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Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has insisted Alex Iwobi is not a defender and Everton should recruit full-backs during the January transfer window.

The winger featured as a wing-back in the Toffees’ outings against Fulham and Leeds United following the injuries suffered by Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne.

The Nigeria international impressed against the Cottagers to help Carlo Ancelotti’s men secure all three points in the encounter.

The 24-year-old, however, struggled in the position against Leeds and his not-too-impressive showing contributed to his side’s defeat.

Agbonlahor explained that playing out of position is never easy for any payer and advised Everton to bolster their squad in the next transfer window.

"If you’re looking at Iwobi and Davies they’re not defenders so when you ask them to play in that position it’s tough for anyone," Agbonlahor told Football Insider.

"If I had to play in those positions I would be frightened. Those positions are where you do the most running in the team, it’s not their fault they were frightened and asked to play there.

"Ancelotti has got a lot of injuries in the wing-back and full-back roles, he just put his fittest players available in there.

"Maybe it’s something Everton need to look at it in the future, to add more strength in depth in full-back positions."

Iwobi has featured in 11 games across all competitions for the Goodison Park outfit this season, scoring one goal and proving two assists.

The midfielder has endured mixed fortune since joining the Toffees in the summer of 2019 after leaving his boyhood club Arsenal.

The Goodison Park outfit is currently eighth on the Premier League table after gathering 16 points from 10 games.

Iwobi will be expected to feature when Everton take on Burnley on Saturday and help the club return to winning ways.

Odisha FC are up against Mumbai City FC next as they continue the search for their first win of the Indian Super League (ISL) season. 

The Juggernauts haven't had the best of starts to the season under Stuart Baxter, falling to two defeats and managing a draw in three games so far. The previous game, against ATK Mohun Bagan, was a bit of a kick in the teeth for them, having been so close to managing a draw, only for Roy Krishna to score a 95th-minute winner. 

Baxter is hoping for a response from his team against a strong Mumbai City FC who seem to be hitting their stride after a 3-0 win over East Bengal last time out. 

"It is a difficult one to take. You just want to get back on the horse and look forward to the next one. We didn't deserve the result but we have to make sure we get what we deserve in the next game," the British tactician said. 

But there were a few positives from that game for Baxter. Not only did Odisha defend well for large parts of the game, they also looked good on the ball. However, poor decisions in the final third and a lack of cohesion meant their attacks were not fruitful.  

The former 67-year-old is looking for improvement from his charges. 

"The final third is about finishing and combination plays and we have been working on those. Our possession has not been of the best quality. We don't get enough bodies inside the box for crosses or make runs around the box to move defenders for combination play.

"The possession has got better and we will get the number of players forward that we need. We will start translating them into goals."

Baxter wants his team to take advantage of the situations when they are in dominance. He cited the example of the game against ATK Mohun Bagan where they didn’t seize the initiative and ultimately, paid the price right at the death with a goal from a set-piece.
 
“If you looked at the ATK Mohun Bagan game what we needed was just a little bit of luck. We played well enough. We did enough to get a good result. If we didn't win at least, we should have got a 0-0. We did not get it and there are reasons for that. But we have got to translate those periods when we are better into strikes on goal,” said Baxter.

Police FC head coach Abdalla Mubiru has claimed kindergarten mistakes are to blame for the Ugandan Premier League's 0-0 draw against Wakiso Giants on Friday.

The draw was registered as the two sides battled in the season-opening tie and Mubiru, who is also the assistant coach at the national team side, said the performance was good.

The Cops were unable to turn a number of key chances into goals as they wasted another opportunity to register a first-ever win against the Purple Sharks in the Premier League.

One of the most open chances came in the ninth minute when Frank Tumwesigye and Mubarak Nsubuga made their way into Wakiso Giants’ area but the former failed to beat goalkeeper Derrick Emukule who was the last hurdle.

Tom Ikara also saved the day for Police as he kept them in the game with some superb moves notably when he stopped Abdulkarim Ndugwa’s header at close range. The debutant also made another great save when he stopped Yassin Mugume and Ndugwa’s quick efforts in the last minutes of the encounter.

“I thought we had a good performance but registered a very poor result,” Mubiru said after the match as per Football256.

