returned to Borussia Mönchengladbach with Dortmund on Saturday but it was his replacement at Borussia-Park who was victorious The biggest reaction in Borussia-Park arrived at exactly the moment it was expected. As Marco Rose came out to take his place on the bench – arriving fashionably late, no doubt – there was no sneaking into position without Borussia Mönchengladbach’s fans giving him a hot reception. The faithful of the Nordkurve, at least, had certainly not forgotten the slow and painful end to last season after Rose’s impending departure for Borussia Dortmund was announced, the day after Valentine’s Day. The bad news for the returning coach was that wasn’t the noisiest the 25,000 gathered on Saturday night got. After a far-from-impeccable start to life under new coach Adi Hütter, the Gladbach tail wagged hard here, pushing miserable away defeats at Leverkusen, Union Berlin and Augsburg to the back of the mind with a display of graft and grit. It felt sweet. A member...

Maurizio Sarri has made a slower start to life in Rome than Mourinho but his team’s fast start left Roma unable to catch up Maurizio Sarri looked at the eagle perched on his wrist and started to laugh. Olimpia, Lazio’s club mascot of the past 11 years, is quite a presence up close: a 12kg bird of prey with a two-and-a-half-metre wingspan. He realised quickly that one arm wasn’t going to manage it, bringing across the other one to support her weight and glancing up toward the Curva. Thousands of fans were packed in there, lost in delirious celebration. OK, so maybe the Rome derby was a bigger deal than Sangiovannese v Montevarchi after all. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/27/the-sarri-era-finally-takes-flight-as-lazio-seize-moment-for-derby-delight

Lens missed out on the Europa Conference League by a single point last season. They want to put that right this campaign By Eric Devin for Get French Football News It’s no wonder Marseille feature so often in the Sunday evening slot in Ligue 1. Big derbies – such as the clash between Lyon and Saint-Étienne next week – are also chosen for the glamour match of the weekend, but the atmosphere at the Vélodrome has been electric this season and their match against Lens this weekend was no exception. Lens are hardly box office but, after a strong start to the season, they went into the game knowing that a victory would take them above the hosts and into second place in the table. They succeeded, winning a scintillating game 3-2 to show that they might have enough about them to finish in the top six this season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/27/lens-win-in-marseille-and-set-their-sights-on-european-football

The situation will "calm down" when people fill their cars normally, the environment secretary said.

The move will not solve the UK's shortage of qualified drivers, says a leading EU haulage chief.

Clubs’ court action challenging structure of game continues Uefa sends warning note to all of Europe’s national FAs The European Super League still represents “an ongoing existential threat to the foundations and future of European football”, Uefa has warned, as an aggressive court action originally brought by all 12 breakaway clubs continues to challenge its structure. Although nine of the original 12 clubs, including the six from the Premier League, rapidly stated they had withdrawn from the project after the vilification that met its launch on 18 April, they are all still members of the Super League company that is maintaining the legal challenge. The action in a Madrid court was taken against Uefa by the 12 clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, on the day they announced their widely derided plan for a breakaway competition with themselves as permanent members, after months of secret discussions and planning. Continue ...

With Qatari investment the previously unfashionable French club are becoming giants of the global game On the banks of the Seine in Paris, five minutes from the Louvre, stands the Samaritaine department store. The building was last renovated at a cost of €750m. The interior is wood-panelled, there is a VIP area. The product selection consists of Dior, Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Shoes cost €1,000. Champagne bottles can be personalised, perfume bottles can be bought for six figures. Even in the pandemic, the luxury goods business continues to grow. Related: Pep Guardiola the frustrated antihero seeks out drama at Manchester City | Barney Ronay Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/sep/27/paris-saint-germain-neymar-lionel-messi-kylian-mbappe-champions-league

Partey makes Arsenal tick, Klopp cost Liverpool, and have Spurs seen the best of Kane? With 34 minutes gone , Harry Kane tripped over the ball and tanked back after it, catching up with play just in time to feed Bukayo Saka for Arsenal’s third goal, thereby enshrining one of the great derby humiliations. This was nothing more than Kane deserved because while there’s something wrong about someone being forced to work somewhere against their will, it was he who signed a six-year contract with no release clause, and he who mistakenly thought an act of impotent petulance would faze the game’s most stubborn nihilist. Consequently it was hard not to enjoy the karma police catching up with him. Doubtless he’ll rebound from the disappointment – he’s too good not to – but he was once able to refocus games of this ilk to become all about him, a quality that might just have escaped him for good. Spurs may come to regret keeping him as much as he already regrets staying with them. Daniel Harris ...

