Looking for Soccer News?

Gor Mahia forward Benson Omalla has assured Kenyans they are going to give their best on Saturday to get a positive result against CR Belouizdad.

K'Ogalo are away to North Africa to play the hosts in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Caf Champions League game hoping to get a favourable outcome. The youngster has further stated the team is motivated and will be aiming at upsetting their hosts.

"Definitely it is going to be a tough game not only for us but for them as well," Omalla told Goal on Saturday from Algeria.

"For us players, the morale is high and as players, we are going to give it all to get a positive outcome. It is important for us to ensure we get a good result to stand a better chance of making it to the next stage."

The Rising Star has had good outings for the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League giants but has not yet opened his account. However, he hopes his first goal can come away in Algeria.

"The first thing for me is to ensure the team has performed well," the former Western Stima player continued.

"What matters is for the team to get a positive outcome. I believe it will happen today and we will come home with good results. Hopefully, I am going to score my first goal for this big club Gor Mahia."

The last time Gor Mahia played against an Algerian opponent was in 2019 when they were drawn to face USM Alger in the same competition.

USM Alger came to Nairobi and beat K’Ogalo 4-1 and returned home in Algiers to win the return leg 2-0 and advance to the next round with a 6-1 aggregate scoreline.

The two teams also met in the Confederation Cup in the 2018 season with the first leg staged in Kenya ending in a 0-0 draw before USM Alger won the return leg 2-1 at home to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

In 2019, Gor Mahia was also drawn to face Algerian side Hussein Dey in the Confederation Cup, and they won the first leg staged in Nairobi 2-0 but lost away 1-0 to claim a 2-1 aggregate win.

"It has been tough for us away against the North African teams, but I am optimistic we will break the jinx," Omalla concluded.

It has been 15 years since Safee Sali last put on the Kuala Lumpur (KL) FC jersey but he will have to opportunity to do so again in the 2021 season after he inked a 1-year deal with the promoted outfit for the coming season.

The well-traveled striker will bring bags of experience to the KL side team already teeming with bundles of experience in the shape of Indra Putra Mahayudin and Shukor Adan, coming full circle in what has been an incredible footballing journey for him thus far.

He was unveiled together with Hadin Azman on Thursday and the former Malaysian international is adamant that he's still capable of contributing at the highest level despite him turning 37 in the coming year.

"I’m honoured to be able to return to the team that gave me my first professional career 15 years back. To be back here in this stadium brings back a lot of memories. I hope that in the coming season, we can revive the aura of Kuala Lumpur," said Safee during the unveiling. 

"I’ve already had the experience of playing with Indra and Shukor, both of whom have done everything in football. I feel that we have the right combination of seniors and juniors to give others a big challenge

"I accepted it even though it was only one year, that is not an issue. For any team to take on a player of my age, they will have their worries. So it’s up to me to prove that even though I’m only here for a year, I want to prove my worth and help the team as much as possible."

Yet with age catching up with him and the lack of playing time at prevous club Petaling Jaya City FC being another indicator, Safee revealed that he's not even close to contemplating on retirement at this point in time.

Pointing to the longevity of new club mate, Shukor and current AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Safee is counting on a continued fit bill of health to allow him to emulate those two players to continue to play on when many others would have called it a day.

"As long as I haven’t said that I will retire, I want to continue to give my all to the team that I’m playing with. And when it’s with a team that I have played before, it makes me very excited that I feel like I’m only 17 despite me being 37 in the coming season.

"We have examples in our own league. Shukor will turn 42 next year and he’s still playing in the top division, so why not others. And overseas in a striker’s position, we see Zlatan Ibrahmovic being there and still scoring goals. So I want to give a signal to the young players these days that we can be here for a long time."

The last time Safee tasted success domestically was when he was still a Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) player and while KL are not seen as a potential challenger to the reigning Super League champions, Safee firmly believes that the top management's target has been set a tad too low.

KL finished last in the 2019 season to drop down to the Premier League but gained promotion immediately despite finishing third in 2020 because of Terengganu FC II's inability to be promoted. Which would not make the management's target of staying in the top flight too low a bar for the team to achieve.

However having see the mixture that the squad possess, Safee is confident that if the team can play to their potential, there's a big opportunity for the club to even finish in amongst the top half of the division.

"I feel that KL now has the capability to provide a challenge to the big teams. We have Hadin, Zamir (Selamat), Paulo (Josue) who all play important roles. For KL to be in the top five is not impossible because we have the experience. Of course the management have their targets but I don’t think that is enough because we see the quality of the players in the team have the capability to bring KL to higher than that," he added.

Steven Gerrard admits Liverpool’s Premier League title miss in 2014 still fuels him as he leads Rangers on their Scottish Premiership title charge.

