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Pep Guardiola believes Premier League teams with no European commitments have a "huge advantage" this season as Manchester City prepare to face in-form West Ham.

The likes of Everton and Aston Villa have made fast starts and teams such as City are now entering hectic schedules with the Champions League and Europa League group stages under way.

City sit 11th in the table heading into the weekend, with seven points from four games but, having played one fewer match than most, it can be regarded as a false position.

Wins in the last week over Arsenal and Porto have given the impression that City have settled following a rocky start to the campaign.

However, in West Ham they face a team who have hit a startling run of form, following up a 4-0 home win against Wolves by beating Leicester City 3-0 and drawing 3-3 at Tottenham thanks to a sensational late comeback.

Results that would have felt outlandish in any other season are becoming commonplace, with behind-closed-doors football in the time of the pandemic dancing to an unfamiliar beat.

"It's why this league was always so difficult and everyone can lose everywhere," said Guardiola, assessing the strains on the teams with European commitments.

"It's for this reason, some guys have seven or eight days to prepare, a huge advantage for the other team. We can adjust, accept, handle the situation if you are a player or manager.

"All the teams playing in Europe have the same problem. The schedule is crazy for everyone. For three, four games in a row maybe I decide to use the same squad and other ones I make changes."

As to whether the fixture congestion, among other factors, could lead to the most open title race in recent times, Guardiola was keen to stress it was too soon to make such a call.

"I don't know. It's too early to know," he said. "It looks like it because there are results not expected, but the situation we are in around the world - not just in this training centre, in our normal lives - is taking an influence in the game. We've played four, five games, it's not much."

He pointed to his team and Liverpool dominating recent seasons, but suggested that has been out of keeping with the normal scheme of things, saying: "I think before I came here, the Premier League is the most open league in the world, many teams can win it."

Speaking in a pre-match news conference on Friday, less than 24 hours before his side were due to take to the field at West Ham, Guardiola admitted he was yet to decide on his starting XI.

Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte could be in the frame to return from injury but Guardiola has had a long list of recent casualties and would only go as far as to say that "some of them will be involved, some of them won't".

The London Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for City in recent seasons, with five successive wins having come by an aggregate of 22-1, West Ham shipping at least four goals in every game.

Such numbers illustrate the progress City have made, given they only scored 22 goals in their last 20 visits to West Ham's previous ground, Upton Park.

But Guardiola knows his team's heady run of high-scoring trips to east London could be halted this weekend. For the first time since West Ham beat City 1-0 in March 2009, the London side head into the game higher up the table than their Mancunian opponents.

"The past is the past. We've had good results but it's the past," Guardiola said. "They played really well against Tottenham – not just the last minute or the second half; they played with a lot of personality. They are in good form, in a good moment for them."

A quirk of West Ham's recent run of form is that their results so far correspond to the last time, back in 1928, that they scored three or more goals in four consecutive league games.

West Ham are up to three in a row now – with a 4-0 home win, 3-0 away win and 3-3 away draw – and that is exactly how their 1928 run progressed, with the fourth match in the sequence being a 4-1 home victory.

Mohammedan Sporting are aiming to play in the Indian Super League (ISL) in the near future, general secretary Wasim Akram has said. 

The Black Panthers recently clinched the I-League Qualifiers 2020 and qualified for the I-League after a hiatus of seven years. Mohammedan, who were a force to be reckoned with in Indian football in the past, are looking forward to featuring in the top tiers of Indian football once again. 

In a chat with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Akram said, "It means a lot. After seven years and 11 months, we have finally made it there (I-League). The I-League is a platform where we should have been playing always but due to some reasons we couldn't be a part of it.

"It's going to be onwards and upwards from here. From the time I joined Mohammedan, looking at the support base and pan-India presence that we have, I realised that playing in the (I-League) second division is not what we wanted to do (continue doing)."

The 32-year-old said that though Kolkata rivals Mohun Bagan merged with ATK to play in the ISL as ATK Mohun Bagan, followed by SC East Bengal who did so after roping in Shree Cement Ltd as sponsors, Mohammedan are looking to take it slow. 

"What I feel is that the expectations of our fans have been very humble. All that I heard people telling me is 'get us to the I-League' and I used to be astonished by this kind of expectation," Akram expressed. 

"(Mohammedan) fans know that, compared to our neighbouring clubs - the big two (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal) - we are not there (in the ISL) yet. They know that we have to cross the hurdles one at a time. Now we have to look forward to winning the I-League and qualify for the ISL because Mohammedan Sporting ultimately deserves to be there (ISL) where it belongs and this is just a step forward."

Having started off as a part-timer at Mohammedan three years ago, Akram felt that the mentality at the club has changed for the better. 