“I don’t think we deserved to draw this game, we wasted our chances in the first half and then nearly lost everything in the dying minutes.

“I think they were very kindergarten mistakes from us. However, we thank God that we managed to pick up something from the game.

Eyes were on Police’s captain Tony Mawejje who returned to the club since he last played for them in 2006. The experienced midfielder was, however, substituted after 45 minutes as he walked out seemingly injured after a collision with Wakiso’s defender Edward Satulo.

“The only worry is about the injury to our captain Mawejje, and we hope that it is not as bad and that he recovers on time,” Mubiru said on the Mawejje setback.

Frank Tumwesigye, Eric Ssenjobe, and Hassan Muhamood were given their debuts for Police as they are among the new signings. Wakiso Giants gave debuts to Rahmat Ssenfuka and Joshua Lubwama.

The next assignment for Mubiru and his boys will be an away game against Malaba Youth Development Association (MYDA FC) on December 8.

Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool would not use injuries as an excuse, saying the club's status meant they were still expected to win.

Liverpool have endured an injury crisis to begin the season, but are second in the Premier League and have reached the last 16 in the Champions League.

In a boost, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita returned to training on Friday, two days before the champions host Wolves.

Klopp said there were no excuses for Liverpool, pointing to expectations of the club despite their injury woes.

"Whoever is available, we are still Liverpool. That's how we see it. It means we want to win the game," the Liverpool manager told reporters.

"Actually, I think most of the people think we have to win the game. You can see that when you speak before a game, or after a game, people don't talk about [who is available] – he is not available, he is not available, yes, yes, no – nobody really would allow you to use such a situation as an excuse. And we don't, we don't.

"The situation is tough, 100 per cent, but we are at matchday – where are we, nine, 10 coming? Not sure. So, it feels quite long already but it's not even a third of the season.

"So, who cares who is where in the moment. We try to play football. We won some games, drew in others, lost one massively. So, that's the job."

Liverpool are on the second-longest unbeaten home run in English top-flight history (64 games) ahead of hosting Wolves at Anfield.

However, they have dropped more points from winning positions this season (six) than they did in the whole of last campaign (five).

Klopp, who has been critical of the Premier League over its refusal to sanction five substitutions, believes the busy period to finish the year and begin 2021 will see even more teams face injury worries.

"This is not a season where you throw a target – at the start of the season – on the table and say we have to be here or there. Everybody tries to come through. Everybody. Some teams are obviously, so far, more lucky with injuries than others. That is the situation," he said.

"But I am pretty sure that it will level off over the season because it is just incredibly intense for the boys. The most intense period starts for all teams. So far it was massively intense for all the teams involved in European football.

"From now on, we play all three days. And all the teams will have to do that. So, some teams will realise now how tough it is. That's why we have still [got] to talk about the five subs, even though we didn't vote yesterday."

Despite earlier reports that they were looking to appoint a foreign new head coach, Malaysia Super League side Melaka United have decided to retain Zainal Abidin Hassan's service for the 2021 season.

In a press conference held on Friday, association deputy president Datuk Wira Yusoff Mahadi announced that the former Malaysia international has been re-signed for another season.

"Although the team has underperformed somewhat this season, but the club still trust him to improve on their performance next year."

The 59-year old Zainal has been with the Mousedeer since the 2019 season, and in 2020 only managed to guide them to a ninth-place finish.

Also announced was the appointment of club CEO Datuk Saiful Mat Sapri, as part of the privatisation/separation exercise undergone by Malaysian clubs this season.

Saiful revealed that they are parting ways with former Malaysia star Safiq Rahim, after employing him since 2019 on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim.

"We have decided to not retain him, and he will be replaced with another renowned experienced player. The attacking player still receives Malaysia national team call-ups, and we will decide on this next week," explained Saiful.

Safiq Rahim. Photo by Sports Regime

FC Goa and Kerala Blasters have a lot in common when you look at their setups for the seventh season of Indian Super League (ISL). 

They both have a new head coach in charge of the team - which is not new in Blasters' case. They have both undergone a squad overhaul - which is new in Goa's case. 

More importantly, both teams are coached by men who believe in playing attractive football to entertain viewers. And they are both winless after the first three matches this season. 