The Reds had a first Premier League trophy within their grasp as Gerrard’s time as captain came towards an end in 2014, only to end up losing out by two points to Manchester City.

Gerrard’s famous slip in a devastating 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea became a source of mockery for rival fans across the country but his former side have silenced their detractors in recent years and are now looking to win back-to-back titles.

Liverpool have scratched their title itch but Gerrard’s remains. Rangers are 16 points clear at the top of the table as they look to prevent Celtic winning 10 in a row, though Neil Lennon’s faltering side do have three games in hand.

“Yes, it’s definitely a motivation,” Gerrard told The Athletic of Liverpool’s near miss. “Having that happen and how it happened towards the end of my Liverpool career was a real, brutal low for me.

“As a group and a team and a club, it was a big disappointment because we came so close. The fact they’ve won the title since then and are current champions - which is fantastic for me to see - has certainly helped the healing, but from a personal point of view, having a big high as a coach and manager would certainly contribute to that healing as well.”

Rangers have been through plenty themselves in recent years. When Liverpool went close in 2013-14, the Ibrox side were winning promotion back from the third tier of Scottish football.

Now, after years in the wilderness, a first Scottish title in 10 years is theirs to lose.

“The next trophy will be a big deal,” Gerrard added. “There have been a lot of stepping stones and progression. The statistics make for good reading if you go year-by-year, but the reality is that we’ve got to deliver silverware.

“This club is built on success. It’s a very traditional, historic club and there’s a big spotlight and responsibility to deliver trophies. Progress is not enough. Statistics are not enough. You’ve got to deliver, it’s as simple as that.

“The main aim in my first year was to try to get a bit of pride and respect back. They were suffering some heavy defeats. Players were hurt, fans were hurt.

“We got the fans smiling again, feeling a bit of belief. We showed improvements in the first year. In the second year, we showed we can compete and in the third year the challenge is, ‘Can we go the full distance rather than six months and fall away? Can we be there and challenge come the end of the season?’”

Leon Balogun has been passed fit to start Rangers’ clash with Hibernian in Saturday’s Scottish Premiership fixture.

The Nigeria international last featured for Steven Gerrard’s men in the Gers’ 3-2 defeat to St Mirren in a League Cup encounter at the SMISA Stadium.

There, he was substituted for Romanian’s Ianis Hagi with six minutes left to play after a clash of heads with striker John Obika before Jim Goodwin’s men snatched a late winner through Conor McCarthy’s last-gasp winner as Rangers’ 26-game unbeaten run came to an end.

Subsequently, he missed two games against Motherwell and St. Johnstone.

And having taken part in team’s Christmas Jumper training where he greatly impressed, he has been included in the roster alongside compatriot Joe Aribo for the visitors who are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions in the 2020-21 campaign.

The 32-year-old has been a key player for the Ibrox Stadium lords since his arrival from Wigan Athletic on 24 July 2020 on a one-year contract, with an option in the club's favour to extend for a further year.

He has helped them maintain an unbeaten run of 17 games in the Scottish top-flight this season with 10 matches under his belt – with just two of them as a substitute.

Jack Ross’ Hibs will be without goalkeeper Ofir Marciano (injury) and Christian Doidge (suspension) but that seems not to be a concern to manager Gerrard.

“I worry about the opposition when the team sheet comes through,” he told the club website.

“I focus on me and my players and I’ll worry myself about Hibs’ team before the game.

“We don’t look back as you can’t change anything. All that game tells us is we are going to be in for another tough test.

“They have good players, they are in a good place and good form, so it is set up to be a fantastic game.

“We felt hard done by in-terms of not winning that game with the chances we had and what we created on the day.”

Victory for Rangers will see them maintain their lead at the summit of Scotland’s elite division log.

Bruno Fernandes says he wants to win every trophy on offer with Manchester United and says he's not happy that he hasn't lifted a title in his first year.

United go into Saturday’s crucial game against Leicester City five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

They are already out of the Champions League but have a Carabao Cup semi-final to look forward to, as well as the FA Cup and Europa League.

Fernandes has had a hugely impressive first year at Old Trafford and, speaking to BT Sport , he reflected on a rollercoaster 2020.

“I’ve enjoyed it a lot,” Fernandes said. “I enjoy [being at] one of the biggest clubs in the world. It was a dream come true to come to the Premier League, to come to a club I have always dreamed of playing for.

“Of course, it was better for me when I could play and enjoy my games with the fans. When I arrived, at the time it was the FA Cup and the Europa League, and we had the chance to get into the top four in the league.

“Unfortunately, we went out in two semi-finals but we achieved third place in the league. The only thing I’ve missed in this year is the trophies. I don’t have trophies for the club and I’m not happy about that. I hope 2021 can be better in that way.”