"What was lacking when I started off as an administrator at this club, was the winning mentality. Be it a friendly, U-13 tournament or U-19 I-League match, the winning mentality had to be there to just go out and win.

"Once you become an administrator in any of the clubs in the (Kolkata) Maidan, you don't become an administrator only. I am the general secretary on paper but basically I carry out a lot of roles. 

"If a player underperforms, I am the first person who gets a call asking 'why is he not playing well' and 'remove him and bring in this player' and all that. So you become the face of the club and that passion that you see from the people around you means you want to be a part of the club."

Kepa Arrizabalaga has been ruled out of Chelsea's trip to Manchester United but Frank Lampard has said Petr Cech will not be drafted in as the Blues eye a long-awaited Premier League win at Old Trafford.

Spain goalkeeper Kepa made yet another mistake in a 3-3 draw with Southampton last weekend after stepping in to replace Edouard Mendy, who missed out with a thigh injury.

Mendy returned for a goalless Champions League draw with Sevilla in midweek instead of Kepa, who will not travel north to face United on Saturday due to a shoulder injury.

Chelsea surprisingly added club legend Cech, who retired last year, to their Premier League squad but the 38-year-old keeper is not in the squad to take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Lampard was asked about the status of Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic and the Blues boss said both are ready to make the trip to Old Trafford, before adding that Cech would not be joining them.

"Both are fine, we've got a pretty clean bill of health on that side, other than Kepa who has a shoulder issue so won't travel to Manchester," Lampard said. "The only other player out is Billy Gilmour who is obviously long-term, but he'll be back soon. 

"Petr Cech's not coming in that capacity [to replace Kepa]."

There has been plenty of talk around Cech's return to Chelsea's playing squad, and Lampard said he isn't surprised to see the coverage around his former team-mate's return.

"I suppose if you're Petr Cech and you've been one of the best goalkeepers, in my opinion, the best in the Premier League era, it was always a big story," Lampard added.

The Blues have not won in seven top-flight away matches against United – their longest run without a league victory at Old Trafford since 1957 – and Lampard will be eager to avoid setting an unwanted record.

Lampard lost his first two league games against United last season and would be the first Chelsea boss to suffer three defeats in a row if they slip up again this weekend.

The former England midfielder knows United are on a high after a 2-1 midweek Champions League win at Paris Saint-Germain, but he is relishing the challenge.

He said: "It certainly does feel like a big game. They are a quality team, they went to Paris and got a fantastic result. It's an opportunity to get some hard-earned points."

Lampard says it is premature to be discussing the race for the title, with Everton and Aston Villa the only unbeaten teams.

He added: "It's too early to assume anything. It's early. The games of teams around you will always be big. There are games where you have to grind out."

It’s rare that a goal celebration proves to be more iconic than what precedes it; yet, Rashidi Yekini’s outpouring of emotion after scoring Nigeria’s first against Bulgaria in 1994 was a shift from the norm. The Super Eagles’ number nine had just netted the West African nation’s first-ever World Cup goal, a feat that’ll never be erased from the history books.

The goal itself was a tap-in from about three yards, after Daniel Amokachi spotted and played in Finidi George wide right behind the European nation’s defence, before the wideman moved infield and squared to the forward to score.

To date, observers still haven’t made out what the late striker bellowed while vigorously shaking the net at the Cotton Bowl, still we all got the gist of his celebration.

After his heroics at the Africa Cup of Nations about three months before the global showpiece, it was only fitting for Yekini to be the man to create a bit of Nigerian history in the United States.

The Vitoria de Setubal icon netted five times in Tunisia to top the scoring charts, and was deservedly named the competition’s best player. While Ivory Coast’s Joel Tiehi came second with four, the next set of scorers – which included Emmanuel Amunike – scored twice, truly highlighting Yekini’s prolific goalscoring at the finals.

Having fallen short in 1984, 1988 and 1990 since their 1980 Afcon success, Nigeria’s main striker was essential in bringing the coveted trophy back to the nation since they won it on home soil, thus ending a frustrating 14-year wait.

While the timely nature of Amunike’s pair of goals at the finals remains appreciated (the attacker scored a brace in the 2-1 turnaround in the decider against Zambia), the Super Eagles’ top striker’s impact in their run to the final, and especially in the knockout rounds, was noteworthy: Yekini followed up his two goals in a 3-0 group stage success over Gabon with a brace in the quarter-final clash with Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), a 2-0 win.

He then followed that up with another strike in the nerve-racking semi-final success over Ivory Coast. Nigeria twice came from behind against their West African rivals, with the joint top scorer pulling ahead of Tiehi by making it 2-2.