Kerala Blasters opened the season with a clash against ATK Mohun Bagan, whose team mostly consisted of players from defending champions ATK. Vicuna's team saw a lot of the ball in the season opener but lost the game to Roy Krishna's efficiency in front of goal. 

Blasters improved in the second game against NorthEast United and performed well in the first half. Then they allowed the Highlanders to complete a two-goal comeback after the restart. Their third game was a goalless draw - another game where Vicuna's team had the lion's share of possession but failed to make the most of it. They had to thanks Albino Gomes for saving a penalty and were shaky in defence. 

It has been far from the brilliant start that some fans may have expected but there has been gradual progress in the team's style of play. The days of chipping the ball to the striker's chest are already forgotten.

Goa, on the other hand, doesn't have a problem with their identity. Thanks to Sergio Lobera, they have been the frontrunners in treating India to an attractive, stubborn brand of possession-based football in the ISL. They have honed the art for three years and under new coach Juan Ferrando, the Gaurs are looking to build on it. 

Ferrando's problems have been the changes in personnel. Former skipper Mandar Rao Dessai, key players such as Hugo Boumous, Mourtada Fall, Ahmed Jahouh have all followed Lobera to Mumbai City whereas ISL's all-time top goalscorer Ferran Corominas has left the club. 

Brandon Fernandes, the Indian player with the most assists in ISL, has been recovering from an injury he picked up last season and with him fully fit and ready to start games, Ferrando would hope for more in the final third. However, they have been aggressive in their games - they have put in the most tackles. taken second-most shots and passes.

Ferrando will be more concerned about keeping things tight at the back. They have been found wanting in defence more than once and it will be interesting to know if the new coach also follows the approach of 'outscoring opponents' as Lobera did in his first year. The Gaurs already have seven yellow cards and a red card to their name in just three matches. They are one of only three teams yet to keep a clean sheet - another stat to keep an eye on. 

If you consider the gameplans of Kibu Vicuna, Juan Ferrando and Sergio Lobera, they are all so heavily invested in their football philosophies, so much so that they are unwilling to deviate from their plan A. This usually means a new squad will struggle to settle in and adapt right away. 

But when Goa and Blasters face off against each other, fans will know who has made the most progress. 

Indian Super League (ISL) matches between Bengaluru and Chennaiyin always had something in store for not only the fans but also for the neutral football lovers in the country. 

It is an interesting fixture because both teams are usually very wary of each other. In the seven head-to-head fixtures before Friday's clash, both teams had won three games each and registered one stalemate. 

Heading into the matchday, Chennaiyin had one win to their name and the Blues had none after two matches. While Chennaiyin had gotten off to fast starts in their first two matches, the Blues had looked overly defensive. 

On Friday, when the game finally kicked off, neither team wanted to concede the first goal. They were both unwilling to leave space behind for the opponent to attack and refused to push more numbers forward into the final third. As a result, it made for a cagey affair featuring an intense midfield battle. 

On a night where the experienced players like Sunil Chhetri and Cleiton Silva failed to meet the expected levels of performance, it was young midfielder Suresh Wangjam who stood out for the Blues. He was excellent throughout the game, ready to tackle, run with the ball and intercept at the right times. 

Bengaluru dealt with Chennaiyin's attacks but they were helped by an unfortunate injury to Anirudh Thapa early on in the game. Edwin Vanspaul was his replacement but Chennaiyin's aggression lacked the usual fervour. It was Vanspaul who dived into an ill-timed challenge that gifted a penalty from which Chhetri scored. 

Ashique Kuruniyan, who remains a left-back under Carles Cuadrat, could have had an early bath for persistent fouling in the initial phase. The Malayali winger-turnt-full-back's discipline and positional issues have cost the Blues in the past but he continues to be a left-back. 

Kuruniyan also should have conceded a penalty when Rafael Crivellaro's header struck his outstretched arm inside the penalty box but the referee thought otherwise. 

Chennaiyin pressed hard in the second half and were arguably the stronger team towards the end. But from the first three matches, it had been the defensive side of Bengaluru that has kept them going. 

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says his side’s Klassiker fixtures against Borussia Dortmund are of a higher quality than the Clasico games between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Bayern have won four of their last five games against Dortmund, with the teams sharing 17 goals between them in those fixtures.