Fernandes says he was desperate to repay the faith which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer showed in him from the first day he arrived in Manchester.

“Straight away when I arrived, the confidence that the coach showed in me was impressive for me. Straight away, after two days I was playing against Wolves after I had trained for one day with the team.

“You need to understand in that moment, he is trusting you so you have to do something. It’s like Michael Jordan in his series ‘The Last Dance’, you know? It was the first and last chance to show that I wanted to be part of this team.

“Everyone has their own way to lead the team. I think everyone has leadership inside them, but in different ways. Maybe my way of showing leadership is a little more expressive and people see more from me than other players but I think at the end of the day, you have to have 25 leaders in the team if you want to win something.

“I think everything can be realistic if we believe. You make your own reality. I think the most important thing is that you have a target and you have to hit it. My target is winning trophies. It doesn’t matter which kind of trophy it is, I want to win all of them.”

Mikel Arteta says beating Chelsea on Boxing Day would be "the best medicine" for "suffering" Arsenal in a "crucial" festive period.

Arteta has come under increasing pressure with the Gunners languishing in 15th in the Premier League table.

They also crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a 4-1 quarter-final defeat at home to Manchester City on Tuesday.

Arsenal are without a win in seven top-flight matches, picking up just two points since beating Manchester United at Old Trafford on November 1.

Arteta says a London derby victory over Frank Lampard's side would be the perfect remedy ahead of trips to fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion and West Brom.

The Arsenal manager said: "At the moment, to keep the team together, to keep the team alive and to be a team, not a group of players, it takes a lot of energy because when you are losing football matches you have to lift them up, to get them together.

"You have to get them all being positive to each other, to not blame each other or any external factor when things are not going well.

"The best thing to do when you have a situation like that is to have the possibility to do things outside of the site, get them together in a change of environment, but at the moment, with Covid [restrictions], we cannot do it and probably we are not going to be able to do it in a while.

"We have to try other ways, but I have to say the players are really putting in a lot of energy enthusiasm not to lose what we are building, but it takes a lot of energy because we are losing games.

"Every game is a lot of weight on your shoulders, it's a lot of disappointment and people are suffering. We are hurting and suffering and we have to get back, start believing again and try to push the players, then they respond and are excited for the game.

"The best medicine, better than anything than can happen outside of our facilities, is to win against Chelsea."

Arsenal are only four points above the relegation zone and Arteta knows they have to turn the tide in a key period.

"I think the next seven to eight days are going to be crucial to see where we are going to be heading in the Premier League." the Spaniard said.

Odisha FC find themselves in the 10th spot with just two points from seven games. Hyderabad are a little well off with nine from six matches but are certainly struggling to get the wins. Both these teams, apart from their on-field hardships, have one thing in common- they have chosen to register just six foreigners instead of the full quota of seven. 

If a couple of players get injured then the coach does not have an option but to field a team without making the most of the permitted quota of five overseas players. Hyderabad have been the most unfortunate victim in this campaign as they have been ravaged by injuries to key players since the beginning. 

Fran Sandaza is yet to take the pitch, as he has been nursing an injury, whereas, Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre have had managed to play only one and two games respectively. Manager Manuel Marquez has had the luxury to field all five foreigners in the starting line-up only once in this season, that was against Bengaluru FC. However, even in that game, Hyderabad could not field five foreigners throughout the 90 minutes.

In most games, the Spaniard has been fielding only three overseas faces and against ATK Mohun Bagan the number came down to two, which highlights the misery of the manager. With a bit of luck, Indian players stepping up and Aridane Santana's prowess upfront, the Nizams are not languishing like Odisha at the bottom. But they are starting to realise the cost of going into the fixtures with just six foreigners. 

Meanwhile, the Juggernauts have struggled in almost every department on the pitch. Arguably their best player in the squad, Marcelinho, is struggling to get minutes for reasons best known to the coach. But what is clear is that the team has not been built around his strengths. 

The team is clamouring for some fresh impetus but their options are limited on the bench as the think-tank thought they could manage with six foreign players. Diego Mauricio, after a good start, lost his way a little bit before scoring against NorthEast United. Manuel Onwu is not getting the services from the wide areas, Cole Alexander looks short of gas in midfield to dictate proceedings whereas Steven Taylor and Jacob Tratt's defensive pairing is as brittle as a porcelain vase.

In this kind of situation, where most of the players are going through a rough patch it is always better to have that one extra option on the bench who might just turn out to be the difference-maker. And Baxter who is desperate for a messiah is in dire need of that seventh foreigner. 

