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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel believes back-up goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is happy at the club and is ready to take his chance.

Kepa started and kept a clean sheet at the weekend as Chelsea defeated Tottenham 3-0, as regular starter Edouard Mendy missed out with injury.

The Spanish keeper, who joined Chelsea for €80 million in 2018 before losing his place last year to Mendy, is set to start again for the Blues in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie with Aston Villa.

What was said?

"He seems happy to me, he may not be happy with the situation but he is happy with where he is at and the part he plays in the team," Tuchel said of Kepa.

"Everyone wants to play more minutes. We have contracts for 24 players including goalkeepers so we simply cannot give the same amount of minutes to everyone. It's the same for the guys who play on the field but it is more dramatic for goalkeepers. That's because we don't change them during games so maybe it seems even worse or harder.

"I don't feel Kepa like this. I feel an open guy, a humble guy, a super nice guy, a top, top professional sports guy who is a big part of this squad. I feel him happy. Maybe he could be even happier with more minutes but I don't feel him concerned at the moment because he is pushing and fighting for his chances.

"You can't force situations. I have a feeling with his mindset that he is here and he pushes with his calmness and positivity. He did not force it. He doesn't have to prove to me that he is a good goalkeeper because I see it every day in training. Maybe that's the point, that he does not try too hard to convince everybody that he is worth what the club paid.

"Who cares about what the club paid? So what. Money doesn't matter now. The question is whether we can afford to have him as a goalkeeper. 

"We have two super strong goalkeepers. Do we need them both? We have proof last weekend. He was a key factor to have a clean sheet in the weekend. It is as easy as that. Whether the money is too high or low, these measurements don't matter to us. This pressure is off his shoulders and he deserves it to be off his shoulders so it is not his fault."

What's next for Chelsea?

After Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie, Chelsea are back in Premier League action with a high-profile clash against Manchester City on Saturday. On Tuesday, Tuchel said it would be a race against time for Mendy to be fit for the weekend.

"I hope he will be back in team training on Thursday," Tuchel said of Mendy. "If it goes well, I hope he can be ready for Saturday but I don’t know right now."

Further reading

MLS and Liga MX clubs will face off in a month-long summer tournament beginning in 2023, as the two top North American leagues have united for a reimagined Leagues Cup.

The new Leagues Cup will be an annual summer tournament that will see both MLS and Liga MX pause domestic play for one month.

Officially sanctioned by CONCACAF, the new Leagues Cup will determine three qualifying spots for the CONCACAF Champions League.

What will the tournament look like?

The two leagues say that further details will be revealed in the coming months, but we do know that the tournament's winner will qualifying automatically to the CCL round of 16.

Additionally, the clubs finishing second and third in the new-look Leagues Cup will qualify for the opening round of the CCL.

The current iteration of the Leagues Cup, which will change to this new format in 2023, is an eight-team single-elimination tournament with the Seattle Sounders set to face Club Leon in this season's finale on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

What was said?

“The new Leagues Cup with every club in MLS and Liga MX competing in an intense, month-long, tournament will establish new standards for what is possible between our two leagues, and further showcase our players and clubs to a global audience,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber.

“Since its launch three and a half years ago, our partnership with Liga MX has grown quickly and the competition has brought out the best in both of us.

"On the path to the FIFA World Cup in 2026 hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, this is the perfect moment to produce a tournament that will elevate the profile of Concacaf and showcase the incredible passion our region has for soccer played at the highest level.”  

Mikel Arriola, executive president of Liga MX, added: “We are in a celebratory mood given the historic announcement about the new competition ecosystem established by Concacaf in which there will be an expansion of Leagues Cup. This is an example of coordination and goal alignment between the confederation, MLS and Liga MX.

"All parties involved converged on the objective to provide the fans of North American football and all over the world greater entertainment and spectacle, provide MLS and Liga MX clubs a more intensified competition schedule to raise playing standards and quality.

"In this way, economic benefits can be reinvested creating a virtuous cycle assisting the development of players, clubs, and marketing opportunities for futbol and sports in general.”

A continued collaboration

MLS and Liga MX have collaborated heavily in recent years, with the two leagues now facing off in a number of competitions.