The last five Clasico games, by comparison, have produced only 10 goals – but, with two wins and a draw apiece, the Spanish giants’ rivalry has been more evenly matched.

"It’s become a Klassiker,” Rummenigge told Bundesliga.com of the fixture. “We all looked a bit jealously at Spain when Real and Barca were playing each other in the Spanish Clasico, but I think now Dortmund-Bayern is a Klassiker in itself.

“I think we saw that recently when we played, a great game by the way, 3-2, it could have been 5-4 looking at all the chances.

“It was just a great game, and the day after I think it was Real vs Barca, and it wasn’t comparable in terms of the quality. So you can say the Bundesliga version is just a level above at the moment."

Both Bayern and Dortmund have been widely praised for their work in the transfer window over recent years, though both take different approaches to squad-building.

Bayern’s dominance in 2019-20 – once Hansi Flick took over from Niko Kovac – seemed difficult to beat but, with the marquee signing of Leroy Sane from Manchester City, they looked to strengthen even further.

"In these times, when finances are tighter too, we had a good transfer window, I think,” Rummenigge said.

“Without doubt, we lost an important player in Thiago, but it was his wish and, among friends, you have to be able to give them the chance to say goodbye, and you should do that. I think we handled that well from our side.

“We signed a very important player in Leroy Sane, but then the coach also wanted to make up for the loss of loan players [Philippe] Coutinho and [Ivan] Perisic, and at the end of the day we decided that in [Douglas] Costa and Leroy, we’d signed two wide players that bring that level of quality that we need.

“Our style of play is obviously very focused on the wide players, the left and right wingers, and that’s an important element for us: they have to be quick, they have to be able to dribble, they have to create goals or goal-scoring chances, or score themselves.

“We’ve done a bit there, and I think overall we’ve got a good squad. The players we’ve brought in, I think the squad is absolutely ready to challenge and that was our aim."

Liverpool loanee Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring for Union Berlin in Friday’s Berlin derby, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 3-1 defeat by Hertha Berlin.

The Nigeria forward nipped in between two defenders and rolled home a left-footed finish beyond Alexander Schwolow after being played in by Marcus Ingvartsen in the 20th minute.

However, the contest was made much trickier for Union three minutes later, when Robert Andrich was shown a straight red card, and Hertha turned the bout on its head in the second period.

Peter Pekarik equalised six minutes into the second period, before a double from Krzysztof Piatek inside three second-half minutes during the latter stages of the contest turned the tide in the hosts’ favour at the Olympiastadion.

Awoniyi had been withdrawn 20 minutes before Piatek’s double, as Urs Fischer looked to introduce another defensive option into his side.

Jordan Torunarigha and Dodi Lukebakio also featured for Hertha as they moved up to 11 points, six clear of the bottom three.

Defeat means Union miss out on moving into the top three, although they still remain up in sixth before the rest of the league plays this weekend—and they’re the top performing side from the capital so far this season.

The goal means that Awoniyi has already bettered last season’s tally this term.

During the 2019-20 campaign, while on loan at Mainz, he found the net just once, but already has two goals this season after scoring in Union’s 2-1 victory at Koln in late November.

Earlier this weekend, the striker announced his desire to leave Liverpool after failing to secure a work permit.

"It is my dream to play for Liverpool, but me playing for Liverpool has to do with getting my work permit," Awoniyi told ESPN. "Without it, there is no chance for me discussing about playing for Liverpool for now.

"This season was maybe a bit tough to make the decision because honestly, I was hoping to leave permanently,” he added.

"Liverpool have been great, they have been so supportive and we always talk with the director and every time, they tell me to be patient, but the reason I discussed something permanent this season was just that I felt most loans I have been to, have not really been the way I want it, and I felt like it happens that way because the loan players get less of an advantage than the players of their own club.

"That was what made me think, okay, maybe it's time to find a home with my family."

Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper of all time, according to Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

The veteran Germany stopper has rediscovered his best form in recent seasons after a difficult spell battling injuries.

Bayern looked to be planning for life beyond Neuer when they signed youngster Alexander Nubel from Schalke this year, but he has taken the challenge in his stride. As far as Rummenigge is concerned, he is still getting better.

"Manuel Neuer is 34 now, and he’s just getting better and better,” he told Bundesliga.com. “He’s like a red wine that matures each year.