The accountancy firm has been fined £4m for audit failings of bust cake chain Patisserie Valerie

Aldi’s UK boss says its deliveries are moving as normal, despite the lorry driver shortage.

The property giant has missed an interest payment deadline, fuelling concerns that it will collapse.

Ofgem has ordered Octopus Energy to take on 580,000 customers from collapsed firm Avro Energy.

Energy access is a big issue for businesses in Africa, but can the continent go green as well?

Nationwide Building Society sets up a fraud checking hotline, but says wider changes are need to halt fraud.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will promise a fairer property tax in a speech to Labour's conference.

Arsenal score three first-half goals in north London derby Nuno Espírito Santo: ‘We were not aggressive enough’ Nuno Espírito Santo admitted he got his starting personnel all wrong during a chastening 3-1 derby defeat at Arsenal. The Tottenham manager began with Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele as the No 8s in a 4-3-3 and his team were overrun in the first half. Arsenal led 3-0 at the break thanks to goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka and, although Spurs stabilised and pulled one back late on through Son Heung-min, it did little to placate Nuno. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/tottenhams-nuno-admits-he-picked-wrong-side-in-defeat-to-arsenal

United manager: ‘We will be on front foot against Villarreal’ Club have lost past two games and also at Young Boys After eight games of the season Manchester United are already in desperate-for-a-win territory as they prepare for the visit of Villarreal to Old Trafford on Wednesday. Ole Gunnar Solskjær remains positive despite the club’s troubling start. “We have a Champions League game and we are looking forward to that,” the United manager said. “We didn’t start well [in the competition] but we will be fired up, the fans and the players, for that one. We will be on the front foot looking to win.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/ole-gunnar-solskjr-says-manchester-united-ready-to-bounce-back

Leah Williamson put the cherry on top of a week in which she twice captained England by scoring Arsenal’s final goal in an emphatic 5-0 defeat of Manchester City to catapult the club to the top of the Women’s Super League. Vivianne Miedema opened the scoring early on and her effort was added to by a goal in each half for the captain Kim Little and strikes for the full-back Katie McCabe and Williamson as Arsenal earned a first league win over City in two years – coincidentally dating back to the previous time City lost three games in a row. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/arsenal-dismantle-manchester-city-to-go-top-of-the-wsl

Eyebrows were raised when the sometimes-combustible Swiss was picked but in the end everything ran through him As Tottenham’s defenders glared at each other in reproach for a third time, a beaming Thierry Henry extended his arms in celebration. Enjoying the spectacle with Henry in one of the Emirates’ executive boxes was Daniel Ek, the Spotify co-owner and high-profile suitor for the keys to one of English football’s grandest old estates. They were revelling in an evisceration: for 45 minutes Arsenal produced football of speed, imagination and incision that recalled some of Henry’s happiest derby experiences. Those stormy days in May, when Ek sought to exploit the fury surrounding Arsenal’s decline and the botched Super League breakaway by making a bid for the club, could not have seemed further away. Wherever he was watching, Stan Kroenke must have felt there was plenty of life in his habitually tormented investment yet. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ww...

It comes as the Petrol Retailers Association warns that up to two-thirds of its members are out of fuel.

Inspired by Tottenham playing host to Anthony Joshua’s world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night, Nuno Espírito Santo had used boxing parlance to illustrate what he wanted to see from his team. The Spurs manager said that they could not throw punches all the time and, when they took one, they had to cover up, to stop the bleeding. Their response to being dumped on to the canvas in the previous two Premier League games – the 3-0 defeats against Crystal Palace and Chelsea – had been non-existent. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/rampant-arsenal-claim-derby-spoils-as-first-half-goal-blitz-sinks-tottenham

Live WSL updates from 6.45pm BST Chelsea end Man Utd’s perfect start with 6-1 win And you can email Rob with your thoughts 6.49pm BST 5 min It’s been a slow start to the game, with lots of City possession in their own half. 6.48pm BST 3 min Stanway, filling in at right-back, is penalised for a high challenge on McCabe. Their duel could be all sorts of fun. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/sep/26/arsenal-v-manchester-city-womens-super-league-live

