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Borussia Monchengladbach duo Jonas Hofmann and Mathias Ginter spoke of their side's struggle to contain Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, with the Italian side's target man said to be a player who “cannot be taken out of the game completely”.

The Belgian scored twice in Wednesday night's 2-2 Champions League draw at San Siro, with his second coming right at the death to rescue a point for the hosts after their opponents had taken the lead through Ramy Bensebaini and Hofmann himself.

Lukaku's hold-up play allowed the Nerazzurri to move further up the pitch when in possession on Wednesday night, and Hofmann was far from surprised with how often the hosts looked to find their target man.

“Ninety nine per cent of Inter's game plan is to get the ball to Lukaku,” the Germany international said after the match. “He holds the ball up while the rest of the team pushes up and supports him. 

“It was tough at times to get a defender in front and behind him, but I think our defenders did a good job in the end.”

Ginter echoed those thoughts, adding: “I don’t think you can take players like Lukaku out of the game completely. He had three chances and scored twice, both from close range. We didn’t give much away in the game.”

With the visitors having been in the lead heading into the closing minutes, Hofmann conceded that he and his team-mates were saddened not to come away with more than a draw despite heading into the clash as underdogs.

“There was a rollercoaster of emotions in the final few minutes,” the midfielder said. “We had to wait a while to see if my goal was going to count or not. Not many people would have thought before the game that we would take something from Inter.

“After the game, I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed about only getting a point. We gave it our all to try and see it home from 2-1 but didn’t defend the corner well enough, which is extremely disappointing.”

Ginter again agreed with Hofmann and called for more resolute defending heading forwards. He said: “In a few hours time we’ll be pleased about the point, but right after the game we are a bit disappointed. 

“It’s annoying to concede an equaliser in the 90th minute after only making it 2-1 a few minutes before the end. The fact that the goal was avoidable makes it even more frustrating. Even though some of our bigger players weren’t on the pitch, we should have defended the corner better. 

“We didn’t let them have many chances over the course of game. We did things better after [Bensebaini's] penalty to make it 1-1 and deserved the point in the end.”

Nigeria are now 32nd in the latest Fifa rankings for the month of October released on Thursday.

Last month, Gernot Rohr’s men were rated the 29th best team in the world. However, they dropped three places as a consequence of their contrasting results in the October international fixtures.

The Super Eagles lost 1-0 to reigning African champions Algeria, before settling for a 1-1 draw against Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles.

After these results, the West Africans are now fourth in Africa behind 2019 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up, Senegal, who accrued 1549 points, Tunisia [1507] and reigning African champions, the Desert Foxes who garnered 1488 points.

Nigeria’s opponent in next month’s Africa Cup of Nations double-header qualification, Sierra Leone, dropped a place to be classified as the 120th best team in the world with 1151 points.

2022 Afcon hosts Cameroon are 53rd globally and eighth on the continent, while Mohamed Salah's Egypt occupy the 52nd spot.

Qualifying games for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, the play-offs for the Uefa Euro 2021 and Uefa Nations League ties were determinants in the rankings.

Belgium, 2018 Fifa World Cup winners France, Brazil, England and Portugal occupy the first to fifth positions respectively.

The next Fifa/Coca-Cola World Rankings will be published on 26 November 2020.

Gor Mahia defender Bernard Ondiek has promised the fans they have more in store for them in both the Caf Champions League and in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League.

Gor Mahia have been training for the past few weeks since they were allowed to by the government as they prepare for another shot at the Champions League trophy.

“We are geared for the season start and we have new players who we 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,” Ondiek told the club’s Online TV.

“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.”

Apart from signing 14 players, Gor Mahia appointed a new coach, Oliveira ‘Robertinho’ Goncalves, and Ondiek is confident all of them will help the club in the new season.

“Apparently, I can say we have a good coach and everything he is going to do will be for the benefit of all the players,” the former Western Stima star added.

Ondiek praised the team's training saying it is far better than an individual session. Kenyan players were forced to train alone when the league was suspended in March due to the coronavirus issue.