“He anticipates pretty much every shot, wherever it comes from, and makes the save. We’ve seen that in the last couple of weeks in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League.

“He’s the best goalkeeper in the world, I think he’s even the best goalkeeper of all time.

“We’ve always had good goalkeepers in Germany, at Bayern, when you talk about Sepp Maier or Oliver Kahn, but I think Manuel Neuer has taken goalkeeping to a new level, and we’re really happy that he’s lining up between the sticks for us."

Another Bayern player to have gone to another level over the last year is Robert Lewandowski.

The talismanic forward scored 55 goals in 47 appearances in 2019-20 and has 15 in 14 this season, but was robbed of what seemed like a certain debut Ballon d’Or win after the award was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lewandowski won Goal 50 for the first time this year and is favourite to win FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award, and Rummenigge was relieved FIFA haven’t cancelled the ceremony.

"Firstly, I think it’s good that FIFA are continuing with the vote this year. It wasn’t clear whether it would happen.

“I spoke with the FIFA president about it a couple of times, I told him that we have this vote every year and football has been played this year, you can’t forget that. The Bundesliga was completed, the major leagues in Europe were all decided, the Champions League was completed, and I told him, if in ten years it says '2021 he won, 2022 he won' but there’s a gap in 2020, for me that would be a mistake that you could still correct.

“And I’m happy that FIFA have brought it back, I hope that Robert wins, he’s had an amazing year, I think Robert Lewandowski is in the form of his life, despite the fact he’s 32 now, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.

“I would like him to win, I hope he wins, he’ll have earned it, but we’ll have to wait and see if he does win it at the end of the day."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the use of the Video Assistant Referee sysem, saying the technology "is helping football, it's certainly not damaging football."

The game has changed in recent seasons with the widespread introduction of VAR, which has led to a number of controversial moments in stadiums across the world.

After another incident at the weekend saw his side concede a late penalty against Brighton, Liverpool defender James Milner hit out at VAR on social media. 

"It’s 'clear and obvious' we need a serious discussion about VAR," he wrote on Twitter. "[I'm] sure I’m not alone in feeling like they are falling out of love with the game in its current state."

Earlier this week, Aston Villa star Jack Grealish complained that VAR is "ruining the game" after his side were denied a late equaliser against West Ham.

Infantino, though, believes that VAR is helping more than it is hurting the game, saying the system is still evolving.

"We have to remember VAR was introduced for the first time two years ago, not 20 years ago," Infantino said on Friday after a meeting of the FIFA Council.

"VAR is helping football, it's certainly not damaging football."

Infantino insisted that because VAR is a new phenomenon, there will naturally be mistakes in how it is implemented, which are distinct from problems with the system itself. 

"We must not make a confusion between VAR and maybe sometimes wrong decisions which are taken because of the wrong way in which VAR is used, maybe in some places because of the lack of experience of those who are using VAR," added Infantino.

"Let's not forget this really is a landmark change for a referee who didn't grow up with VAR.

"We have to take the pulse of what is happening out there, to take the criticism and analyse them."

"VAR is not an obligation, it's there to help," Infantino continued. "Those who don't want to use it, they are not obliged to use it.

"It helped referees in the World Cup, it helps referees in many competitions and players and coaches agree."

Tottenham’s newly-appointed head coach Rehanne Skinner says the future of Alex Morgan at the club will be discussed ‘as soon as possible’.

Morgan joined Tottenham in September, though it’s unclear whether she will remain at the club for the entire season.

The short-term focus for Skinner is on this weekend’s game, when she will make her debut in the dugout against Brighton, but the future of Morgan will be addressed quickly afterwards.

“I have not been with the team for long but those are conversations that need to be had as soon as possible,” the head coach said, facing the media for the first time in her new role.

“But we have to get this game up and running this weekend and start the league in the right way.

“Then, we will assess where we are with Alex, look at the future and see what that looks like for her with the club moving forward.

“She is obviously a fantastic character to have in the environment with her experience and she is definitely moving in the right direction now.

“She got 45 minutes away with the U.S. national team recently and we are just hoping to build on getting her back on track with that.

“In the coming weeks we are hoping to increase minutes and get her into the form she is accustomed to being in, but it has been a long break that we have to manage and be aware of.