The champions of the two leagues already face off in the Campeones Cup, which will see the Columbus Crew face Cruz Azul on September 29, as well as the current format of the Leagues Cup.

Additionally, the two leagues have also united for the new-look MLS All-Star Game, which saw the MLS side take down their Liga MX counterparts this summer.

Further reading

Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus marked his injury return to the Dutch Eredivisie with a goal in a 5-0 victory over Fortuna Sittard on Tuesday.

His first top flight action of the season, the Ghana ace announced his presence in style to help The Lancers to three points in the matchday five away encounter.

It is his second goal in four days, having scored in 45 minutes of first half action for Ajax’s U23 side against Almere City in the second-tier league on Saturday.

A day later on Sunday, he returned to the club’s senior team’s matchday squad for the first time this season for their league clash with Cambuur but watched the entire 9-0 demolition from the bench.

The 21-year-old had been out of action since picking up an injury while in pre-season action against Belgians Anderlecht in July.

In Tuesday’s game, summer signing Steven Berghuis opened the scoring for Ajax in the 11th minute, before Cote d’Ivoire striker Sebastien Haller set up Morocco full-back Noussair Mazraoui to double the score.

In the 38th minute, captain Dusan Tadic finished off Daley Blind’s assist to make it 3-0, sending the visitors into the break with a comfortable lead.

On their return, Kudus was substituted into the game, taking the place of Berghuis.

Twenty six minutes later, he made his presence felt, tapping home from close range after Tadic delivered a sweet ball across the face of goal on a counter break.

Tadic made it a double of assists 13 minutes to full time, setting up Nicolas Tagliafico to make it 5-0.

The win consolidated Ajax’s place at the top of the league table as the side look to defend their title from last season.

Kudus, meanwhile, will hope to feature in his second league outing of the canpaign when The Lancers host Groningen on Saturday.

The midfielder’s injury return is no doubt a welcome news for Ghana ahead of their 2022 World Cup qualifying double-header against Zimbabwe next month, having had to do without their key man in games against Ethiopia and South Africa earlier this month.

La Liga side Sevilla have terminated Joris Gnagnon’s contract for lack of professionalism.

The former France youth international was signed for five years by Los Nervionenses on July 25, 2018, having impressed at Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

However, his inability to break into the Spaniards’ first team saw the €13.5 million rated centre-back sent back on loan to the Red and Blacks for the 2019-20 campaign.

Following his return to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he was not registered in Julen Lopetegui’s squad for the 2021-22 Spanish elite division season, and ultimately his deal has now been terminated.

Goal gathered courtesy of Diario de Sevilla that the Nervion club ended the Cote d’Ivoire prospect’s deal because of continuous weight problems – which has seen him play for the club once under Lopetegui.

Before then, manager Lopetegui had refused to comment on the 24-year-old’s sack: "Ask the club why it has been. I have nothing to comment on,” he told media.

On the international scene, Gnagnon made his debut for the French U20 team on March 25, 2017.

Subsequently, he later chose to represent African side Cote d’Ivoire, a country whom he is eligible through his family’s Ivorian background.

Unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions, Sevilla were held to a 0-0 draw by Real Sociedad last time out – where goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved a penalty.

“We worked hard against a very good team. They had better rhythm and pressed us hard in the first half,” their manager told the media, as per club the website.

“In the second, we were on top and had chances to win it. We get a point and we move on.

“We changed a few things at the break. We were better, controlled the game and beat their press with more ease. We were better for the vast majority of the second half.

'This is La Liga and every game is very tough. Every team finds it hard to win. We have just got started and we have things to improve on, but we played well against a very good team and had chances to win.”

The one-time Spanish kings would be hoping to continue with their fine start when they host Valencia on Wednesday night.

Former Ghana defender John Paintsil has concerns about the timing of the reported imminent appointment of Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac as new coach of the Black Stars.

According to Ghana media, the tactician is set for a second spell with the Black Stars, having first led the team between 2008 and 2010.

Ghana’s coaching job has become vacant following the dismissal of CK Akonnor following an uninspiring start to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

“If it is true Milo is taking over the job then, I say the timing is wrong because how well does he know this current team?” Paintsil, who featured for Ghana under Rajevac, told Angel FM.