FC Goa is another side who has opted to sign six overseas players. Although the Gaurs are not struggling to the extent of Hyderbad and Odisha. But they are definitely far from their fluent best. It is not easy to replace the likes of Ahmed Jahouh and Hugo Boumous and Goa need that anchor in the centre of the park who can control the game from a deep-lying position. 

They have Alberto Noguera in their ranks but in this season it is essential to have a cover for such key players. 

Like, Juan Ferrando chose to rotate against Jamshedpur FC and left out the Spanish midfielder which created a void. In Noguera's absence, Edu Bedia was forced to operate from a deeper position and hence they was no one up front who could unlock Jamshedpur's defence. Therefore, it is no surprise that Goa had to rely on set-pieces to get the three points from the match. 

Due to the Coronavirus, the teams have not got the opportunity to carry out a proper preseason, which is leading to more frequent injuries. Rotating the squad has become the order of the day. In these circumstances, having a strong squad has become the key to success. But by signing just six foreign players, the teams have given enough options to the manager.

The seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is underway for over a month and the league table has gradually started to take shape. It is evident that some teams are still trying to find their feet in the competition, whereas a few have already got into a rhythm and are picking up the three points more regularly. 

Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan are at the top of the pack with 16 points apiece while Bengaluru FC are close on their heels with 12 points. Upon taking a closer look at their team composition, the three outfits have one distinct feature in common - they have not only held on to their key players from the previous season.

ATK Mohun Bagan have chosen to stick with their winning formula and have not tinkered much with their squad. The think tank remains the same with Antonio Habas at the helm of affairs and the management has obliged the coach by retaining the linchpins who had played a significant role in ATK landing their third ISL (Indian Super League) title in six years. 

To put matters into perspective, the team have retained 21 players from the previous campaign, the most by an ISL side. Against Kerala Blasters in their opening match, nine out of the 11 starters had played together in the last campaign.  Also, they have not chopped and changed in the overseas contingent as only Tiri and Brad Inman have been added to their roster, with the Spanish centre-back a direct replacement for retired defender Agustin Garcia. And Habas is certainly reaping the benefits.

In the attacking third, Roy Krishna has carried on his rich vein of form in this edition and has already five goals to his name in seven matches. In midfield, Carl McHugh has been outstanding with his game reading skills and ball distribution. He is being ably supported by familiar faces like Pronay Halder, Jayesh Rane and Prabir Das. If Soosairaj had not got injured he would have been another name in the starting XI who knows Habas' tactics inside.  

The Mariners are yet to concede from open play and although much of the credit should go to Antonio Habas for his defensive organisation, one should also consider the fact that they have bolstered their backline by hiring the services of India international Sandesh Jhingan and a dependable centre back like Tiri. 

Similarly, Bengaluru FC have also held on to their match-winners in key positions and have brought in Cleiton Silva and Kristian Opseth to solve their goalscoring woes. The philosophy has been simple, retain the experienced performers who know the coach's blueprint.

In their 4-2 win against Kerala Blasters, the Blues had eight players on the pitch who had been together for a considerable period of time. The number could have nine if Rahul Bheke was match fit. The two new faces were Silva and Opseth who are slowly getting into the groove after taking a few games to settle down. 

Set-pieces have been their forte and it boils down to their amazing understanding with each other during the dead-ball situations. Each one of them knows their job perfectly and the execution shows the chemistry that they share with each other. 

Meanwhile, although Sergio Lobera finds himself in a new ship, he has been fortunate enough to get the sailors from the previous one.  Mourtada Fall, Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous, Mandar Rao Desai have all followed their manager from Goa to Mumbai and they are doing well after taking a couple of initial games to get their bearings in place. 

Jahouh continues to be the anchor in midfield whereas, Bomous in a more advanced role is producing the goods that Lobera expects from him. Having a quality striker in Adam Le Fondre has further eased his task, as the French midfielder loads the bullet for the forward to pull the trigger. 

Another new recruit in Cy Goddard has also adapted pretty well to Lobera's methods and is proving himself to be an undisputed starter. Hence the synergy between midfield and attack is almost perfect which is one of the primary reasons behind Mumbai's effectiveness.

The pandemic has made matters complicated for teams as they have had to settle with a short pre-season and a limited number of friendlies. In fact, Bagan did not play any preparatory match going into the fixtures. Therefore, teams who have gone for wholesale changes are taking more time to find the right combination. East Bengal started their preparations in the last week of October and it might be one of the reasons behind their poor run of form. 

But these three sides have played it smart and safe during the squad building exercise. With only 20 matches to play, the teams who get a good start certainly have an advantage over the others. The top three have done the initial bit to perfection, and now it remains to be seen whether they can keep the momentum till the business end.

In a bid to get their maiden win in Indian Super League (ISL) East Bengal take on Chennaiyin FC at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, on Saturday evening.