After the Elephants capitulated in the shoot-out, Yekini was the one whose composure from 12 yards sent the Super Eagles into their fourth final since 1984, which they finally won after finishing runners-up three times.

Yekini had actually featured in the final defeats in ’88 and ’90 by Cameroon and Algeria respectively, so victory in Tunisia will have tasted sweeter for the frontman.

Still, the forward had Amunike to thank for not being a three-time losing Afcon finalist. Nigeria’s previously reliable number nine was unusually profligate in the final against the Copper Bullets, missing no less than three clear-cut chances, while he had an effort from a tight angle cleared off the line.

Even though he was mostly wasteful and slightly unlucky in the final, he proved more than a handful for the Zambia defence with his hold-up play and power, particularly difficult to deal with.

In the end, like Segun Odegbami (who ended joint-top scorer with three goals in 1980), Yekini was Nigeria’s highest scorer 14 years later.

It was to prove somewhat prescient that the latter supplanted the former as the Super Eagles’ top scorer, ending his international career with 37 goals. Odegbami’s tally was 22. The departed icon remains the West Africans’ highest scorer with his tally still unassailable after two decades.

The forward’s pioneering impact for football in the country saw him named African Footballer of the Year in 1993, which heralded a period of success in the 1990s. Amunike (1994), Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999) and Victor Ikpeba (1997) claimed the coveted award in the 90s, while Okocha ended runner-up in ’98.

Tellingly, Nigeria’s dominance hasn’t been sustained in the 21st century with the nation without a winner since Kanu’s ‘99 feat.

Yekini, though, foreshadowed that abundant spell for the country which forever cements his place as one of the country’s greats, and arguably the greatest.

At club level, he excelled for Vitoria Setubal in the early 90s, for whom he scored an wealth of goals between 1990 and 1994.

This culminated in Yekini ending top scorer in the 93/94 Primeira Liga campaign with 21 goals, taking the league’s new boys to a sixth-place finish in their first season back in the top flight.

For a bit of perspective, no player from the club has won the Bola de Prata since, with stars from majorly Porto and recently Benfica dominating the top scorer’s award.

Despite struggling to sustain his form after leaving the Portuguese league at 31, the 1994 Afcon champion will be remembered as one of Africa’s great forwards.

Interestingly, Yekini never scored another World Cup goal after that opener against Bulgaria, a surprising statistic in itself.

That, and his understandable decline in his 30s, showed he was only human. However, in his pomp, the Nigerian icon’s revolutionary impact on the continent and on the world stage eternally remains intact.

The U.S. men's national team's long-awaited return to action will come in a November friendly against Wales, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday.

Gregg Berhalter's side will face Wales on November 12 at Swansea City's Liberty Stadium, marking the USMNT's second match of a disjointed 2020.

The match, which will be played without fans in the stadium, will be hopefully one of two on European soil, U.S. Soccer confirmed, with the federation still working to secure an opponent for a second match.

According to Yahoo Sports, that match could potentially see the U.S. take on Panama at Fulham's Craven Cottage after seeing reported friendlies against Australia and New Zealand fall through.

The match against Wales will give Berhalter the opportunity to call in a squad of European-based regulars for the first time this year, with the USMNT's only match in 2020 a friendly win over Costa Rica to conclude the annual January camp.

Berhalter's squad for November is expected to be largely composed of European-based players, with MLS stars still in the midst of their season and limited when it comes to travel during the pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak postponed a clash between the USMNT and Wales originally scheduled in March, but the two sides will now go head-to-head as Berhalter will have the opportunity to call in stars like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest for the first time in almost one full year.

“First and foremost, we are looking forward to getting the group together after such a challenging year,” Berhalter said. 

“Wales is a quality opponent with high-level players, so it’s a good opportunity to test ourselves. We appreciate all the work by the Football Association of Wales and here at U.S. Soccer to provide this opportunity to compete.”

The camp could also see the inclusion of several young newcomers, headlined by Borussia Dortmund star Gio Reyna, whom Berhalter was looking to call in back in the spring.

Upon arriving in Wales, the team and staff will operate inside a controlled environment in a hotel near Cardiff. Members of the travelling party will undergo multiple Covid-19 tests prior to traveling and will then undergo frequent tests in Wales before beginning training as a team.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has urged the club's detractors to look beyond their Champions League defeat to Manchester United, stating that the club cannot assume that they will earn a walkover in every match.

Les Parisiens saw their five-match unbeaten streak brought to a shuddering halt in their first European tie of the new campaign, with last season's finalists falling foul of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Red Devils once again.

PSG's appearance in the competition's showpiece match in August marked the first time they had reached the final stage of the tournament in their history, with expectations high in the French capital that they might go one step further this time around.

