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West Ham: Victory over Wolves tonight will lift West Ham out of the bottom three for a couple of days at least and ahead of this crucial fixture, Jarrod Bowen has said it pains him to see his club in trouble. Helping them extricate themselves from their current predicament would “mean the world” to him.
“This club means so much to me,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports. “In the situation that we’re in, it hurts me probably more than anyone else. What I’m trying to do is bring my A-game every single week and also get the team ready to bring their A-game. We know what we have to do in terms of steering away from relegation. We have a massive opportunity to do that.
“We have to keep doing that. Of course you want to score, you want to get assists, you want to be the difference. But also your team-mates as well, they’re so important. They need to keep stepping up like they have been. We all need to keep stepping up and keep changing our destiny and changing our fortunes and win the games that we have. Then we can almost take control of the situation that we’re in. We know what we need to do, so that’s the most important thing.”
Bayern Munich: Vincent Kompany turns 40 today but the Bayern head coach gave extremely short shrift to talk of birthday celebrations during his press conference this morning. Bayern Munich took a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first leg this week and travel to Hamburg to play struggling St Pauli tomorrow with a nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table. They are also in the semi-finals of the German Cup.
“We can only wish for the three points [against St Pauli],” he told reporters who asked if he’d be swinging from the chandeliers tonight. “I always celebrated birthdays at the stage of semi-finals and quarter-finals so it’s a bonus if you get the wins at these moments.
“I am trying to run away from all the birthday stuff. We are in priority mode. At this moment there are enough emotions in the coming days. Maybe some red wine tonight but first prepare for the match.” [Reuters]
Newcastle United: The first signing Newcastle made under their new Saudi owners, Kieran Trippier has confirmed he will be leaving the club this summer when his contract expires. Rumours also abound that Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon could be sold come season’s end. While Howe refused to discuss the future of individual players, he did speak out on the importance of Newcastle managing their fans’ expectations.
“If that’s the reality - and I’m not saying it is - then that’s the reality,” he told reporters. “I’ve no issue working with the conditions the club set and finances dictate. I’ve never had an issue with that all through my career.
“As long as that is made clear to everybody on the outside and the expectations are aligned within that. Because I don’t think you can have expectations that warp reality. Everything has got to be aligned for the players to enter the pitch and play in their best place, where they’re relaxed and not under undue pressure. That’s fundamentally important.”
Howe rejects speculation of Newcastle fall-out
Newcastle United: Newcastle travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday to play their first match since losing the Tyne-Wear derby at home to Sunderland just before the international break. With no shortage of speculation surrounding his own future at the club and the potential summer exit of several key players, Eddie Howe wasn’t short of things to talk about this morning.
“Certainly there’s been no fallings out,” he said, when asked about his relationship with Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson and the club CEO David Hopkinson. “I’ve got a really good relationship with Ross and David. We’re plotting to try and take the club forward in the smartest way possible. I’ve had really good support from both of them, who are the key figures I work with day-to-day at the football club. We’re all totally aligned on what we need to do.
“The long-term prospects for the football club are really strong but certainly these seasons we’ve experienced previously. Not all the forces are with us and we’re going to have to act really smart and try to outperform the budget to try to hit the levels everyone wants.
“What do I need? I just need support. Good working relationships with people around me and a feeling of being able to express myself in the best way possible so you see the best version of myself. And I think if I feel that and the club feels that then they’re getting the best manager they can from me.
“Obviously if that’s not working for whatever reason on both sides then it’s best for the football club. The most important thing in all of this is Newcastle United, not me, not anybody else. I’ll always reflect that in my decision making: I’ll put the club before anybody.”
Liverpool: Arne Slot has told reporters that Alisson is still sidelined but Liverpool fans are unlikely to be too concerned given how well Giorgi Marmadashvili has played in the Brazilian’s absence. Slot also said that some players who started against PSG will be rotated out of the side to face Fulham tommorrow because they cannot currently handle the intensity of playing two big games in four days. “The players I’m worried about for tomorrow will be Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez,” he said.
Aston Villa: Despite the looming World Cup and this season still being very much up in the air for both sides, Bayern Munich have just announced they will be playing Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on 7 August.
For their part, Villa say they “hope to announce further fixtures in the far east in due course”. Whatever the outcome on the pitch in Hong Kong, you have to say the Bayern Munich club secretary has stolen a march on his or her Villa counterpart early doors. That’s clichéd German efficiency at its finest.