“Individual training is always dependent on how you feel and how the body is but the good thing is that we are now training as a team,” he concluded.

“We are now back as a team and it feels great to have the friends and teammates in the K'Ogalo family. For you to gel and know one another better you only need to train as a team.

“When Covid-19 hit, it was hard because as a player you cannot just stay at home, you need your body to be fit because if you stay for long you will not feel nice.”

Gor Mahia will begin their Premier League title defence against former champions Tusker on November 20.

Christian Pulisic has offered a positive update on his fitness at Chelsea, with the United States international claiming to “feel great” as he seeks to rediscover the form that made him an important part of the Blues’ plans last season.

The 22-year-old took a while to find his feet in 2019-20, with the former Borussia Dortmund star needing to adjust his game to meet the demands of life in English football.

Once fully up to speed, only untimely injury issues would hold Pulisic back.

His creativity and keen eye for goal earned him a regular role on the left of Chelsea’s attack, with obvious comparisons drawn with former Blues hero Eden Hazard.

Pulisic is edging his way back towards that level in the current campaign, with a starting berth secured in successive outings against Southampton and Sevilla.

Chelsea have been held in both of those fixtures, as they seek a spark in Premier League and Champions League competition, but their USMNT star feels he is ready to burst into life.

“Fitness-wise I feel great,” Pulisic, who saw a hamstring problem force him out of the 2020 FA Cup final and delay his return to competitive action this term, told Chelsea TV.

“I’m getting back to where I was, I feel strong, I feel like I can play 90 minutes, and I’m happy.”

Pulisic will benefit from the game time he has seen of late, with a testing continental clash with Sevilla giving Lampard and his side plenty of food for thought.

“It was definitely a tough game,” Pulisic added.

“It was one of those where there were not a lot of chances in the game, a really hard-fought match, we did a lot of good defending, and I think we can walk away proud with a point.

“They’re a strong team. They put us to the test, they moved the ball really well and we definitely defended a lot.

“It’s everyone’s job to be behind the ball at times.

“We have to help out defensively. Going away from the game with a clean sheet will give us some confidence. It’s not bad for the guys.

“We have got to find the balance [between defence and attack]. We want to create more chances; I want to help with that. We are going to continue to work to improve as a team.”

Chelsea will face another stern test of their credentials on Saturday when they take in a trip to Manchester United.

We’ve got an absolutely packed episode of African Football HQ for you this week, as Malek Shafei and Ed Dove dig through the big talking points in the African game this week.

You will surely have noticed reference to the #EndSARS protests and movement in Nigeria over recent weeks, as the youth of the country take a stand against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and some of their recent actions.

It’s a movement which has resonance across the football spectrum, local players have been caught up—and killed—after altercations with SARS, while high-profile figures such as Marcus Rashford and Mesut Ozil have also weighed in to add their support to the protests.

The Super Eagles’ commendation for the government at the end of the international break, when they believed that SARS had been disbanded, has now been proven to be premature, and the likes of Victor Osimhen, Simy Nwankwo and Odion Ighalo have all added their voices to those of the protesters in recent days.

Also on the agenda, we examine a massive week in the Kenyan game, where the federation president Nick Mwendwa was re-elected, and then duly replaced national team coach Francis Kimanzi with Jacob Mulee.

Ghost is an established name within the Kenyan game, but is he the right man to take the Harambee Stars into the new era?

There have also been big headlines in South Africa this week, as Siphiwe Tshabalala, scorer of that emphatic opening goal at the 2010 World Cup, has returned to the Premier Soccer League with AmaZulu.

He may be 36, but Shabba still has a lot to offer the ambitious Durban outfit…or does he?

Dove and Shafei don’t exactly see eye to eye on the legendary wideman’s potential impact this term.

There’s less doubt about the success of Pitso Mosimane at Al Ahly; he oversaw their 2-0 victory away at Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of their Caf Champions League semi-final, as they take one step closer to the final.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, we also look at the history of African players in El Clasico—ahead of this weekend’s meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona—and speak to Goal’s Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella about the impact of Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech at Stamford Bridge.