Their 2-1 loss however - courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford - sparked discussion over whether Tuchel, despite all his success on the domestic front with PSG, was the right man to guide them to continental triumph, with the manager admitting that it was one of the worst games of his tenure at Parc des Princes.

Speaking ahead of his side's Ligue 1 clash with Dijon however, the former Dortmund boss has called upon his side to stay positive and continue to push forward while making a point to note that expectations of free-flowing goal-heavy victories should not be the barometer by which their success is judged.

"We always have discussions after a game," Tuchel told his pre-match press conference, when addressing how the team has dealt with the fallout. "We give our opinion, we analyse the games tactically and mentally.

"It's a totally normal process, but we are not used to losing. We hate losing and I don't want that [to] become a habit. It's serious to lose when you're at PSG and we have to show a transformation tomorrow. We have to stay positive and push this team.

"Everyone expects us to win 6-0, but we can't think that way, even if I'm convinced that we will show a reaction. The team has always done it and we will push in that direction.

"Let's not forget that there have been five successful matches before Manchester. Five wins. There was that loss on Tuesday night. It was not us and we have to move forward."

Tom Hardy has become one of London's most famous exports in Hollywood, having landed starring roles in projects for screens big and small.

With notable roles in Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant, Dunkirk and Peaky Blinders, Hardy has become one of the most recognisable faces in film and television.

Now, the actor has stepped into the world of football, narrating the Amazon series Tottenham: All or Nothing which offers exclusive, fly-on-the-wall access to all the inner-workings of the north London club.

With Hardy narrating the documentary series, Goal has what you need to know about which football team he supports and more.

Despite having narrated the entirety of Amazon's Tottenham: All or Nothing documentary series released in August 2020, there is still no official confirmation on whether or not Hardy is indeed a Lilywhites supporter.

The Mad Max: Fury Road actor has been tight-lipped about his footballing allegiances, and rarely even talks about the sport in interviews.

Hardy was born and raised in Hammersmith, West London, which would mean that the clubs closest to him geographically would be Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham.

Tottenham, on the other hand, is located roughly 20 miles away in north London.

The Dark Knight Rises star also attended school in Richmond as well as the London Drama Centre, which is located almost an hour away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Obviously, you don't need to be in close geographic proximity to a football club to support them, but there are other clubs that Hardy is likely to support due to physical closeness.

While Hardy himself has not publicly pledged his allegiance to any one football team, Roma decided to adopt him as one of their own in 2018 during a press tour for Venom where they gifted him a shirt they said was from Daniele de Rossi.

Tottenham: All or Nothing provides viewers with inside, intimate access into life at the club during the 2019-20 season, covering the dismissal of Mauricio Pochettino to the arrival of Jose Mourinho.

Pochettino himself stated that he was underwhelmed by the series, while goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said he did not plan on watching the programme. Dele Alli, however, said it provided useful insight to the lives of footballers and coaching staff.

"It was strange at the start. It took a little bit of getting used to, but I think after time you just forgot about it," he said. "Obviously the cameras were everywhere, but at the same time that's all became part of the game.

"Being at a club like this and especially being part of the England national team, the media and people like to try and paint a picture of you and what kind of person you are. I’ve just been myself, so people will like me or hate me. That’s just life.

"You can’t please everyone, but hopefully this will show people how hard everyone on the team works and how much it means to us."

Obafemi Martins scored his first goal since March 2018 as Wuhan Zall held Henan Jianye to a 1-1 draw in the Chinese Super League play-offs on Friday.

The 35-year-old came off the bench in the 57th minute to score a stoppage-time equaliser for the home team at the Dalian Sports Center.

Martins linked up with Ivory Coast's Jean Kouassi to cancel out Wang Shangyuan's 25th-minute opener for Henan Jianye, and also broke his Wuhan Zall duck since his free transfer from Shanghai Shenhua in September.

The strike ended Martins' two-year goal drought, since his last goals came as a hat-trick for Shanghai Shenhua in their 4-2 win over Hebei CFCC in a Chinese top-flight match.

A week ago, Wuhan Zall bowed to a 1-0 loss to Henan Jianye in the two-legged play-offs which still put them in the race against relegation after a 2-1 aggregate defeat, while Henan are saved from the drop and they will now compete for a place between the ninth and 12th spots.

Cameroon’s Christian Bassogog was also on parade in the encounter but he could not add to his tally of a goal after six matches for Henan Jianye so far this season.

Friday's goal extended Martins' tally in the Chinese Super League to 20 goals after 48 appearances since he arrived in the Asian country from Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders in 2016.

He has played in eight matches so far this campaign.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has ruled summer signing Mohammed Salisu out of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Everton, adding the Ghanaian needs more time to be fully ready for action. 