Arne Slot on Andy Robertson: “First of all, he’s had many great seasons here not only as a player but as a great person as well,” he says of the Scotsman, whose departure from Liverpool at the end of the season was announced yesterday. “I got to know him as a great person. Every team-mate of his will tell you how funny he is, how great he is and I think that’s been shown on social media as well.
“But what I remember most about him is the intensity he plays with and we’ve seen and learned something about intensity two days ago but, I can also remember Robbo making a press from the left-back position to the right wing a few years ago and I showed it to my players I was working with back then.
“He’s won everything at this club, served his club and really loves this club. It’s been a great nine years for him. This season he didn’t play as much as he was used to and as a result of that he’s leaving.”
A tip of the hat to Slot for highlighting the fact that Robertson is a terrific character and all round good guy as well as a consumate professional. He seems to be universally liked and one imagines his is a presence that would be sorely missed from any dressing-room. He’s been an outstanding servant for Liverpool over the best part of a decade, even if quite a few people were sceptical about his credentials when he was signed from Hull City. Jurgen knew!
Arne Slot: 'I feel the support from the fans'
Liverpool: The postponement of their Ligue1 match against Lens means Paris Saint-Germain have been given the weekend off ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg at Anfield on Tuesday, but Liverpool have a crucial match against Fulham to play at Anfield tomorrow evening.
Arne Slot’s side go into it on the back of two chastening defeats and are fifth in the Premier League table. Should either Everton or Brentford win their Champions League qualification six-pointer at the Gtech Community Stadium tomorrow afternoon, they will go level on points with Liverpool.
“I’m repeating myself a lot but I feel a lot of support,” said Arne Slot this morning, upon being asked if he feels he has the backing of the Liverpool club hierarchy. “Not only from the owners but from Richard [Hughes] and Michael [Edwards], a lot of support from them as well. As weird as it might sound I also feel the support from the fans.
“We were going out in Paris when the players went out for the warm-up and after the 4-0 loss [against Manchester City] the fans immediately started singing ‘we love Liverpool’. I think it’s fair to say we were outplayed for 90 minutes and they were still singing and clapping for us. I’ve said many times, the club knows the period of time we’re in and in the mean time I feel complete support.”
Column: While his “big team who win things” (well, the odd thing) are hovering above the Premier League relegation zone, his small team who never win anything have just dropped out of the League Two automatic promotion places. It’s small wonder the Guardian’s Football Weekly presenter Max Rushden is a bag of nerves …
Tottenham Hotspur: While he has already been interviewed by the club media team, Roberto De Zerbi’s maiden press conference as Spurs head coach is likely to be today’s hottest ticket in town. The Italian is scheduled to speak to the media at 1.30pm (GMT), ahead of his side’s match against Sunderland on Sunday afternoon. If West Ham beat the Premier League’s bottom side, Wolves, at the London Stadium tonight, Spurs will be in the relegation zone when their game kicks off at the Stadium of Light.
Andy Robertson to leave Liverpool after nine years
Liverpool: The Scottish left-back is to bring his illustrious career with the club to a close when his contract expires at the end of the season, with no shortage of big name European heavyweights believed to be interested in securing the 32-year-old’s services. Andy Hunter reports …
Crystal Palace 3-0 Fiorentina
Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg: A sensational performance blew away Fiorentina as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored on his first start since the end of January. Ed Aarons reports from Selhurst Park …
Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa
Europea League quarter-final first leg: Aston Villa were second best for large parts of the game in Bologna but a brace from Ollie Watkins put them in the box-seat. Paul MacInnes reports from Stadio Renata Dall’Ara …
FC Porto 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Europa League quarter-final first leg: A freakish own goal by the Porto defender Martim Fernandes earned Nottingham Forest a draw and fostered optimism of advancing to the Europa League semi-finals. Ben Fisher reports from Estádio do Dragão …
Friday football blog ...
Following a hiatus so long some Tottenham fans may have forgotten their team is in grave danger of relegation, the Premier League is back. In the build-up to a weekend schedule that kicks off when West Ham host fellow basement-dwellers Wolves at the London Stadium tonight, we’ll bring you all the news that’s fit to print from today’s round of managerial press conferences. In the time honoured tradition, we’ll also be keeping a beady eye on any tidbits of note from the EFL, Scotland and beyond. You know the drill …