Ghana have fallen by two places on the latest edition of the Fifa World Rankings announced for the month of October.

The development comes on the back of the Black Stars' recent 3-0 loss to African counterparts Mali and a 5-1 thrashing of Asian champions and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in friendly matches earlier this month.

The two games were part of 120 international ties played by nations across the globe over the last month.

Released via Fifa's official website on Thursday, September's rankings sees Ghana move down to 48th position, a place below Hungary and a spot above Jamaica.

There was also a drop in the Black Stars' total accumulated points by one from 1439 to 1438.

Last year by this time - with James Kwasi Appiah as head coach of the side - Ghana held 51st position in the world and seventh spot in Africa.

On the continental table this October 2020, Ghana, now under coach CK Akonnor, hold sixth position, above Egypt (52 in the world), Cameroon (53), Mali (56) and Burkina Faso (58) in Africa's top 10.

Senegal (21st in the world) still lead the African table despite dropping down by one place on the world order.

Tunisia (26), Africa Cup of Nations champions Algeria (who have moved up by five places to 30th in the world), Nigeria (fallen by three places to 32nd spot) and Morocco (up by four places to 39th) are Africa's top five teams.

Back on the world table, there were no changes among the top five as Belgium maintain first position, followed by France, Brazil, England and Portugal in that order.

Spain have moved one place up to take over sixth position, displacing Uruguay by a spot. Argentina (8th) and Uruguay (9th) similarly exchanged positions but Colombia have done well to keep hold of their 10th position from last month.

Ghana's recent friendlies against Mali and Qatar were preparatory games for the Black Stars ahead of the resumption of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers in November when Akonnor's outfit take on Sudan in a double-header.

The next Fifa rankings will be released on November 26.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin sparked talk of interest from Manchester United over the summer, with reports of £80 million ($105m) price tags doing the rounds , and David Unsworth has revealed that Everton snapped the in-form striker up for “a lot less” than £1.5m in August 2016.

That was the fee said to have taken a promising frontman from Sheffield United to Merseyside as those at Goodison Park sought to buy into obvious potential.

Patience with Calvert-Lewin has been rewarded at Goodison Park, with the 23-year-old now very much at the peak of his powers.

A 10-goal return in 2020-21 has helped Everton to position themselves among the early Premier League frontrunners, while said efforts have also earned senior international recognition with England.

Admiring glances are now being shot in Calvert-Lewin’s direction from across Europe , with speculation suggesting that the Red Devils from Old Trafford are one of his many suitors.

Everton have no intention of selling, but would generate considerable profit if they did cash in on a “bargain” buy who was acquired for practically nothing when being lured away from his native Sheffield.

Former Everton star Unsworth, who is now head of the club’s academy and helped to put a deal for Calvert-Lewin in place, told Sky Sports of the reported £1.5m deal that was done four years ago: “I can assure you it was nowhere near the amount of money that people bandied about! I won't say the exact fee but it was a lot less than what you just quoted.

“I still smile when I think about how we managed to prise him away. It was all about timing and Sheffield United were in League One and had just got a new manager. Dominic wasn't going to play a big part in trying to get them out of League One. Chris [Wilder] decided to go down the experience route and has proven to be very successful.

“We managed to get Dom into our Under 23s at the time, and he's a player I'd worked with previously during my time as a coach at Sheffield United as a 16-year-old. I'd always followed him and tried to plot his journey when he went on two loan periods [at Stalybridge Celtic and Northampton Town].

“I watched him and I was absolutely delighted to bring him to the club. It was a fantastic signing for us, and he is now producing the sorts of displays and playing as well as we could ever have imagined when he was a young player. He's outstanding and has been a brilliant signing for us.”

Unsworth added on spotting an 18-year-old Calvert-Lewin and what he felt he he could become: “We felt it was a bargain.