TV CHANNELS & LIVE STREAM

The Star Sports Network have the exclusive broadcasting rights of the ISL in India.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

 TEAM NEWS

East Bengal Possible XI:   

Injured - Aaron Hamadi, Loken Meitei
Doubtful - None
Suspended - None

Key Players - Danny Fox, Anthony Pilkington

Chennaiyin FC Possible XI: 

Injured - None
Doubtful - None
Suspended - Reagan Singh

Key Players -  Rafael Crivellaro, Anirudh Thapa

Andrea Pirlo should have kept quiet rather than wade in on Napoli's successful appeal against their 3-0 forfeit defeat to Juventus and one-point penalty, according to Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli did not turn up for their game in Turin in October and were also docked a point by Serie A after arguing they were banned from travelling by local health authorities as Piotr Zielinski, Eljif Elmas and a member of staff had tested positive for Covid-19.

Juventus also reported two positive cases among staff a day before the game but made clear they intended to play the match at the Allianz Stadium.

Pirlo named a starting XI but the game did not go ahead due to Napoli's absence and was officially abandoned, but the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) ruled the Partenopei had ignored the coronavirus protocols in place, which state a team must fulfil an fixture if they have 13 available players, including a goalkeeper.

Napoli refused to drop the matter and took the case to the Italian National Olympic Committee's (CONI) Collegio di Garanzia dello Sport – the highest sports authority in the country – and it ruled in the club's favour on Tuesday, with the rescheduled game set to take place in 2021.

Pirlo appeared to take a swipe at the ruling this week, saying: "I'm sorry for the other teams who have travelled and lost points without saying anything, leaving and playing without those who had Covid-19. I'm more sorry for them than for us."

Napoli president De Laurentiis was not impressed with Pirlo's remarks and said he should stick to coaching instead of commenting on matters of law.

"Pirlo is not a lawyer by trade, he does not know certain procedures and does not know what has happened in terms of protocols," De Laurentiis told Radio Capital.

"Pirlo should be a coach and that's it, leave certain answers to his club representatives."

It hasn't been the best of starts for East Bengal in their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) season. The Kolkata club are yet to register a win in their first six matches and are placed at the bottom of the league table with just two points.

The Red and Golds have already conceded 11 goals and have managed to score just three. It took them a whopping 350 minutes to score their first goal in the ISL.

The above statistic gives us a fair idea that the Red and Golds do not have the firepower to score goals at will. The likes of Balwant Singh, CK Vineeth and Jeje Lalpekhlua have not really impressed as the main striker. In fact, after running of options, coach Robbie Fowler fielded former Irish international Anthony Pilkington as the team's number 9, who has played predominantly as winger all his career, in their last match against Kerala Blasters.

The East Bengal coach has experimented with different permutations and combinations in the six matches the team played so far. They've played with a back three and also back four at times. While they played 476 passes against ATK Mohun Bagan and kept 59 per cent ball possession, against Mumbai City, Fowler's men played 365 passes and had 46 per cent possession.

Fowler has also been forced to take a pragmatic approach against Jamshedpur FC. After going pointless in their first four matches, East Bengal were, for most parts, desperate for at least a draw against Jamshedpur. The early sending off of Eugeneson Lyngdoh actually played a key role in that decision. East Bengal did well to hold off Jamshedpur and gain a point. 

In their last game against Kerala Blasters, Fowler was once again seen focusing on defensive solidity and rely on counters while going forward. From one such counter, the Red and Golds had managed to take the lead. The first half goal had made Fowler even more defensive and they almost held on, only for Jeakson Singh's last-gasp goal to spoil their party.

Robbie Fowler doesn’t have the personnel to keep the ball and play a possession-based game. In the last game against Kerala Blasters, they started the tie by pressing high and winning the ball high up the field to launch quick counterattacks. 

In the three games where they saw more of the ball – ATK Mohun Bagan, NorthEast United and Hyderabad FC – it was more a case of the opponent allowing them to have more possession. Antonio Habas lined-up his team to hit on counterattacks, NorthEast United are known to sit back and play direct while Hyderabad only had three foreigners against them which made keeping the ball difficult.

Even when they do have more possession, they aren’t able to penetrate, nor do they have a proper number nine, and in good form, to hold the ball and bring the midfielders into play. They need to focus on defensive solidity and ensure that they do not give away cheap goals, as has been witnessed in their games against Kerala and Hyderabad.

Pep Guardiola has hailed Phil Foden as one of the most "incredible" players he has seen at his age and said he can go to another level after learning to "slow down."

Midfielder Foden has scored five goals and provided four assists in 17 appearances for City this season.

The 20-year-old England international scored City's third goal with a sublime finish and put one on a plate for Aymeric Laporte in a 4-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Arsenal on Tuesday.