Salisu joined the Saints from Spanish side Real Valladolid on a four-year deal in August, having made headlines with a series of outstanding performances in La Liga. 

Two months on since arriving in England, the young centre-back is yet to make his debut for his new club owing to fitness challenges. 

“Sali is still building up to being part of the team,” Southampton manager Hasenhuttle told pressmen in his team news on Friday ahead of Sunday's tie against Everton, his club's official website reports.

“He has been in team training this week, completely, but we have to be careful with him.

“There were some bigger issues we had with him and these issues will last a little bit longer, so we have to take care of him, but he is coming back. 

“Maybe it takes one more week and then he is able to play, but we will give him all the time he needs to solve his issues. 

“We knew it was not a short-term project. It is a long-term project, he is a good guy, and I’m sure that he will help us in the future.”

Although Salisu put pen to paper for Southampton in August, he joined the club's pre-season training in September, precisely in the week of the club's first game of the Premier League campaign. 

"It may take a few more weeks, maybe [to break into the starting set-up]. After the next international break [in October], I hope to have him in the first eleven. He has a good drive and is a very ambitious guy," Hasenhuttl told Hampshire Live in September.

"He is working hard on his fitness at the moment after a long break from injury and there are a few issues we must work on but you can see his physicality.

"The potential he has is amazing and he wants to learn quickly. He is exactly the type of player that we need to have here.

"We have very clear and strict limits on any transfer we make. We have to have a player that really likes to come to us for money we can spend.

"If we find such a player then I am sure he will enjoy it and develop very quickly when he is with us.

 "He will not be a short-term project, he will be more of a long-term project. Therefore I think he was a fantastic transfer."

After five rounds of matches, Southampton are 12th on the league table.

Juan Mata has said his Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford should never stick to football, as some critics have told the striker amid his battle to help children.

In June, Rashford successfully lobbied the government to extend its policy of providing free meals for underprivileged children into the summer months through the school holidays.

Rashford hit out at the UK Government this week as a vote to extend free school meals over the holidays until Easter 2021 was defeated.

Mata has saluted the work that Rashford, who was recently awarded the MBE, has done and encouraged the striker to ignore his critics.

"It's important for every player to realise the platform that we have, the message that we can get across and the amount of people that we can help," Mata told the  Pitch to Post Preview podcast.

"I'm very proud of what Marcus has been doing. On the pitch, of course, we know how good he is and he is still performing very well but off the pitch also, the work he's been doing over the last months has been great.

"He has improved the quality of life for so many kids in this country, which I'm sure everyone is proud of. His family should be proud of him, me, as a team-mate, and the club are very proud of him.

"And I think it's important also to get the message that of course we are football players and our main focus is our professional life, which is training and playing football and being ready to perform but that doesn't take away from having time to do these kind of things, which doesn't take any focus away from our professional life.

"I've seen some people saying, Marcus should stick to playing football and things like that, which I don't really agree with because he can do both, as he's showing. And I'm very proud of what he's done and he's getting the reward he deserves."

Mata also praised his old team-mate Frank Lampard ahead of Man Utd's meeting with Chelsea on Saturday.  

"You could feel from the first day that I arrived to Chelsea's dressing room that he was a very intelligent man," Mata said.

"He knew a lot about football and he understood the game really well as a player. You could imagine that he would be a very good manager, like he's showing now."

After a wonderful 2019/20 season — especially the second half of the campaign — it would have been a shock had Said Benrahma remained at Brentford for 2020/21.

Indeed, this was threatening to be the case weeks into the season with the maverick featuring in two of last year’s playoff finalist’s games, albeit off the bench. When he did start, though, it was to devastating effect.

In the Bees’ Fourth Round EFL Cup tie at home to London rivals Fulham, the Algeria playmaker netted a brace to eliminate the side that denied Brentford promotion in July.

The second of those goals, a Cruyff-turn nutmeg of Michael Hector, followed by a curled effort into the bottom corner, reminded suitors of his quality and, more importantly, end product. That game was held on October 1, just two weeks before the closure of the transfer window in England.

Having seen teammate Ollie Watkins depart for Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers talent Eberechi Eze leave the Championship for another top flight side in Crystal Palace, time was running out for Benrahma to make that jump to the big time.

Given he was many observers’ pick for best player in the second tier in 19/20 — although a strong case could be made for Eze, too — playing out another season in the Championship was unforeseen and will probably have left a bad taste.

As it turned out, West Ham United’s interest grew in the fortnight after he put the Cottagers to the sword in the Carabao Cup, eventually resulting in a loan switch with an obligation to buy next summer.