“We felt that we'd signed a quality player, but it's easy now to sit here and say, 'we knew he would play in our first team'. At the time, he had all the tools to potentially be a first-team player.

“But Dominic has gone on and done brilliantly to jump over every hurdle he's come across and taken every opportunity that's come his way.

“He's just gone from strength to strength. He's an outstanding player, an outstanding young man, and we're all incredibly proud of him at Everton.”

Everton, who have gone unbeaten through their opening five Premier League fixtures this season, will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Southampton.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) head coach Cedric Kaze has explained the importance of individual talks with players.

Kaze has been in charge of Yanga for a week now since he was appointed to take Zlatko Krmpotic’s place and his main distinguishing character is the habit of holding talks with single players.

In one of the sessions he has overseen, Mwanaspoti reports that Kaze held a long conversation with Waziri Junior who has not featured in any Premier League match since he was signed from Mbao FC.

Haruna Niyonzima, Lamine Moro, Deus Kaseke and Mustapha Mauya are the other players who had been seen engaging with the coach for long.

“It is my principle that I pull aside a player or two and have talks with them either before or after training sessions,” the Burundian told Mwanaspoti.

“The main target is to make every player feel that they are part of the team so that no one feels he is of low value to the club. I believe the approach will help us do things in unity and see us succeed.

“I have analysed all the players in the sessions that we have had and in the talks we have had I believe will make everyone feel valued.”

Kaze will take charge of his first game for Yanga against Polisi Tanzania on Thursday at Uhuru National Stadium.

Polisi Tanzania head coach Ally Suleiman Mtuli is confident they will stun the record champions in Dar es Salaam.

“In football, there is always no big team but we respect Yanga as one of the oldest clubs in the country,” Mtuli told the same publication.

“What we have come for is a win and I believe we are going to get it.”

In the first meeting of the 2019/20 season, Yanga and Polisi Tanzania pulled off a 3-3 draw with Ditram Nchimbi, now playing for Yanga, scoring three goals against them. In the second round, they drew 1-1 when Tariq Seif, now playing for Polisi Tanzania scored for Yanga.

Mtuli's side has played six games and the last one at Uhuru Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw against Gwambina FC.

Yanga have played five and have 13 points from four wins and a draw.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt says his senior players Willard Katsande and Bernard Parker are no longer guaranteed places following the emergence of impressive young players in the team.

Hunt had already promised to give more chances to budding players after they impressed him in last Sunday’s MTN8 quarter-final victory over Maritzburg United.

Players like Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Njabulo Bloem and Happy Mashiane all saw little game time under previous coach Ernst Middendorp but Hunt appears to have more faith in them.

Now the championship-winning coach has specifically mentioned Katsande and Parker as having their places under real threat from these emerging players.

“These guys [Katsande and Parker] have given some unbelievable service to football. They have won a lot of trophies, they have been here for some time,” Hunt told Marawa Sport Worldwide on Metro FM.

“I understand that people are always looking for something special. But until somebody comes up, like right now with our situation, and puts his hand up and says ‘I am willing.’ Willard and Bernard both know that these young players are good like the young [Njabulo] Bloem in Katsande’s place.

"He had a fantastic game [against Maritzburg United], came on and changed the game. But he has to be on a consistency level of playing. I have to give him opportunities, which I will do.

“And he has to keep on challenging Willard, and Willard has to say, ‘These people are on my case.’ Like in all sports, like in boxing when you get older, somebody is going to be better than you.

“Same as Bernard, he has some young boys up there, the [Lebogang] Lesako, [Keletso] Sifama coming up. These boys are going to be challenging him. But right now I don’t see players being put out of position unless somebody really puts his hand up and says, ‘Right, I’m here.’ Look at Bloem on Sunday.”

Parker, however, lasted the entire match against Maritzburg, while Katsande was suspended.

Chiefs now gear up to face Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s opening Premier Soccer League (PSL) match.

Real Madrid great Guti said he would sign Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos, while mocking Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann.

