World news

It seems strange to think now following a hugely impressive Premier League campaign with West Ham and subsequent England call-up that Jarrod Bowen’s football career looked in danger of being over before it had even begun.

There are a few members of Gareth Southgate’s squad that looked destined for superstardom from the very beginning. There are some who won the World Cup with England at U17 level, others who were established Premier League players in their teens and in the case of Jude Bellingham, a player who commanded an eight-figure transfer fee by the age of 17.

That was certainly not the case for Bowen. There was no state-of-the-art academy schooling. No England call-up at any level until that one that arrived last week. No social media hype. Instead, there were humble beginnings in the Conference and a spate of rejections from Football League clubs. His journey to the top has certainly been untypical, or to paraphrase Southgate, “interesting”.

When Bowen broke into Hereford United’s first-team as a 17-year-old towards the end of a season in which they were relegated from the Conference Premier for financial reasons, a matter of months before going out of business, the prospect of one day playing for England didn’t seem particularly realistic.

More from Football

Graeme Souness won't be the only Scotland fan hoping Ukraine qualify for the World Cup31 May, 2022Uefa orders independent review over Liverpool Champions League final chaos30 May, 2022Why claims about Liverpool fans with fake tickets in Paris don't add up30 May, 2022

In Bowen’s words, it felt “a million miles away”. Speaking at England’s St George’s Park complex a day after joining up with the rest of the squad for this month’s Nations League fixtures, Bowen’s bright eyes and wide grin were giveaways to a 25-year-old realising an ambition that for a long time had looked out of reach.

“Sometimes I look back at where I’ve come from and especially being in an England camp now – not sounding big-headed – but I’ve got to take my hat off to myself for where I’ve come from to where I am now,” he admitted. “I was just playing for my local team week in and week out in the Conference.”

At one stage, even that looked to be in jeopardy. Hereford scrapped their youth team as a cost-cutting measure as the club’s bleak financial situation deteriorated and a failed trial with Cardiff City left Bowen in limbo. It wasn’t the first time that Bowen had experienced rejection – Aston Villa passed up on the chance to sign him when he was a boy – but with his hopes of becoming a professional seemingly hanging by a thread, it was the most painful.

Most goal contributions in the Premier League this season

• Mo Salah (Liverpool) – 36 (23 goals, 13 assists)
• Son Heung-min (Spurs) – 30 (23 goals, seven assists)
• Harry Kane (Spurs) – 26 (17 goals, nine assists)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – 23 (15 goals, eight assists)
• Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) – 22 (12 goals, 10 assists)

“Hereford told me that their youth system was kind of finished so I went on trial to Cardiff for six weeks and I thought I’d done well,” he recalled.

“My Dad took the phone call and I could just tell it was bad news straight away. He told me they don’t you fancy either so I was kind of stuck with no Hereford, no Cardiff, no football so I was kind of chilling for about a month thinking “I don’t know what I’m going to do here, I’m in trouble”. At that time of Cardiff saying no that was a hard moment to take.”

There was no backup plan in place either. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he admits. “In school I wasn’t the brightest spark, I just wanted to play football, that was it.”

Fortunately, Bowen was re-registered by Hereford as a first-team player and as fate would have it, he forced his way into the first-team just before their implosion, catching the eye of Hull City in the process. He has since progressed with each step, from excelling in the Championship, to starring in the Premier League and Europa League to earning an England place.

More on England Football

Why Phillips should be dropped and Tomori could replace Maguire for England against Hungary30 May, 2022Rise in pitch invasions is 'unacceptable' says Southgate, as England prepare for fan-less games24 May, 2022Bowen earns first call up but Henderson left out as England name 27-man Nations League squad24 May, 2022

Last summer, Bowen was supporting England as a fan during their Euro 2020 win against Germany; this summer, he’s hoping to sufficiently impress to boost his chances of represent his country at a World Cup.

“I was just a massive fan, singing the national anthem and all the songs and jumping up and down when England scored,” Bowen recalls of the memorable 2-0 win last June. “Of course, I’ve thought about it [the World Cup] but this is my first camp and I want to show what I’m about and cement my place here.”

Bowen: Rice is the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League

Bowen’s adaptation to the England setup will have been helped by his relationships with West Ham teammate Declan Rice and former Hull City colleague Harry Maguire, who are stalwarts in Southgate’s squad.