Foden found the back of the net eight times and set up nine goals last season, so he is well on course to improve on those tallies ahead of the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle United.

City boss Guardiola rates Foden as one of the most gifted players he has set eyes on around his age group and commended his desire to improve, but said he will only reach his peak with more experience under his belt.

The Spaniard said: "They [younger players] have incredible energy, but in the final decision, final pass, they have to slow down. The energy for a guy of that age, he wants to win the world, beat the world and be important.

"It's normal, but you need experience to be more calm. He plays football in the same rhythm, football must be need played in different rhythms: sometimes you have to walk, sometimes you have no rhythm, sometimes you have to change the rhythm.

"He has to understand this, but it is experience, it's not saying you have to do it [now], it's time. He has incredible skills and many other things and we will be incredibly patient, it's not easy for a young player to rise as he has in a club like this, playing important games and with the national team.

"There will be a moment when he slows down, it's a normal process for all young players. You just have to stick with them and be patient.

"Every time with patience and a desire to be a better player you will get it, there's no doubt. I know we can trust and rely on him all the time."

Guardiola is confident Foden has the ability to score many more goals for City.

Asked how many he is capable of scoring, he said: "A lot. The signs are good. In front of the keeper he has this composure. He has something that the other ones don't have.

"He just has to keep this incredible strength he has and to improve. A player of 28, 29, 30 years old also has margin to improve, so imagine a guy of 20 years old like Phil. The important thing is his desire and commitment and he is a joy to watch in the training sessions and in the games he will improve."

Guardiola added: "He is one of the more incredible players I have seen at that age, he is so good. I was in Barcelona, I was in Bayern Munich and yes there were more experienced players, but I saw in the academy and there were incredible players at that age.

"They had long careers and they had the mentality that Phil has and that's the most important thing."

City will be without Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker when they host Newcastle after they tested positive for coronavirus.

Ajara Nchout says she could complete her move to a new club in the coming days if discussions sail through following her exit from Norwegian outfit Valerenga. 

The Cameroon international saw out her two-year contract with the Norwegian outfit in November on a high after she inspired them to a historic domestic double, including a first-ever Toppserien title.

The 27-year-old had arrived from Norwegian rivals Sanvikens at the Oslo-based outfit in December 2018 and helped the club to two runners-up titles in 2019 before a maiden double this year.

Besides winning her first career title, she finished as the top scorer of the 2020 Toppserien season, with 10 goals and bagged 14 times overall in all competitions, including the Champions League. 

Having since returned to Cameroon for holiday, the striker went on to confirm interests from some top European clubs, notably in Spain and France.

“The fans want to see me outside of Norway," Nchout was quoted by Cameroon tabloid, Kamer Power.

"I would like to point out that Norway is among the top five women's football championships. At the moment, I am in discussion with several clubs in Spain and France.

"In a week, we should be done. And if the negotiations are successful, we'll unveil my next destination. Rest assured it will be a great club," she concluded.

Before her move to Norway in 2018, Nchout started her career abroad in 2011 at Energiya Voronezh in Russia and later Rossiyanka before USA's Western New York Flash then Sundsvall in Sweden.

With rumours of interest from Atletico Madrid, a move to Spain could see the 2019 African Women's Player of the Year runners-up become the latest star from the continent in the Spanish top-flight.

Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu could make his Premier League debut against Fulham on Saturday, club boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted.

The Ghanaian is still chasing his first appearance for The Saints since completing a move from Spanish La Liga outfit Real Valladolid in August.

An injury to first-choice Southampton left-centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has opened up a possible opportunity for the 21-year-old who faces competition from Jack Stephens for the slot.

With Vestergaard, The Saints have performed above expectations so far this season as they currently occupy the seventh position on the league table, above the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.

"I think we have seen the team at the top of the league [Liverpool] play for two months without [influential captain and first-choice centre-back] Virgil van Dijk and everybody said this was not possible, that you could not play without him. They are not really less successful than before, so everything is possible," Hasenhuttl said, as reported by Hampshire Live.

"Maybe the game will change slightly because Jannik with the ball has fantastic passes and solutions but we must adapt our game always to ever circumstance what is there - but we must trust in the other ones.

"Salisu is a completely different player. He is left-footed so a left-footed one makes it on the left a little different with the angle of how you play the ball.

"But we have Jack Stephens who is a very similar ball-player to Jannik. I have not decided yet what I will do," he admitted.

"We must have a look. We will not be able to make a one to one change as this is not possible."

Owing to an injury, Salisu teamed up with Southampton in training on the week of the kick-off of the Premier League season in September despite sealing his transfer a month earlier.