“She is definitely heading in the right direction and has looked good in training this week.”

A knee injury meant it took Morgan until November to make her debut, her first appearance for a year after giving birth to her daughter, Charlie, in May, but she has started to build up her minutes since.

Also in the dressing room with her are her former Orlando Pride team-mates Alanna Kennedy and Shelina Zadorsky, with all three able to offer huge experience at the top level to this team.

“They add value to what you're trying to achieve, because they know what that looks like,” Skinner said, speaking of those high-profile characters.

“They are there to support and help to bring the team along with you. It definitely works in your favour, having them in the environment.”

Skinner was announced as Spurs’ new head coach last month, after Karen Hills and Juan Amoros, the club’s long-standing co-coaches, were relieved of their duties.

It has been a difficult start to the season for the north London side, who are second from bottom of the Women’s Super League table with three points and no victories to their name.

“We've got to start to play with a little bit of freedom in possession and trust that actually, we've got very good players on the pitch and they're capable of playing at a high level as long as they trust in their ability to do that,” Skinner said.

“Ultimately, if we're not prepared to get on the ball and not prepared to look to play forward and be a little bit more threatening, then it's always going to be more of a challenge.

“I'm talking to the players a lot about having that self-belief, getting on the ball as much as possible, making sure that we work as hard as we can for each other, to then give us that little bit of confidence to be even more threatening.

“From an out of possession side of things, I'm a strong work ethic person. Ultimately, the players have got to work really hard to make sure that we start to make it difficult for teams to play through us.

“We're hoping to just get those little messages across going into this weekend.”

Encouraging displays by Manchester City loanee Lukas Nmecha and Paul Mukairu weren’t enough for Anderlecht to avoid dropping two points away at Zulte Waregem on Friday.

Nmecha equalised for Vincent Kompany’s side just before half time, when he was set up after a decent assist from Mukairu, after Senegal’s Ibrahima Seck had opened the scoring for Zulte eight minutes into the contest.

While Congolese midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga put Anderlecht ahead in the 65th minute, the visitors weren’t able to hold onto their lead—and all three points—when Gianni Bruno equalised for the hosts 15 minutes from time.

Failure to win means that seventh-placed Anderlecht have now gone four games without victory in the Belgian top flight, and they’ve taken just three points during that risible run.

The consequence Is that they’re falling well off the pace in the title race, and now find themselves five points behind Genk—who have won their last six matches—and could move eight points clear of Kompany’s side with victory over Royal Antwerp on Sunday.

Despite Anderlecht’s struggles, Nmecha has been in fine form so far this term, scoring six goals in 12 outings for the domestic giants.

It’s the striker’s best ever return during a league season in his career to date, already eclipsing his previous best of four—registered with Preston North End—during the 2018-19 season.

The Man City loanee was originally signed by the Premier League heavyweights in 2007, but has only made two league outings for the Sky Blues amidst several loan deals.

As well as time with Preston and now Anderlecht, the 21-year-old has represented both Wolfsburg and Middlesbrough.

Despite representing England at youth level from U-16 to U-21 level, Nmecha has also featured for Germany’s U-21 team, and remains eligible for Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

Abuja-born Mukairu is in his first campaign with Anderlecht, having moved on loan from Antalyaspor earlier this year.

The 20-year-old is a graduate of the FC Hearts Academy, and has impressed so far with Sporting this term—scoring once and contributing two assists in his five appearances to date.

Pep Guardiola wants John Stones to show his best form for a sustained period – not just for a few games.

The England defender’s form has oscillated dramatically during Guardiola’s time as Manchester City manager.

At times, he has been an assured presence at the back and a silky operator on the ball. In other periods, he has seemed nervous and error-prone.

With competition from Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, Stones can’t trade on his past successes. But, if he performs at the top of his ability, Guardiola says he won’t hold past failures against him either.

"It’s what he wants, what we want [a sustained run of form]," Guardiola told a press conference ahead of City’s Premier League fixture with Fulham on Saturday.

"He was injured last season and could not have continuity. But I want more too - I don't just want two good games, I want more. He can do it, he did it in the past.

"First step is to have this continuity, train every day and play every three days. We know the quality he has, there are no doubts about that.

"It's not about the quality. The quality is always there. If not, he would not be here. It’s about how you perform today, right now. Statistics is the past. It’s about how you perform.