Both Bowen and Rice were rewarded for their performances for David Moyes’ side last month, with the former scooping West Ham’s Players’ Player of the Year award and the latter named the Hammer of the Year.

And Bowen was full of praise for Rice, stating that he is the best player in his position in English football and insisting that he is improving with each season.

“I don’t think so,” Bowen replied when asked if there was a better defensive midfielder in the Premier League than the 23-year-old. “I think you look at Dec and I think he’s getting spoken about more now because people are starting to realise what he does and what he’s about.

“And this season he has just gone from strength to strength and he’s got everything you need.”

On speculation over Rice’s future, Bowen added: “I don’t see it as a distraction for Dec.

“I think it just goes to show the steps he’s made in the past probably two years since the Euros final. That Euros, Dec really shows what he’s about. I think people started to understand him a bit more and realise how good he is.

“I see it every day in training. I’ve seen how good he is, the Euros season and this season he’s really gone to another level.”

Bowen also reserved praise for Maguire, describing the Manchester United captain as his toughest opponent.

“I’ve always struggled against Big Harry because he’s so big!” he said. “I remember playing against him so many times, I was with him at Hull and it was the same in training. He was so big and just used to put his arm across me.”

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/6e3EQ4G

What does it mean to be playing football in one corner of Europe when in another people are recoiling from the horrors of war?

On the final day of preparations ahead of Scotland’s World-Cup play-off match against Ukraine the latest sweep of the devastated Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol gave up a further 152 bodies.

Attempts to rescue 15,000 civilians from Severodonetsk, a city receiving the Mariupol treatment 170 miles to the north, was again abandoned due to the scale of a Russian bombardment described by the BBC correspondent as a “war of oblivion”.

Yet here we are advancing on Hampden Park as if reaching the World Cup finals was something worth the trouble.

More from Football

Uefa orders independent review over Liverpool Champions League final chaos30 May, 2022Why claims about Liverpool fans with fake tickets in Paris don't add up30 May, 2022Tottenham will be title contenders next season if they get this transfer window right30 May, 2022

There are two ways of looking at this. One is to recognise that for this to happen at all it requires us not to engage with reality, to sever the connection with a country we can reach inside three hours by air.

Imagine the optics were Martian leaders observing homo sapiens from space trying to piece together some understanding of a world in which a football match involving Ukraine could take place while the lives of its citizens are being systematically erased.

It does not need the involvement of Ukraine in a sporting context to trouble us. That any recreational showpiece, be it World Cup qualification, international cricket, the French Open tennis, might be considered appropriate in the present circumstances ought to make us all blink.

It is clear Ukraine would prefer its European neighbours and global supporters to direct their efforts towards the defence of its borders rather than signalling solidarity though token gestures.

On the other hand, there will be universal support at Hampden for a Ukraine team clearly conflicted by their involvement when their brothers and comrades are giving their lives on the front line.

Yet there is a sense in which the trivial nature of the contest is balanced by the symbolic value of 11 footballers in yellow and blue coming together on a high profile stage to reinforce feelings of identity and national pride, to bring attention to the heinous atrocities committed by Russia.

In the propaganda space, sport is a tool much beloved of Vladimir Putin. Thus there is some satisfaction to be taken from the capacity of Ukraine to keep the war at the forefront of global attention as Russia continues its barbarous subjugation of a sovereign neighbour.

This is the first match played by Ukraine since the invasion began on 24 February. Speaking to Good Morning Scotland, a Ukrainian national travelling from Manchester, Martyn Chymera, made a point about the timing of the fixture.

“At the moment I think what is going on in Ukraine is going off the headlines so this again is an opportunity to remind people. Also it is an opportunity to stand up and sing our anthem and sing about the freedom of Ukraine, which is completely important at the minute while our men are fighting for their freedom.”

Another, Andriy Smondulak, reinforced the emotional power of the game. “I think goosebumps will be felt around the world. Ukrainians in the stadium will be singing their hearts out,” he said. “I think Hampden Park will temporarily feel like an opera house with so much emotion and drama, both on and off the pitch.”