David Moyes’ side are getting a player with a knack for producing the unexpected, with his array of tricks, know-how and art. Importantly, Benrahma is more than just the showiness and backs that up with end product — evidenced by 17 goals and eight assists last year which preceded 10 goals and 14 assists in 2018/19.

Of course, there are doubts as to whether the Algerian can reproduce anything close to those numbers in Premier League football, especially in a team where he may necessarily not be first choice in his favourite role on the left flank.

While the 25-year-old’s desperation to move to the Prem probably grew in those final weeks and days of the window, there’s a feeling Benrahma’s genius merited a move to the top sides in the league — Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United immediately come to mind — instead of the low-key transfer to West Ham.

The aforementioned London rivals were linked at some point in the extended window, with Frank Lampard’s men said to have been interested earlier in the summer. However, the arrival of so many talented and established players in attacking areas like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, coupled with the presence of Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and even Mason Mount (who’s been used out wide so far this season) meant the West Londoners had enough bodies in wide areas.

As for Arsenal, it’s a bit complicated and slightly confusing. Mikel Arteta’s men added only Willian to their attack following the expiration of his contract at Chelsea, but there was a belief the Gunners needed more in wide areas as well as in a creative sense, especially as Mesut Ozil has been ostracised.

The complication was two-fold: acquiring someone of Benrahma’s profile would potentially have resulted in the tweaking of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s role in the side. The Arsenal captain is deployed as an inside forward role, due to his average hold-up and link-up play with his back to goal and lack of space in central areas, with Arteta preferring either Alexander Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as his central striker.

Bringing in the Algeria international may have caused a disruption to the Gunners approach and Auba’s role, although the frontman’s recent league goal drought has brought this up, regardless.

Another difficulty was Arsenal’s reported lack of funds for transfer this summer. While Thomas Partey’s Deadline Day move from Atletico Madrid immediately suggests the north London side indeed had funds for transfers, the intervention of majority shareholder Stan Kroenke in the Ghana superstar moving to the club proves the three-time Prem winners were operating on a shoestring budget.

Be that as it may, the fact West Ham have signed the North African on loan with an obligation to buy begs the question whether Arsenal couldn’t have pursued a similar deal if they truly wanted the playmaker at the Emirates Stadium.

For Man United’s part, the opprobrium the club’s decision-makers have endured during and after the window shut has been sky-high.

The Red Devils seemingly prioritised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s principal transfer target Jadon Sancho, thus ignoring deals for players like Benrahma and, a better fit, Watford’s Ismaila Sarr.

Many expect the Manchester giants returning for the Borussia Dortmund talisman next summer, so maybe their decision to play the long game will be rewarded in 2021.

Opting for the Brentford loanee, whose best showings in the last two seasons have come on the left would have meant inadequate minutes in his favourite position due to Marcus Rashford’s presence in the side.

The right flank would have limited Benrahma’s effectiveness, so maybe moving to Old Trafford was never a right fit.

Unquestionably, West Ham are set to be beneficiaries of the maverick’s dexterity, and glowing performances in his maiden year in the Prem will cause teams who avoided swooping to wonder what might have been had they taken the plunge instead.

URA FC have completed the signing of winger Brian Nkuubi as they strengthen for the 2020/21 Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season.

The 26-year-old has been a free agent after being released by the champions Vipers SC alongside Farouk Musisi, Derrick Ochan, Frank Tumwesigye, Abram Ndugwa, and Dan Birikwalira.

"Brian Nkuubi happens to be the latest addition to our squad that will compete in the forthcoming UPL season," the Tax Collectors confirmed via their official portal.

"He joins us on a three-year deal from Vipers SC and seems to come with a lot of good and positive vibe."

The four-time champions have further revealed the former Venom player will be an important addition for the team owing to his attributes.

"Like Jackson Nunda, Brian Nkuubi is a player comfortable with the ball on his feet and one that is quick to recycle the ball in midfield," the statement added.

"He will add a lot to our offensive flair and will be of great importance to the team when going forward. His flair and magnificent vision in passing the ball and playing the final pass will prove fundamental to the team.

"He is the kind of player that many football enthusiasts around the country have seen growing, timing his runs to perfection in the final third and very assertive in transition.  

"A player very good at decision making especially in the final third, every football lover that subscribes to beautiful football holds his kind of talent in high esteem."

Nkuubi has revealed it is not going to be easy for him considering the fact that there are many good players in the team.

"I have seen a lot of good players at URA FC and I expect competition for positions," the 26-year-old said during his unveiling.

"I have enough experience and I feel I can add a lot to the club in the coming season.

"I want to continue playing at a high level and compete with the best on the title and the club seems on the right path to provide that."

Coach Sam Ssimbwa is confident his new signing will add quality to the team especially in the attacking front.