La Liga champions Madrid have been heavily linked with a blockbuster move for PSG star Mbappe, who is out of contract in Paris at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Neymar, who swapped Barcelona for PSG in a world-record €222 million deal in 2017, has previously been linked with Madrid.

As Madrid prepare for Saturday's Clasico against bitter rivals Barca at Camp Nou, Guti talked up Neymar and Mbappe while poking fun at Griezmann, who has struggled to establish himself since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2019.

"I'd sign Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid and for Barcelona I wouldn't sign anyone, just for Griezmann to stay," Guti, 43, said as he laughed while discussing the Clasico.

"There are many great players in this game, but I'm going for the youngsters.

"Surely it'll be Ansu Fati at Barcelona and Vinicius [Junior] at Real Madrid [who can make an impact]. They're very talented players who are going to bring a lot to La Liga."

Both Madrid and Barca will enter the Clasico on the back of La Liga defeats, while the former were also stunned by Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 loss to newly promoted Cadiz at the weekend and Lionel Messi's Barca succumbed to Getafe by the same scoreline.

Zinedine Zidane's Madrid are a point adrift of Real Sociedad with a game in hand, while Barca are ninth and four points off the pace, having played a game less.

"It won't determine who'll win La Liga, but it is an important match," said Guti, who won five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies during his playing career at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Mentally, if a player does well or a team wins, then it can do you good for what is still to come in La Liga.

"It's a test for both of these teams to see what level they're at and to see what they can achieve this year."

I-League is expected to kick off on January 7, 2021, Goal understands. 

The competition was earlier scheduled to start after Christmas but after consultation with the West Bengal government, the start of the competition has been postponed to the first week of January. 

This season, 11 teams will participate in the upcoming edition of the I-League. Sudeva FC and Mohammedan Sporting are the two new entrants.

Mohammedan clinched promotion to the I-League, after an unbeaten run in the recently concluded I-League qualifiers after a hiatus of seven years. Whereas, Sudeva from New Delhi earned a direct entry the league after going through the Request for Proposal (RFP) process opened up by the AIFF (All India Football Federation).

The rest of the teams are Real Kashmir FC, Punjab FC, Chennai City FC, Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers, Indian Arrows, NEROCA, Aizawl FC, and TRAU. 

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming season is set to undergo a major overhaul, with the AIFF set to shorten the season. 

Instead of the usual format where a team plays every other team twice, this time around the tournament will be divided into two stages. 

A total of 80 matches will be played during the upcoming I-League season, with 11 teams set to play each other just once in the first phase. 

After the first phase, the top five teams will be grouped together where they will play for the championship while the bottom six teams will be grouped in a battle to stave off relegation. In the second stage, the teams will face all teams in their group once. 

The seventh edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) is scheduled to start less than a month away. 

This time around, there is a lot of interest in the league which will see several changes from the previous edition, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic in no small part. 

Last season's final was forced to be held behind closed doors in Goa after the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. And season seven is set to start from the same point. The entire seventh edition will be held in Goa, cutting back on all the travel and related arrangements for the teams. 

Moreover, the matches will be held without spectators and the teams will have to be in a bio-secure bubble, given the spread of Covid-19 throughout the world. 

The teams have already started their pre-season in tough circumstances in Goa and will be looking to get themselves in shape with very little time left for the start of the tournament. 

Interestingly, the biggest change will be the entry of the two Kolkata giants - Mohun Bagan and East Bengal into the tournament. It will ramp up interest in the ISL and its popularity in the football-mad state of West Bengal. 

So, when exactly is the ISL starting and what are the changes for this season? 

When is the 2020-21 season of ISL starting?

ISL has officially announced that the 2020-21 season will start on November 20, 2020. 

The fixtures for the competition have not been revealed yet though it is expected soon. 

How many teams will participate in 2020-21 ISL?

ISL used to have 10 teams from the 2017-18 season but from the 2020-21 season, it will feature 11 teams in total. 