“Our time was different because all the players were already made and it will only take a miracle to help him qualify this team.”

Reports say Rajevac is expected to be announced as the new Ghana coach on a two-year contract on Wednesday.

His first spell was largely successful, having led the Black Stars to the final of the 2009 African Nations Championship, the final of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, and the quarter-final of the 2010 World Cup.

“I think it is a step in the wrong direction,” Hearts of Oak board member and former Ghana FA presidential aspirant Vincent Sowah Odotei said on TV3.

“I think that when you look at Milo’s performance, his football philosophy and when we look at what he has done since he left the Black Stars and as a country what we aspire to be, I think it’s a risky choice.

“I don’t know the considerations, the terms of reference given to the committee, I don’t know what the bigger considerations are in the whole paradigm – what we call these days in football as the project – and the criteria that really brings in Milovan Rajevac. But I think that it’s a risky thing.

“I think it’s a risky thing and hope that my colleagues at the FA will take a deep breath if they have not taken the decision already and then look at what is good for this country.”

Borussia Dortmund assistant coach Otto Addo and Aston Villa U23 coach George Boateng are reportedly in line to be named Rajevac’s assistants.

Brazilian legend Rivaldo believes Manchester City wonderkid Kayky can become a star for the club within a few years.

Kayky made a £9 million ($12.3m) move to Manchester from Fluminense, where he made 32 senior appearances while scoring three goals and adding two assists.

The Brazilian officially joined up with the club last week, having previously been expected to move in January, and began training with his new team-mates last Friday.

What was said?

"Young Brazilian winger Kayky, who has just joined Man City, has been praised highly in the Brazilian press," Rivaldo told BetFair.

"He can become a very good player in the future but moving to English football at just 18, he will be forced to go through an adaptation process and we shouldn't expect to see him play much for the first team just yet.

"Gabriel Jesus's presence could help the youngster and I'm confident that in a year or two he will become an important player in Pep Guardiola's team, contributing goals and assists."

Kayky's road to Manchester

The young Brazilian star's move to the Premier League came amid financial struggles for his former club, with Fluminense accused of selling the winger 'like a couple of sacks of soybeans'.

Kayky has been compared to Neymar throughout his meteoric rise, despite being a left-footer, and had previously been linked with Liverpool and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Manchester City's young stars

Kayky is one of several young stars coming through the ranks at Manchester City, with Guardiola turning to five debutants for Tuesday's Carabao Cup clash with Wycombe.

Romeo Lavia, CJ Egan-Riley, Luke Mbete, Finley Burns and Josh Wilson-Esbrand have all been named in the starting XI, with the five youngsters making their first senior appearances for the club.

Further reading

Norwich City have handed Bali Mumba a place in their starting line-up for Tuesday’s League Cup fixture against Liverpool.

The English youth international of Congolese origin made his Canaries bow in the club’s 5-0 defeat to Manchester City on August 21 at the Etihad Stadium, before making his second appearance as Norwich silenced AFC Bournemouth 6-0 three days later.

Against Jurgen Klopp’s men, the defender would be hoping to stop the Reds – who are without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane - from progressing to the next round of the competition.

In a 5-3-2 formation, the 19-year-old will partner Andrew Omobamidele, Grant Hanley, Ben Gibson and Dimitris Giannoulis in a bid to provide cover for goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Christoph Zimmermann is still out with an ankle issue while Prezmysław Płacheta will not return to first-team training until next week as he fights back from a Covid-19 illness. Todd Cantwell is missing due to personal reasons.

“Once you have to play against the best teams in the world and we do this on league level and now we do this against Liverpool in the cup, we have to do this with full intensity,” manager Daniel Farke told Norwich City website.

“For that, I trust my whole squad. We have three games in seven days, and it is important to bring some recovered players on the pitch, but not to rest other players.

“It is more like to have players who can go with this intensity against the ball in order to be competitive."

For Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas are the only players who retained their places in the starting XI from Saturday’s Premier League win over Crystal Palace.

Kaide Gordon and Conor Bradley make their senior debuts while Joe Gomez is named as captain.