"That is the point - everyone has to be ready."

While Stones hasn’t always been at the races, one Englishman who has impressed this season is Phil Foden.

The young midfielder is helping fill the void left by David Silva, and Guardiola has been full of praise for ‘the Stockport Iniesta’.

“I love his passion,” Guardiola said. “The only thing in his mind is to be a better player for himself, his club and his national team.”

Guardiola will need his squad to be operating at top capacity over a difficult-looking festive period.

After Fulham's visit and a Champions League dead rubber against Marseille, City travel to Old Trafford for the first Manchester Derby of the season.

They then face a spell of six games in 19 days, with fixtures against West Brom, Southampton, Arsenal, Newcastle, Everton and Chelsea, with a potential Carabao Cup semi-final to follow immediately after.

Jose Mourinho aimed a dig at managers who have complained about fixture congestion like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, saying nobody cried for his Tottenham side during a brutal early-season stretch of games.

Klopp has been most outspoken about the need to better space out matches, as the Liverpool boss has seen a number of his players injured in the early season.

His latest rant came at the weekend as he told BT Sport: “Playing 12:30 after Wednesday is really dangerous for the Premier League players.”

Speaking ahead of Sunday's north London derby against Arsenal though, Mourinho said he didn't receive much support from his peers during a stretch of eight games in 18 days at the start of the season.

“By the way, we played four matches in one week and nobody was crying or supporting us about it. And now my colleagues, when do they play these matches?” Mourinho said. 

Several Premier League teams have a game in hand over Spurs, with Man Utd and Man City having games pushed back after they were involved in European competition in August. 

“What is very difficult to accept is that four clubs have one match less than the others and I don’t even know when they’re going to play these matches,” Mourinho said.

“I don’t even know when Burnley, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Manchester United and probably Newcastle and Aston Villa twice [are going to play].

“It’s difficult to accept that because it can affect the competition. But I was trying to know. I was trying for an answer this week and no one can give me that answer.”

Mourinho admitted that Sunday's derby against Arsenal has more riding on it due to Spurs entering the match atop the Premier League table. 

“It means more when we are not in the position we are now,” he said. “Because now we are in such a good position it is a little bit different. Because we want the points we are not just like: ‘We want to beat Arsenal because to beat Arsenal is the only good thing we can give to our fans.’

“It happened last season when we played Arsenal in the last part of the season. It was about winning against Arsenal to give something good, to have a good feeling.

“But we never forget the fact there are historical rivalries and what it means for the fans. Even for people that were not born at Tottenham, and many of us are in this situation. When you arrive at the club you understand the culture, you learn the culture and you share the values with the fans.”

Jurgen Klopp says England boss Gareth Southgate will suffer if the Premier League doesn't change its rules to allow five substitutes per game. 

The Liverpool head coach has been vocal in his belief that the league must change from three to five allowed subs per game, citing the fixture congestion in the coronavirus-shortened 2020-21 season.

Liverpool have already suffered a number of key injuries this season, which has infuriated the German head coach as he believes they have been caused in part by fixture congestion and the lack of extra subs available.

Klopp has now warned that if the rules aren't changed, Southgate's side will pay the price at next summer's rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament.

"I'm sure we will discuss it early again, because of the influence of three subs," said Klopp. "Now pretty much all teams have to play every three days, it will be massive for everybody from now on and every team will feel the difference. Next summer it will be a problem for Gareth Southgate.

"All of the players Gareth wants to pick play [European] football most of them, pretty much all. Most of them are playing three times a week, to do that from February, on again, and play three times a week all the time. Gareth will get what we give him if we stick with three subs."

Klopp has been involved in a continuing feud with Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, who is in favour of maintaining three subs per game because he believes allowing more subs would benefit bigger clubs with deeper squads like Liverpool.

As fixtures begin to pick up through the busy festive period, though, Klopp has warned that even coaches of smaller clubs will regret not supporting a proposal to allow five subs per game. 

“Football, now the most intense period starts for all teams. From now on pretty much all the teams play every three days,” Klopp added.

“And some teams will realise now how tough it is, and that is why we still have to talk about the five subs even though we didn't vote yesterday. It will be massive for everybody from now on and every team will feel the difference."