"He is a player that has developed a lot during his time with Vipers SC in terms of responsibilities on the pitch, he will offer us a lot going forward and will prove key to our attack."  

Juan Mata claims to have struck up an almost telepathic understanding with Bruno Fernandes, with the Manchester United midfielders needing just “one look” to know what the other is thinking.

The Red Devils have a wealth of creative playmaking options at their disposal, with Portugal international Fernandes having added to that since his arrival in January.

Among those is Mata, a model of consistency throughout his time in England with Chelsea and United who can always be relied upon to deliver, even if he is now 32 years of age.

He put in an eye-catching performance alongside Fernandes in the 4-1 victory over Newcastle in the Red Devils’ last Premier League game and believes the pair can form a devastating partnership if given the chance to show what they are capable of.

“I enjoy playing with [Bruno] and with players like him. I think we understand football in the same way,” Mata told United Daily. “We both like to play in spaces and play and move, to create opportunities for our strikers. We understand each other really well on the pitch.

“With one look between us, we know where we want the ball, we know where we’re going to move. Of course, it doesn’t always work but we try to play together because we understand each other really well.”

Mata was left on the bench for United’s impressive 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in their opening Champions League outing of 2020-21, but could come back into contention for a reunion with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday.

He added: “It’s always special for me to play against them. I’ve still got many friends in there. I know Frank [Lampard], we were team-mates. I know how good he is as a manager and of course how good he was as a player.

“It will be tough because they’ve got great new players in the squad. They have a big squad, so a lot of players can play and do well.

“We need to make sure we are ready for that and that we are ready to play at our best level, like the last two games. If we play in that way, I’m sure we will be close to winning.”

The Kariakoo Derby between Yanga SC and Simba SC could now be played at Uhuru Stadium after the Premier League Board shut the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The derby, pitting Tanzania’s most successful and greatest club rivals, had been scheduled to be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium but the facility has been shut and all matches moved to Uhuru Stadium.

Yanga were set to host Simba on November 7 in the highly-anticipated clash which has always been hosted in either of the two national stadiums.

The TPLB did not give the exact reasons why the stadium has been closed and how long the facility will remain shut.

“Tanzania Premier League Board would like to announce that all the league matches that were scheduled to be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium will now be hosted at the Uhuru Stadium,” the board’s statement obtained by Goal read.

“The matches have been shifted until when the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium will be opened again.”

The board has also announced Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma will remain out of bounds for an unknown period.

“Further, all the Premier League and the First Division League matches that were scheduled to be played at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma have been moved to Samora Stadium in Iringa City for the Premier League games,” it added.

“FDL matches have been moved to Jamhuri Stadium in Morogoro until when the concerned facility will be opened again.”

The development means Yanga, Simba and Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC FC) will have to host their matches at either Uhuru Stadium or at Azam’s Chamazi Sports Complex that is situated outside Dar es Salaam.

The TPLB have had to close down a number of regional stadiums in the ongoing season given the poor standard they have been in.

Other Stadiums that are being used by the clubs are Karume in Mara that hosts Biashara United, Highland Estate in Mbeya that hosts Ihefu FC, CCM Gairo in Morogoro for Mtibwa Sugar, Majaliwa Stadium for Namungo FC in Lindi, and Polisi Tanzania’s Ushirika Stadium in Moshi.

Gwambina Stadium, Mwadui Complex, Kaitaba Stadium for Kagera Sugar, Sokoine Stadium for Mbeya City, Mabatini Stadium in Pwani for Ruvu Shooting and Nelson Mandela Stadium for Tanzania Prisons in Rukwa are the other sporting complexes in the country currently in use.

Former Germany international Andre Schurrle has labelled Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho “a brutal guy” and recalled how the Portuguese manager's approach to coaching destroyed his confidence while at Chelsea.

Schurrle, who provided the assist for Mario Gotze's World Cup-winning goal in 2014, joined the Blues in 2013 but lasted only two years in London.

Despite his reputation as one of Europe's most exciting attackers, talent mattered for little under Mourinho as the tactician's efforts to draw the best out of his new acquisition ended up having the opposite effect.

“He's a brutal guy,” Schurrle said in a YouTube interview with German presenter Joko Winterscheidt. “I always thought to myself: What does he do anyway? Why does he treat me like this? Why does he do this to people? 

“In retrospect, I realise what he wanted and what resources he was working with. At the time, I couldn't really deal with the things he wanted from me because of all the harshness and the psychological pressure.

“Back then, it was extremely difficult. I would often drive home after conversations with him and just thought I couldn't do it anymore. What could I do? He was building up such extreme pressure.”

Although Schurrle had the feeling that Mourinho “liked” him and wanted to “push” his career forward, the ex-forward added: “He still put a few things into my head that were difficult to process.”