Regardless of Tuesday’s outcome, Norwich City – who have lost their last three matches – will return to the top-flight where they take on Everton on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola has named five debutants to Manchester City's lineup to face Wycombe in the Carabao Cup, turning to a group of youngsters to join first team stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.

Romeo Lavia, CJ Egan-Riley, Luke Mbete, Finley Burns and Josh Wilson-Esbrand have been named in the starting XI, with the five youngsters making their first senior appearances for the club.

Joining them in the starting XI are De Bruyne, Sterling, Zack Steffen, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Ferran Torres as Guardiola selects a team with a big mix of star power and youth.

Who are the Man City newcomers?

Lavia comes into the midfield alongside De Bruyne and Foden, with the Belgian starting over the injured Rodri and the rested Fernandinho, who Lavia has been compared to.

Egan-Riley, Mbete, Burns and Wilson-Esbrand will form City's back line amid injuries to John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Oleksander ZInchenko, while Ruben Dias has been rested.

Among the players on the bench is youngster James McAtee, who has been dubbed 'The Salford Silva' due to his stylistic resemblance to Man City icon David Silva.

Further reading

Liverpool midfielder Kaide Gordon made his highly anticipated senior debut in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Norwich City.

The 16-year-old joined the Reds in January from Derby County in a move that could eventually be worth up to £3 million ($4m).

After impressing during pre-season and with the club's reserves, the teenager earned a spot in Jurgen Klopp's side to face the Canaries in the third round of the competition.

Gordon puts name in record books

By starting Tuesday night's game, Gordon - who turns 17 next month - has become the fifth-youngest player in Liverpool history.

Jerome Sinclair holds the record for Liverpool, having played against West Brom in 2012 at 16 years and six days. He is followed by Harvey Elliott, Jack Robinson and James Norris.

Gordon has also become the third youngest player to start for Liverpool in a senior game, behind Elliott and Robinson.

Gordon turning heads on Merseyside

The teenage star has already scored a pair of goals in just three games for Liverpool's Under-23 side this term, further underlining his status as one of the club's brightest talents.

“Sometimes, you see players getting a lot of media attention,” U-23 captain Tom Clayton said in August. “Then, they come in, and you think ‘he’s not that good’. Well, Kaide is!”

Further reading

El Hadji Diouf has likened Olympique Marseille striker Bamba Dieng to Cote d’Ivoire and Chelsea great Didier Drogba.

The 21-year-old Senegal prospect has been in fine form for the Phocaeans in the 2021-22 campaign – finding the net thrice in three games for Jorge Sampaoli’s men.

He propelled the Ligue 1 side to a 2-0 triumph over Rennes at Stade Velodrome on Sunday, prompting Diouf to compare him to two-time African Player of the Year winner Drogba.

"I knew him with the national youth team. He is a striker, a Didier Drogba. All he knows how to do is score goals,” Diouf said in an interview with Canal+ Afrique which was monitored by Rmcsport.

“I watched him with Diambars, and he was not far from being one of the top scorers in the Senegalese league.

“He is a young person with a future. The Senegal team, too, may have found its great striker.

“All I have to say is that he keeps his head on his shoulders, that he continues to work.

“If he has three opportunities, he can convert two. He's a striker who ends up in the box."

Manager Sampaoli had showered praise on Dieng having scored a brace in Marseille’s 2-0 triumph at AS Monaco.

"For me, Dieng is not a surprise, otherwise I would not have put him," he told media.

“He has qualities that we see on a daily basis, to play in spaces. It was chosen for this explosiveness and this ability to hurt the opponent's back. He has great potential."

Born in Pikine, Senegal, Dieng began his professional career with Senegal Premier League outfit Diambars – where he scored 12 goals in the first 14 games of his debut season.

He continued in that blistering form to become the top scorer of the 2019-20 campaign.

His goalscoring exploits attracted the Ligue 1 side who signed him for an undisclosed fee on October 5, 2020. He made a scoring debut in the club’s 2-0 Coupe de France defeat of Auxerre four months later.

Barring any injury worries, Dieng could be called up for the Lions of Teranga’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Latching on to Lorenzo Insigne’s first-time arched through-ball in the 69th minute, Victor Osimhen’s eyes lit up as he shaped to strike the ball on his weaker left foot.