He made the matchday squad for the first time in a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month, and has gone on to make the bench in the following three games, including a 1-0 loss to Manchester City last Saturday.

The youngster is expected to be handed a Ghana call-up for a possible international debut in March next year. 

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he spoke to Mohamed Salah over the Egyptian’s frustration at missing out on the Liverpool captaincy for a game earlier this month.

But the Reds boss says Divock Origi is the player who really should have been upset with his decision.

Salah caused something of a stir when stating, in an interview with Spanish publication AS last week, that he had been “very disappointed” not to be handed the armband for Liverpool’s Champions League game away to FC Midtjylland on December 9.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, six years his junior, led the team out in Denmark, becoming the third-youngest captain in the club’s history, while Salah was on target in the Reds’ 1-1 draw.

Salah's former international team-mate Mohamed Aboutrika followed that by saying that Salah was unhappy at Anfield and that he could be sold. 

Speaking to reporters ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with West Brom, Klopp was happy to clarify that there was no issue between himself and Salah.

“I was captain for a long time during my career, and I often thought what a heck of a job it was," Klopp said. "There were not a lot of benefits, just a lot of work with all the things around it.

“So I don’t feel the importance of being captain. Yes, we need one like Hendo [Jordan Henderson], that’s clear, but being captain for a game, I didn’t realise how important that can be for players. In this world, we make a big fuss about everything, and I didn’t realise it was that much a story for Trent or whatever.

“The rule here is, we have a players’ committee. Hendo wears the armband, and if he’s not playing then it’s Milly [James Milner]. If those two are not playing then it’s Virgil [van Dijk] and if all three are not playing, it’s Gini [Wijnaldum].

“If they all cannot play, then it’s usually the player who is longest at the club. And that was how I saw it in my understanding. Trent got it because he was longest at the club – professionally, not just his youth career.”

He added: “Somebody afterwards told me it would have been Divock Origi, but Div was on loan and stuff like that. That was my fault. I didn’t make it that complicated. It was just, ‘Trent is longest at the club, so he has the armband’.

“Of course I spoke to Mo about it afterwards. When I realised it didn’t work out that well [for him], I clarified it, and then he spoke about it again in the interview, which is not a problem for me.

“Yes, he was disappointed, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I just did what I did, and if I made a mistake then it was that Divock Origi was not the captain that day!”

Klopp appeared bemused that Salah’s comments to AS had caused such a response in England and was happy to address other issues raised in the interview – such as the fact the 28-year-old refused to rule out a possible move to Real Madrid or Barcelona in the future.

“When Mo answered the question, it was just that these clubs might be interested, and he wouldn’t rule it out,” he said.

“Imagine, if you ask any player in the world who isn’t playing for Barcelona or Madrid, and you ask them, ‘Can you imagine playing for them one day?’ and they say, ‘No, not for them, Spain is s***!’ or whatever.

“Why would he say that? All [Salah] said is, ‘We will see’ and that it’s in the club’s hands. That’s true, 100 per cent. It’s about the future.

“It’s really all fine. You obviously have not a lot to talk about, and that’s why we make a long story about one interview. That’s fine, but it doesn’t make it more important to me. Mo is a very important player for me, obviously, but the story around isn’t!”

Klopp did, however, point out that he could not understand why any player, let alone Salah, would want to leave Liverpool at this moment in time.

“We could all look for something else if we wanted to, but for me the only reason to leave Liverpool in the moment is the weather!” he smiled.

“What other reason could there be? This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. We pay the money, maybe not the most in the world but we pay good, we have a sensational stadium with outstanding supporters all over the world. Our colours are red which is the nicest colour anyway, so where are the reasons?

“You cannot force people to stay. We never did, by the way. It’s all about timing, the right moment. We make changes and bring players in, and if a player wanted to go then we wouldn’t stand in the way. It’s just I don’t understand why they would want to.”

Asked if Salah’s single-mindedness – he also spoke of wanting to break “all club records” at Liverpool – made him difficult to manage, Klopp said: “It’s challenging, I would say, in a good way. That’s my job.

“The thing with footballers is they need to be extremely confident to play their best football. And being extremely confident, yes that makes you a special person, and not always the easiest to deal with every day.

“That’s the job. So far [with Salah] there was no problem, and I can’t see any problem in the future.

“Mo’s motivation level is really, really, really high, he keeps himself in a sensational shape, he works incredibly hard around his sessions – first in, last out, that kind of stuff. There’s nothing you can blame him for, to be honest.

“He knows exactly what he needs if he is to have a chance to break records. It’s all fine. These kind of interviews, which I heard now about, you make a lot of it, to be honest! It’s fine, but on a daily basis we don’t feel it.”