This is after the entry of the two Kolkata giants - East Bengal and Mohun Bagan - into the ISL. While Mohun Bagan merged with reigning champions ATK to become ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal made their entry as 'SC East Bengal' after Shree Cement Ltd came on board as their investors. 

How many venues will be utilised for ISL 2020-21?

The 2020-21 season of the ISL will be played at three different venues. 

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, the Tilak Nagar Stadium in Vasco da Gama, and the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim are the three venues set to host the games. The first game of the season is expected to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda. 

There are 12 training pitches allotted to the teams. Click here to know more about them.

Where are the teams undergoing pre-season?

All teams are undergoing their pre-season in Goa this time around, given the challenges Covid-19 has thrown up.

However, Bengaluru FC are doing their pre-season training at their Vijayanagar base in Karnataka and are expected to arrive in Goa in time to complete the quarantine protocols and enter the bio-secure bubble for the competition. 

What are bio-secure bubble protocols for ISL 2020-21?

 ISL has laid out guidelines for smooth conducting of the upcoming edition while observing social distancing protocols which would prioritise the players' health and safety.

Click here to know find detail about these protocols and measures that the teams and players must follow.

The 2020-21 season of the UEFA Europa League is back. 

The continent's secondary club crown is up for grabs with some huge teams ready to battle it out amongst themselves. Matchday 1 set to start on Thursday with some tasty matchups on offer.

Though defending champions Sevilla are playing in the Champions League, there are illustrious names like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, AS Roma and more in the running to make their mark on the competition. 

Arsenal are up against Rapid Wien while Tottenham will take on Austrian side LASK. Leicester City face an opening day matchup against Zorya Luhansk while AS Roma are up against Young Boys from Switzerland. 

Contents

Where to watch or stream the Europa League

The  Sony Pictures Network (Sony and TEN channels) has the rights to show Europa League matches in India.

Matches will also be available to stream via SonyLIV app and website   , allowing supporters to watch multiple games simultaneously and catch the replay of matches.
 

Europa League fixtures

Matchday 1

*UEFA Europa League matches may be streamed online on SonyLIV.

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Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile wants to become the first Namibian to be named Footballer of the Season in South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Shalulile made an off-season move to Sundowns after his fantastic goalscoring exploits last season with Highlands Park, a club which no longer exists after they sold their franchise to TS Galaxy.

The 26-year-old scored 16 league goals last season (and three in the cup) and will share the league's top scorer award with Gabadinho Mhango of Orlando Pirates.

Shalulile has also been nominated as the Footballer of the Season, alongside Kaizer Chiefs' Samir Nurkovic and Mamelodi Sundowns pair Gaston Sirino and Themba Zwane.

Currently, Shalulile is one of two Namibians lighting up the PSL, the other being Orlando Pirates' Deon Hotto.

Historically though, and despite Namibia's close proximity to South Africa, not too many players have impacted upon the PSL.

Those that have over the last 20-years include Mohamed Ouseb, Robert Nauseb, Henrico Botes, Ronnie Kanalelo, Ricardo Mannetti and Rudolf Bester.

Shalulile is now hoping to earn legendary status by becoming the first from his country to be named as the best footballer in South Africa.

“It will be an amazing feeling because I will be the first Namibian to actually win the Player of the Season award and it would boost me as a player and also my CV and it would really make me happy in a way that I have worked hard and it is paying off," he was quoted as saying by Farpost.

“It would be an honour to win the Footballer of the Year. To be honest, winning this award will be something that I would dedicate to my family back home, they have been pushing me through the lockdown," he continued.

“It has been a hard three months for me and I would also dedicate this to my fellow teammates that have been pushing me, to God who made it possible for me and to all my fans and to the people back home, my parents, they gave me the talent.

“The message to the other nominees is that I am wishing them all the best, they are very good players, there’s no doubt about that and God bless them."

The PSL awards take place at 8 pm tonight, Thursday 22 October.

Kenya defender Clarke Oduor featured as Barnsley fought to a 2-2 draw against Stoke City and moved slightly out of the relegation zone.