He didn’t quite find the bottom right corner to add to his 24th-minute effort but finally opening his Serie A account was definitely one of the many positives in Napoli’s 4-0 dismantling of Udinese on Monday night.

Both sides came into the game unbeaten after three matches, the Udine outfit conceding only twice in 270 minutes. The home side’s only draw heading into gameweek four was a comeback 2-2 draw against an admittedly weak Juventus these days, but they were certainly not to be underestimated at Dacia Arena.

In a sense, it represented the perfect challenge for Osimhen even at this early stage of the campaign.

After seemingly kickstarting his season with a clutch showing against Leicester City in the Europa League last Thursday, getting off the mark in domestic football was the next step.

24 minutes was all it took and the Nigerian finally netted in his third league appearance of 2021/22.

While the goal wouldn’t rank among the 22-year-old’s finest, it set the tone for a thoroughly comfortable evening for the Partenopei.

Indeed, it’s certainly not an exaggeration to suggest Luciano Spalletti’s troops could have hit Udinese for five or even six. The expected goals score of 3.30-0.24 per Understat emphasises the visitors’ dominance on a night where they also hit the woodwork twice.

The result means they not only continue an impressive record against the Little Zebras — the Naples outfit have won 10 and drawn one of their last 11 meetings against Monday’s hosts — but now remain the only team in Serie A with a 100 percent record.

Despite completing only three passes all night and having only 30 touches before his substitution in the closing minutes (ranking lowest among Napoli’s starters), the young striker could have easily netted a brace, nonetheless.

He still won six ground duels from eight, only the impressive Andre Zambo Anguissa (nine from 12) outdid the Nigerian, was successful in both dribble attempts and won two fouls on the night—a joint-high.

Having said that, the tenacious frontman lost possession 13 times — higher than anyone on the winning team — which seemed to elicit Spalletti’s post-match assessment of his star striker

“Our strength is our environment. We are overwhelmed with love that can become fuel for players,” Spalletti told DAZN as quoted by Football Italia. “We have quality in attack. Victor [Osimhen] is really strong, he lacks quality in tight spaces, but it’s hard to catch him in open spaces.”

In truth, the forward’s decision-making in possession at times somewhat irritated, particularly his inclination to run with the ball when keeping it would have sufficed.

It definitely wasn’t a performance as glowing as that near-perfect showing at the King Power Stadium last week, but the Nigerian looks to be finding some timely goalscoring momentum. This notably began at the backend of last season and continued into pre-season, however, a harsh sending off on the opening day success against Venezia threatened to slow down the marksman.

After a rather slow start to year two in Naples, three goals in two games has a nice ring to it going into Thursday’s clash with Sampdoria and a home game with Cagliari on Sunday.

He may not have a personal target for the campaign, but Osimhen’s optimism ought to excite the Napoli fanbase.

“I don’t want to set an objective. The club always believed in me, starting with these two goals is certainly important and I want to continue like this,” the Super Eagle stated after the 2-2 draw with Leicester. “I have everything to give to Napoli, I want to stay healthy, avoid injuries and one step at a time we can together achieve our targets.”

Spalletti reckons it’s too early to name them title favourites but the ex-Roma boss recognises his team’s quality, regardless.

Even though it’s still months away, next year’s Africa Cup of Nations to be held in January will stretch the Azzurri squad.

With Kalidou Koulibaly, Zambo Anguissa and Osimhen expected to represent Senegal, Cameroon and Nigeria respectively, the month-long showpiece will test Spalletti’s acumen, although the clash against Juventus on January 6 represents the only major test on paper.

Having said that, the Partenopei needn’t focus on that right now. Rather, there has to be a motivation to continue to evolve in the present.

Osimhen faces Samp and Cagliari in the coming days and he’ll strive to continue the renewed momentum. Making telling impacts in those games will not only increase the sense that this is his season, but also push a Napoli side aiming to challenge last year’s top four sides.

Kylian Mbappe headlines the list of fastest players in FIFA 22, while the Paris Saint-Germain star is also among this year's list of five-star skillers.

Mbappe checks in as the fastest player in the newest version of the game, while he's also among a list of nine players with the highest level of skill moves in the game.