Liverpool could welcome back Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri to their squad for Sunday’s game with strugglers West Brom. The pair have resumed full training at Kirkby after muscle injuries.

Thiago Alcantara was also pictured training with his team-mates this week, but the Spaniard will not be risked this weekend as the Reds take all necessary precautions after his knee problem, which has kept him out for more than two months.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has hit out at his side's schedule, saying that having games against Arsenal and Aston Villa within a span of 48 hours hands an advantage to his side's title rivals. 

The Blues will be unable to play their strongest XI for both matches – against Arsenal on Boxing Day and Villa on Monday – which take place in a season that already features a condensed schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Man Utd have three days in between their two fixtures and both Liverpool and Tottenham have four days. 

Lampard lays the blame with both the Premier League and the broadcasters for not finding a solution that offers a fairer playing field to teams at the top of the table.

"It's two games in two days, 48 hours," Lampard said. "I'm not trying to be clever, it's an important point for us because there are other teams that are challenging at the top of the league that play two games in three days.

"Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool play two games in three or four days. It's counterproductive for the quality of the Premier League, it's a risk for players if they are going to play both games at top-end elite sport, everybody knows that.

"And I know clearly what happened with this one as well; the game's being broadcast live as they all are now. And we play Arsenal on Boxing Day, and our game with Man City now has been pushed to the Sunday (January 3).

"So the schedule meant that we couldn't play, and Aston Villa also wanted to play on the Tuesday, they wanted an extra day, and so did we. But we got overruled by both the Premier League and the broadcasters.

"I know in conjunction with each other, and this was bounced around, it got decided that we play twice in 48 hours when other teams that are challenging at the top of the league play twice in three days.

"I don't see how it's a fair playing field, I think it's wrong and it's not going to be the best for the players that play at the top level. Don't get me wrong, Aston Villa have the same problem. Us playing them, we'll both have the same problems.

"But I'm just saying we are not getting the same rest period that other teams are getting. It's not good even for the players to go out and train let alone play to a high level of 90 minutes. Everybody in the Premier League knows that."

Lampard has admitted that because of the schedule, he will have to field a heavily rotated side on Monday against Villa following the match against the Gunners.

"The broadcasters are looking for the best product, so yeah, I will have to rotate players," Lampard added. "I'll have to see off the back of Arsenal where players are; every individual is different.

"Christmas is normally the hectic time but the hectic time has been throughout this season and I understand it. So every little win you can get by using common sense to put a game that could be broadcast on a day to push it one day and broadcast it on another day, take those small wins to try to help player welfare.

"That's how I see it. This situation, 26th and 28th for us, when others are not, it's compromising the players if they are going to play those two games, and some may have to. I think it also compromises the competition because others don't have to do the same, and it's clear that it's not ample recovery time for top-level footballers.

"I have sympathy for the scheduling; I have sympathy for the difficult times if we can try to work together to find the best solution and sometimes there isn't one. Everyone loves football and wants the season to finish and the Champions League to continue and international football to continue.

"But when you have two teams that are asking for a game to be played one day later to try to get their best players on the pitch as fit as they can, why would you not do that? That surprises me."

Chelsea's pre-Christmas win over West Ham saw them rise to fifth in the table ahead of a busy schedule at the end of December.

Brighton & Hove Albion's injured fullback Tariq Lamptey will be absent when the club faces West Ham United in the Premier League, club boss Graham Potter has revealed.

It will be the fourth time The Seagulls will have to do without the marauding right-back in a league games this season.

Brighton are set to come up against The Hammers in a matchweek 15 fixture at London Stadium.

“It [the injury] is not serious, it's just a slight problem with his hamstring," Potter said ahead of Sunday's game.

"The nature of how he plays, you have to be careful because you don't want him to be out for a number of weeks. So I am expecting him to be back pretty soon. He's recovering well.

“We haven't got a like-for-like replacement for Tariq, so you have to adjust as a team for another person coming into the team.

"The player that comes in for him will has different attributes and qualities. It's then up to us as a team to understand that and play to those."

So far this season, Lamptey has featured in 11 of 14 Premier League games played so far.

He joined The Seagulls in January after refusing a contract extension at Chelsea in his bid for regular playing time.

“The boss has been a big part of me settling so well too. He'll give you a call or stop and have a chat around the building to see how you are, he's really big on the empathy side of things," Lamptey recently said earlier this week, as reported by his club's official website.

“You're a person as a well as a player and he understands that well. He always knows what to say and it's fantastic when you have someone like that who you can talk to.

“You feel like they give you honest feedback and I'm lucky to have coaches around me like that at the club.”

Born to Ghanaian parents in the UK, Lamptey has been approached by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for a switch of international allegiance to represent the Black Stars.

He currently plays for England at U21 level.