Simoes Inacio scored for Oduor's side in the 18th minute before Stoke City equalised in the 44th minute via Tykes Campbell’s strike.

Hard-fighting Barnsley regained their lead in the first minute of added time of the first half through Dominik Frieser but the hosts equalised again in the 48th minute courtesy of Tommy Smith.

Stoke City would have won the game had they made use of the many chances they created in the final stages of the game even after they were reduced to 10 men after Nathan Collins was red-carded.

Oduor and his teammates are now sitting in the 21st position with three points while Stoke City moved to 10th place.

Barnsley’s caretaker manager Adam Murray said he is frustrated his players failed to pick up a win.

“Unbelievable frustration that we've not come away with a win, if you come to a place like Stoke in the Championship and score two goals away from home you expect to be winning the game,” Murray told BBC Sports.

“I'm really disappointed that a mistake's played a big part in the game, but it's something that we have to let go, [Walton] Jack's been outstanding since we came back from lockdown and probably kept us in the league.

“We're creating a lot of very good opportunities, we've spoken to the boys a lot over the last few weeks about getting into certain areas and getting into the assist zones to make chances, better chances, and we did that tonight but we're missing that ruthlessness and that killer touch.”

On his part, Stoke City’s Michael O'Neill blamed the assistant referee for the outcome and the red card given to Collins.

“I thought the assistant was poor all night and the decision he gave, how he gives it, it was so instant, we could hear him shouting 'red card, red card' straight away,” O'Neill said.

“And having watched it back Nathan's just blocked the striker's run as you'd expect a centre-back to do and the Barnsley player's thrown himself to the ground and held his face.

“It's not really the referee's fault as the referee has to take the information that he's given by the assistant, but having watched it back the assistant should never have been making that decision.

“I'm not sure he's in a great position - he's looking along the line but there are three bodies between him and Nathan as well.”

Stoke City came into the match unbeaten and were lucky to avoid one in the hands of managerless Barnsley.

While the big talking point after Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday was Pep Guardiola getting a win over former assistant manager Mikel Arteta, a lesser topic that invited discussion was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang firing another blank.

It’s now four games since the Gabon superstar last found the back of the net for the north Londoners — 393 minutes precisely since his trademark goal against newly-promoted Fulham. Auba, scorer of 22 Premier League goals in each of the last two seasons, is now in danger of not hitting those numbers again given the recent evidence.

In truth, there’s a caveat: it’s still too early to ascertain whether the forward’s dry spell at the start of 2020/21 will lead to a significant reduction in goals, while it ought to be noted that two of those games have been against Liverpool and Manchester City, many pundits’ picks to challenge for the title.

However, the rebuttal to the second assertion would be to indicate how Aubameyang’s recent run of scoring vs the big teams at the backend of last season in league and cup, as well as in the Community Shield, looked to be a precursor to a newly-found edge in the so-called big games.

This hasn’t been the case, with the former Borussia Dortmund striker attempting no shots against the Reds at Anfield and City on Saturday, a pretty damning fact. He had 27 and 25 touches respectively in both encounters, completing eight passes on Merseyside and 10 in Manchester at the weekend.

Indeed, this has dampened the optimism that’d grown in the last three months over the prolific frontman’s big-game goals. Having been criticised for being peripheral in encounters vs Arsenal’s rivals, the 2019 Golden Boot winner seemed to have been empowered recently to punish City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of a couple of months.

Be that as it may, statistics from Arsenal’s other games suggest there may be a bigger problem, with Aubameyang not even getting many shots away, thus calling Arteta’s approach into question. Against West Ham United, he attempted one effort, while there were two attempts (both off target) in the Gunners’ last home game vs Sheffield United.

After three strikes at goal from the club’s skipper in their opening day victory, there’s been a decrease in the volume of shots in recent matches.

Admittedly, it’s a small sample size, but should this be worrying and are misgivings about Arteta’s approach reasonable given that the frontman scored those hugely important strikes under the talented tactician at the end of 19/20?