So, who are these highly-coveted players in FIFA 22? Ahead of the game's release on October 1, Goal has everything you need to know.

Fastest FIFA 22 players

Cover star Mbappe finds himself as the fastest player in the game, checking in with a blistering 97 pace rating. Just behind him are Wolves star Traore and Bayern Munich speedster Davies at 96, while James, Hakimi and Vinicius have all been given 95 pace.

Five-star skills

Mbappe is joined by PSG team-mates Neymar and DI Maria in the five-star skills club, while Manchester United stars Ronaldo and Pogba are also involved.

The Premier League is well-represented with Manchester City's Mahrez, Liverpool's Thiago and Chelsea's Ziyech, with Atletico Madrid star Felix also among the game's top skillers.

Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho are two of the headline names among the best under-21 players in FIFA 22.

The list of 15 also includes Premier League stars like Reece James of Chelsea, as well as Phil Foden and Ferran Torres of Manchester City.

With an overall rating of 88, Haaland is the top rated player in the group, followed closely by Sancho who is rated 87 overall.

When does FIFA 22 come out?

This year's edition of FIFA is set to be released on October 1 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Further reading

Aliou Cisse must lead Senegal to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations if he hopes to retain his job as Lions of Teranga coach, according to El Hadji Diouf.

Cisse, 45, replaced Alain Giresse in 2015 – as the Senegalese Football Federation refused the Frenchman’s contract extension following the West African side’s failure to get past the first round of the 2015 Afcon staged in Equatorial Guinea.

Since his appointment, the former Paris Saint-Germain and Birmingham City star has yet to win a trophy with Senegal in all competitions.

With four months to the biennial African football showpiece billed for Cameroon, his former international teammate fears Cisse could be shown the way out should he fail to lead the country to their maiden Afcon triumph.

“Of course, we will have to change. He’s been six years old today [Monday],” the two-time African Player of the Year winner told Canal + Sport, as per Newin24.com.

“I hope this time will be the right one but if he does not win the Africa Cup of Nations, as a coach with character, he will have to start on his own.”

Cisse’s closest opportunity to winning silverware was in Egypt where he led Senegal to a second-place finish at Afcon 2019.

After edging Tunisia in the semi-finals, the Lions of Teranga bowed 1-0 to eventual champions Algeria at the Cairo International Stadium courtesy of Baghdad Bounedjah’s second-minute strike.

A year earlier, he coached Senegal at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia where he failed to get past Group H that boasted Japan, Colombia and Poland.

Making their 16th appearance in 2021 Afcon, they have been zoned in Group B alongside Zimbabwe, Guinea and Malawi.

They will commence their campaign against the Warriors on January 10 at the Kouekong Stadium, Bafoussam, before squaring up against Didier Six’s National Elephants four days later.

Their latest game in the preliminary round comes up against the Flames on January 18.

Since making their bow in the competition at the 1965 edition staged in Tunisia – where they finished in fourth position. Senegal’s best result remains a second-placed finish in 2002 (Mali) and 2019 (Egypt).

Former Kaizer Chiefs utility player Robson Muchichwa is having issues with the Soweto giants conceding six goals in two matches, placing all the blame on head coach Stuart Baxter.

Chiefs recorded their second straight Premier Soccer League defeat when they lost 4-1 to new boys Royal AM at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

That was on the backdrop of a 2-0 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns six days earlier.

Muchichwa feels Baxter is failing to fulfill his mandate of saving a “sinking ship” he inherited from his predecessor Gavin Hunt.

“The coach needs to pull up his socks because Chiefs need to win,” Muchichwa told Soccer Laduma.

“He needs to do his job. Chiefs are a winning team and they cannot go on like this. They can't concede six goals in two games. He was brought in to save a sinking ship, but it seems the ship is sinking more and more. 

“Everyone in the team has to pull up their socks and play their role. They need to wake up because Chiefs are a big team.”

Apart from the two consecutive defeats, the Soweto giants have so far won just one league game this season after beating Baroka FC 2-1, a result which came after the 0-0 game against TS Galaxy in their campaign opener.

Baxter has come under fire for apologising after the defeat by Royal AM.

After former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Baxter blasted Baxter for asking for forgiveness, Muchichwa has also joined in with similar sentiments denouncing the apology.