Celtic’s Albian Ajeti misses from two yards in 1-1 draw St Mirren beat Aberdeen; Hibs win at home to St Johnstone Albian Ajeti produced a strong contender for miss of the season as Celtic slipped up again in the Premiership with a 1-1 home draw against Dundee United . Ajeti blazed over from two yards and Celtic’s day might have been worse, with United adamant they should have had a first-half penalty when Cameron Carter-Vickers bundled over Nicky Clark. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/scottish-premiership-celtic-jeered-off-after-home-draw-with-dundee-united

Paolo Dybala and Álvaro Morata injured for Chelsea clash Ansu Fati returns to score two in Barcelona win Paulo Dybala scored a superb goal before leaving the pitch in tears with an injury as Juventus beat Sampdoria 3-2 in Turin, their first home victory of the Serie A season. The Argentina international fired a low shot into the bottom corner after 10 minutes but limped off soon after with a muscular problem. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/european-roundup-dybala-scores-in-juventus-win-but-leaves-pitch-in-tears

North London derby updates from 4.30pm BST Arteta ready to plunge derby debutants into deep end And you can email Simon or tweet him @Simon_Burnton 4.48pm BST 17 mins: Aubameyang refuses to attempt a defence-splitting return pass to Odegaard and has a punt himself, the ball flying just over the bar. 4.47pm BST 16 mins: Save! Another encouraging home attack ends with Saka and Odegaard exchanging passes before the former tees up Partey, whose 20-yarder is pushed round the post by Lloris. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/sep/26/arsenal-v-tottenham-premier-league-live

Raúl Jiménez punched the air and then again and again, any niggling doubts and worries banished as he wheeled away in sheer ecstasy after scoring his first league goal since last October, his first since fracturing his skull. His celebration, which culminated in him showing off his protective head guard to the away support before looking to the skies, put to bed all of the pent-up frustration. It was a doubtless cathartic moment before the Wolves fans who had been singing his name long before the first whistle, and what a wonderful goal it was too, the striker making two Southampton defenders look silly before applying the most composed of finishes. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/raul-jimenez-winner-sparks-emotional-scenes-as-wolves-beat-southampton

Forward Sam Kerr scored twice and Fran Kirby netted her 50th Women’s Super League goal as champions Chelsea swept aside a sorry Manchester United 6-1 on Sunday. Related: Manchester United 1-6 Chelsea: Women’s Super League – as it happened Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/26/manchester-united-chelsea-womens-super-league-match-report

Leeds United have offered support but players face return to Taliban regime unless accepted soon The UK government is being asked to urgently resettle female players from Afghanistan’s junior football team who fled the Taliban and have been offered a new life with Leeds United. The 35 young women – many of whom are in their teens – their families and football coaches are in Lahore, Pakistan, on 30-day visas. But the 136-strong group face returning to Afghanistan unless they are accepted by a third country soon – they have to leave Pakistan by 12 October. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/uk-urged-to-resettle-fleeing-afghan-womens-football-team

Sales are already soaring despite fewer birds being produced for the big chains, a farming boss says.

A trade body says filling stations are running out as ministers seek to bring in overseas lorry drivers.

Premier League updates from 2pm BST Match preview: Southampton v Wolves And you can email Rob with your thoughts 2.50pm BST Peep peep! No goals and no clear chances, despite the best intentions of both teams. See you in 10 minutes for the second half. 2.47pm BST 45 min One minute of added time. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/sep/26/southampton-v-wolves-premier-league-live

Minute-by-minute report of the early kick-off in the WSL Arsenal centurion Miedema says she can get ‘a hell of a lot better’ Brighton’s Carter: ‘Those injuries are a massive part of my life’ Email simon.burnton@theguardian.com | Tweet @Simon_Burnton 11.36am BST The starting XIs look almost exactly like this: Manchester United: Earps, Batlle, Mannion, Thorisdottir, Blundell, Staniforth, Zelem, Hanson, Groenen, Galton, Toon. Chelsea: Berger; Bright, Carter, Eriksson; Reiten, Ingle, Leupolz, Charles; Harder, Kerr, Kirby. Presenting your Reds team to take on Chelsea #MUWomen | #FAWSL pic.twitter.com/TaWJcxD13O Team news is in! ✊ #CFCW pic.twitter.com/TX6AD35k33 11.32am BST Hello world! It’s only September, but today is a big day in this season’s title chase. WSL champions Chelsea, beaten at Arsenal in a 3-2 thriller in the opening game of this season, face a second major challenge at Manchester United. Last season they only lost once all season and still only won the ...