It is then in its importance as a touchstone, as a gathering point for Ukrainian sentiment, that the significance of this fixture is to be found, however absurd it might feel in the context of war and lives lost. When Bill Shankly joked that football was not life and death, but something more important than that, there was meaning in his mirth.

From a professional point of view this is the most important match in the lives of this group. Though the sons of Ukraine have played in the World Cup many times in the colours of the Soviet Union, only once, 16 years ago, have they represented their own nation.

The chance to emulate the boys of 2006 coupled with the obvious emotional complexity are among the intangibles that could propel Ukraine to a plane beyond Scotland’s reach.

You would imagine the majority in the stadium will be wishing otherwise, of course, but even then there are some Scots, Graeme Souness included, feeling the sentimental pull of yellow and blue.

“Part of me keeps coming back to the fact that it’s just a game of football, and do I really want to beat them. Whether it’s sport, politics, the arts, whatever it is, we must send a message to Russia that it’s not acceptable what they are doing,” Souness told The Times. “I’m going to find myself in a really difficult situation. I’ll be emotional. I don’t just want Ukraine to qualify, I want them to go there [Qatar] and win it.”

We hear you Souey. You are not alone with your paradox.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/ZoOlpEg

Football body Uefa has ordered an independent review of events surrounding the Champions League final after UK officials demanded a probe over the treatment of Liverpool fans.

Portuguese lawmaker Dr Tiago Brandão Rodrigues has been commissioned to lead a comprehensive review that will “examine decision making, responsibility and behaviours of all entities involved in the final,” the sporting body said.

The findings of the independent review will be made public once completed and Uefa will “evaluate the next steps” based on its findings, the body said.

Downing Street had demanded answers over the “disturbing” treatment of Liverpool fans caught up in chaos at the Champions League final, with fans including young children and pregnant women pepper-sprayed while attempting to enter the stadium with valid tickets.

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said: “I’m pleased that Uefa has listened and will conduct a full, independent inquiry into the events at the Stade de France on Saturday night.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool FC asked supporters who attended the final in Paris to complete an online survey about their experiences to be used by the inquiry.

Chief executive Billy Hogan said: “All of the information is going to be treated securely and respectfully within the club. It’s vitally important that we get all this information into one place so it can be used in an investigation in the proper way.”

French ministers have claimed that thousands of fans turned up without tickets and attempted to gain entry to the stadium.

A No 10 spokesman said earlier that footage from outside the Stade de France was “deeply upsetting and disturbing”.

“We know many Liverpool fans travelled to Paris in good time to support their team in one of the biggest matches of the season and we are hugely disappointed by how they were treated,” he said.

“Fans deserve to know what happened, so we are urging Uefa to work closely with the French authorities on a full investigation and to publish those findings.”

More on Liverpool FC

Why claims about Liverpool fans with fake tickets don't add up after Champions League final30 May, 2022France and Uefa's excuses for Champions League final chaos debunked as Liverpool fans seethe30 May, 2022Why the 2023 Champions League final venue holds a special place in the hearts of Liverpool fans29 May, 2022

The spokesman said earlier statements from Uefa blaming the delayed kick-off on the late arrival of fans “doesn’t chime with the experience of many of those standing outside the stadium”.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard, who attended the game, said it was “nonsense” to blame fans.

“There was no late arrival of fans. The problem was that the gates were closed, I was in a queue, in a crush, with my wife, which could have become very dangerous,” Lord Howard told the BBC.

“And we were waiting for the gate to which we’d been told to go and which was the right gate according to our tickets to open and it wasn’t opened.”

Liverpool MP Ian Byrne said fans were treated “like animals” which brought back “so many terrible memories” of the Hillsborough football disaster in April 1989.

Speaking on Sky News, he said: “It was horrific, there’s no other words to describe it, it was absolutely horrific.”

He blamed “awful policing and stewarding” and an “extremely hostile atmosphere”.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/KXeSwUk

French government officials have reiterated claims that Liverpool fans with fake tickets caused the chaotic scenes that preceded the Champions League final in Paris, despite countless testimonies blaming a series of security and organisational failures.

France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there had been “fraud on an industrial scale” and that “70 per cent of tickets were fake coming into the stadium”.