“We don't need apologies, we need wins,” said Muchichwa.

“It's like these guys are continuing from what they were doing last season. I don't see any changes from the coach since he came in. A coach should not apologise, he should bring results.

“If a coach apologises, he is apologising for what? He was brought to save the sinking ship, but he is apologising.”

Chiefs will now seek to improve from their difficult run with a trip to Limpopo to face Marumo Gallants on Sunday. 

Former Ghana coach and ex-Asante Kotoko defender James Kwasi Appiah believes new club boss Prosper Ogum Narteh has what it takes to restore the Kumasi-based outfit to its glory days.

Narteh was named head coach of the Porcupine Warriors on Saturday, bringing an end to his spell with Ghana Premier League side Wafa.

He replaced Portuguese coach Mariano Barreto who was relieved of his duty after failing to lead the club to any title last season and falling out with management.

"He is very intelligent, humble, hardworking and competent on the job so I strongly believe he can help the club back to its glorious days," Appiah told ATL FM.

"A lecturer who has practiced what he teaches and believes in good football is all that Kotoko needed, and I know he can make the club flourish.

"We need to give him enough time and exercise patience and he will deliver."

The most successful club in the history of the Premier League, Kotoko have won the title on 23 occasions.

Their last success, though, came seven years ago, highlighting their run of disappointments in the elite division.

“I want Kotoko to play a beautiful game that would please everyone who watches the team at training and in games. I want Kotoko to win trophies in my time here as head coach,” Ogum said in his first Kotoko interview.

“I want the team to be disciplined in an unprecedented way that the players would respect themselves, the supporters, and management, and all these people [should] also respect the players back so the players would know they’re important and give their best at training and in games.”

Last season, Kotoko finished second in the Premier League, losing the title to archrivals Hearts of Oak by four points.

Their fortune was not better in the FA Cup where they suffered quarter-final elimination, and consequently were unable to defend the title they won in 2017 when the competition was last organised.

Narteh will also hope to steer Kotoko back to Africa, where they are two-time winners of the Champions League.  

Swallows FC have confirmed coach Brandon Truter has gone on leave, but the club has assured he has not been fired and will “definitely” be coming back.

The latest development comes a day after some reports suggested the coach will be placed on “special leave”.

The Soweto side has not won in its last three Premier Soccer League games, managing a 0-0 draw against AmaZulu, losing 1-0 to Orlando Pirates, before last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by SuperSport United.

In between, they also drew 0-0 against Cape Town City in an MTN8 semi-final, first leg match, bringing their run to four winless games.

“He is on leave, but he’s not fired,” Swallows chairman David Mogashoa told Sowetan Live while declining to clarify if the leave was personal or club-induced.

“No, he’s on leave and that’s it. We are not going to release a statement because the coach is coming back. It’s not like he’s gone forever. The coach is definitely coming back.”

In the absence of Truter, assistant coach Simo Dladla will be in charge of first-team responsibilities.

While Mogashao declined to mention the nature of Truter’s leave, club chief executive officer Sipho Xulu also confirmed the coach is on leave for “personal reasons”.

“The coach is on leave,” Xulu told KickOff.

“But as you know there's this thing called employer/employee confidentiality. So the coach is on leave due to personal reasons. An agreement has been reached between him and the club for him to be on leave because of those reasons. 

“So we have to respect the agreement between the club and the employee. What I know is that he will be on leave for a short period then will return, it's not like he has been placed on indefinite leave, no. 

“It's a normal situation whereby a coach is absent due to some personal reasons, his assistant will take over on an interim basis. So assistant Simo Dladla is taking over in the interim, that's up until the head coach returns.”

Xulu expressed concern about Swallows’ current run of form in what could suggest they are not happy with Truter.

“As for the club's performance I can say it's not good my friend, but I'm not talking about the coach's performance, I'm talking about the club's performance, it's not good,” said Xulu.

“That is being addressed separately from the coach's current position and his personal issues. So let's draw a line there. Unfortunately, because of the timing of all this, it has now caused all sorts of speculation. Unfortunately, we can't control people speculating.”

The Birds host Cape Town City in their next league match on Friday.