Schurrle had actually been in contact with Mourinho even before his move to Stamford Bridge, with the German having taken part in Michael Ballack's farewell match in Leipzig – a game in which the Portuguese was his coach.

He said: “At that point in time [June 2013] I was already in negotiations with Chelsea and Mourinho was my coach for the game. He said to me, 'If you don't score two goals today, I'll loan you to Southampton'. I didn't know if he was joking or not.”

The attacker did get playing time in his first season under Mourinho, but found minutes increasingly hard to come by as time wore on and saw his confidence shattered as a result of his boss' treatment.

Schurrle said: “It was often the case that I played from the start and then he'd replace me at half time. Then, in the next game, I wasn't in the squad and I was in the stands. I couldn't understand that at the time and I lost my self-esteem. My ego was hurt.

“Then I started thinking about what mind be going through his mind. Sometimes during training I had the feeling that he was only looking at me, even if that probably wasn't the case.”

Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna has stated they are not worried about the fixtures in the 2020/21 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) matches and they are just targeting maximum points.

K'Ogalo are scheduled to open their campaign with a tricky fixture against 11-time champions Tusker FC, then follow it up with a game with Ulinzi Stars. Mathare United, Sofapaka FC, and promoted Bidco United complete the first five rounds for the Nairobi-based side.

"We are not concentrating so much on the fixtures, we are not worried about it at all," Muguna told the club's official portal.

"We are focused on being ready before the league resumes because I know once we are physically and mentally ready, we can tackle any team on earth.

"We are going to try and win all our matches because we know by doing so, we stand a chance of winning trophies at the end of the season."

Recently, the KPL giants confirmed the arrival of new coach, Brazilian Roberto Oliveira, commonly referred to as Robertinho. With several new players on board as well, the midfielder has revealed how the situation is at the club.

"The team is fine so far, we are creating a bond that will make us operate together as a team – the aim is, to find a working formula," he added.

Meanwhile, recent signing Bernard Ondiek told Gor Mahia TV that fans should wait for the start of the new season with optimism.

"We are geared for the season start and we have new players who are really gelling well as expected. Gor Mahia always get good players and for the fans, I want you to expect much [more] from us than we gave last season," he said.

"For now, I can say all the focus is on the Champions League, and obviously we have been there and we know what to do. Since we have some experiences in the Champions League we are now well prepared to tackle it more than the other seasons. 

"All we are going for is the Champions League as it is a nice experience for every player in this team. But again, if you do not prepare well, it will be hard to make it.  

"All I can say is the fans should be geared for it and I am very happy and confident because we will do good in the Champions League."  

Former Harambee Stars defender Mark Odhiambo has revealed why he left football and ventured in the Matatu industry.

Odhiambo is now a driver that plies the Umoja route – in Nairobi’s Eastlands area – and has said joining the public service vehicle business remains his best decision.

He was part of the full Harambee Stars squad that faced Nigeria in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in Calabar in 2013 after he impressed coach Adel Amrouche at Kasarani featuring for Tusker against KCB.

“Touting is what was putting food on my table even before I became a professional footballer,” Odhiambo told Nation Sports.

“I continued doing this although part-time after I joined Tusker. I eventually graduated to become a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) driver and I think it is the best decision I have ever made in life.”

Odhiambo, 32, revealed he invested in the industry while still playing as a way to improve his financial health.

“Driving is a skill like any other and I enjoy it. As a footballer, I realised I had so much free time and that is why I continued doubling up as a Matatu driver,” the Mbotela-born star narrated.

“It is a decision that I don’t regret to date. I managed to save up enough money to buy my own 14-seater Matatu and even though I sold it off later, it improved my financial situation and opened my mind to explore more opportunities in the Matatu industry.”

He stated why there is no need for the Kenyan players to be pressurised into saving money while they remain active on the pitch.

“I keep seeing people telling Kenyan footballers to save money and invest but how do you save when you are not even sure you will get paid?” he asked.

“Salaries in most Kenyan clubs are very little and never consistent. I was lucky to play for Tusker and KCB which are football clubs run by stable companies but what about the majority of players who play for other clubs?

“They are always in a race to survive and get the next meal.”

Odhiambo further revealed he has got no reasons to completely ditch his current occupation and return to football.

“Why would I do that?” he asked. “Football in Kenya is not really a profession you can depend on. I can do both as I have always done but I can never stop driving Matatus because that is what I depend on.

“The last club I played for, Wazito, still owes me over KSh700, 000. I was unpaid for almost a year and I would really be stupid to repeat the same mistake again.

“Whichever club I join, I will still continue driving Matatus. Football is my passion while driving is what puts food on my table and I have learned to do both without any challenges.”