To be honest, it’s hard to not sympathise with Arteta, owing to the profile of players he has at his disposal. The recent weeks have revealed why Houssem Aouar was chased, and while Thomas Partey’s addition potentially adds a lot of positive things to the side, their glaring creativity problem remains a bugbear.

Arsenal lack a genuine playmaker in the side — well, there’s Mesut Ozil but he’s strangely persona non grata with the regime at the moment — and it’s up to their astute trainer to find solutions as Auba has seemingly been nullified in recent contests. Some might suggest this was a matter of time, given how reliant the north London side were on their captain to deliver in the final third last term.

It was interesting to see how Guardiola silenced the attacker on Saturday, deploying Kyle Walker as a right-sided centre-back to limit his effectiveness.

Having punished his City team with a brace in the FA Cup semi-final in July from only three shots, Pep restricted the frontman’s efforts to zilch this time around.

Although still early doors, an interesting observation in Auba’s average heat map shows how the striker spends less time in the opposition’s box, compared to last season.

This may well change as the games come thick and fast but the current facts are striking, nonetheless.

With other top contenders for the Golden Boot currently firing on all fronts, Auba already has a lot of catching up to do if he’s to compete for or win the top scorers award for a second time.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Heung-min Son have netted seven respectively, Mohamed Salah has hit six, one more than the pair of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy and two higher than teammate Sadio Mane.

In spite of the current lean run in front of goal, maybe Gooners shouldn’t fret too much as this isn’t unprecedented in Auba’s Arsenal career.

He went on a four-game drought either side of the lockdown before hitting a brace against Norwich City and a further three in five starts.

Earlier, as Unai Emery’s reign unravelled, the frontman scored one in six games, before hitting six in the following nine games.

However, digging deeper, the striker’s shot statistics in his identical drought last term highlights numbers which put current scarcity in context.

Despite not hitting the back of the net vs West Ham, Man City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, Auba attempted a staggering 13 attempts in those four games — one, two, seven and three respectively — 10 higher than he’s managed in this current dry spell.

This will definitely worry even the most optimistic supporter, given how the side have leaned on Aubameyang in the last two years.

Arteta has certainly stabilised Arsenal in less than a year in charge. Still, how he navigates a tricky period for his team’s best player will go a long way in the North London club’s push to end in the automatic Champions League spots as well as compete for the Europa League.

With the Klang Valley area still undergoing Covid-19 lockdown that may be extended due to the new daily cases, clubs based in the area have been forced to prepare a little differently for the coming Malaysia Cup.

This includes training in neighbouring states, as well as using other stadiums as their home ground in the competition.

33-time cup winners Selangor are one of them, and according to secretary-general Johan Kamal Hamidon, they are moving the team to Seremban, Negeri Sembilan in order to be able to conduct full daily training.

Under the current lockdown in the state of Selangor and federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, sports matches have been temporarily prohibited, while sports training in groups is limited to 10 people at a time.

"We will be camping in Seremban for a week or so, and hopefully the lockdown will be loosened a bit afterwards so we can continue contact training in the state [of Selangor].

"The team will leave for Seremban tomorrow (Thursday, October 22), as we have received the approval to travel inter-state from the National Security Council and the Shah Alam police department," he explained to Goal in a telephone call on Wednesday.

And if the lockdown is extended beyond the Malaysia Cup kick-off dates of 6, 7 and 8 November, the Red Giants are also looking at playing their home games in the same city, specifically at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium.

"We will play our home matches in Paroi... We have spoken to the stadium owner; the [Seremban] municipal council, and the home team here, Negeri Sembilan have no objection to our plan.

"But this all ultimately depends on the lockdown situation and whether Klang Valley-based teams will be allowed to play at home," noted Johan.

Apart from Selangor, four other Malaysia Cup clubs have been affected by the lockdown; Felda United who train there, Petaling Jaya City, UiTM FC and Kuala Lumpur.

The ongoing lockdown began on November 14 and is scheduled to end on October 27.