The capacity of the ground is around 75,000 – so if that was full of “real” ticket-holders, with the alleged other 70 per cent fake, that would mean that around 175,000 counterfeit tickets were presented at the gates. There were only an estimated 50,000 Liverpool fans in Paris.

No evidence has so far been produced to suggest those figures are accurate and Mr Darmanin’s claims do not appear to tally with the estimates of Amelia Oudea-Castera, the French Sports Minister, who said there were 30-40,000 people without tickets or with fake tickets”.

More from Football

Uefa orders independent review over Liverpool Champions League final chaos30 May, 2022Tottenham will be title contenders next season if they get this transfer window right30 May, 2022Why Phillips should be dropped and Tomori could replace Maguire for England against Hungary30 May, 2022

As criticism of the authorities’ handling of the match mounted on Monday, ministers admitted that around 2,700 fans with legitimate tickets had not gained access to the Stade de France. Uefa would be compensating those supporters, it was added.

So far, Parisian police have published a photo of one counterfeit ticket, but there has been no demonstration of the scale of the issue.

There have been other inconsistencies in the official record of events. As the chaotic scenes outside the ground worsened, Uefa initially delayed kick-off by 15 minutes and in an announcement inside the stadium attributed it to the late arrival of fans, despite thousands of supporters being crammed into dangerously tight spaces outside the ground in queues that had been forming from around 7pm local time, with more than two hours to go until the game started.

Uefa later released a statement claiming the turnstiles had been blocked by “fake tickets which did not work” – though some gates were closed with around an hour to go until kick-off and many of the supporters who were pepper-sprayed by police had not had their tickets checked, so at that stage it could not be ascertained if they were real or not.

The “ring of steel” – an additional security cordon which was in place at the Stade de France at Euro 2016 – was not used, adding to further bottlenecks before tickets were scanned. Pregnant women, children, and disabled fans were among those caught up in the chaos.

Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, compared the scenes – and indeed the attitudes towards Liverpool supporters which have emerged since – to the Hillsborough disaster in which 97 people lost their lives. In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, Mr Byrne said accusations being made against Liverpool fans were “utter nonsense”, adding: “I can honestly say that the situation outside the ground was one of the most horrendous experiences of my life – and as a Hillsborough survivor I do not make this comment lightly.”

Mr Byrne also referenced distressed relatives of Hillsborough victims who were present to witness the scenes as they unfolded.

Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara’s wife, Julia Vigas, also added weight to fans’ accounts, describing her experience as a “total nightmare” due to “a lack of organisation and security”.

Related Stories

Liverpool fell short of perfection but they will be back after a summer of searching questions29 May, 2022Blaming Liverpool fans for Champions League final chaos is 'shameful', says French politician29 May, 2022Champions League final was a sorry night for Liverpool and an even worse one for football28 May, 2022

“There were so many scary moments. Constantly threatened by bands of robbers that were trying to assault us and slipped into the stadium without a ticket,” she added. “For that many supporters were left out of the game, triggering avalanches of people. Tear gas was thrown by the police at families and supporters, and some of them also were beaten down. All of them innocent people.”

Mrs Vigas said she left the stadium for her own safety. Left-back Andy Robertson had also supported the fans’ version of events, saying an official ticket he had given to a friend through the club had been dismissed as fake.

Separately, i found some Liverpool supporters had been conned out of thousands of pounds by a scammer on Twitter. However, they did not travel to Paris and did not receive the tickets at all; there was no evidence found of any significant number of fake tickets being in circulation. The group’s Twitter account has since been deactivated and a mobile number which had been used for communicating with fans is no longer active. One fan, who declined to be named, said that among victims of the scam were parents of a child with autism, while another was suffering from cancer.

Fact-check – what happened at the Champions League final?

• Uefa first said the delays were caused by “late arrival of fans” – later, they said turnstiles had been blocked by “fake tickets which did not work”
• Several senior UK government officials have condemned the treatment of Liverpool fans, including a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, and Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston
• Merseyside Police, who were present to liaise with French authorities, have said behaviour from the vast majority of Liverpool fans was “exemplary”
• By 8pm, the Liverpool end was only around 25 per cent full – that is contrary to claims that thousands of supporters had gained access via fake tickets
• i‘s chief football writer Daniel Storey was at the Stade de France. He writes that “even two hours before the match, thousands of supporters were being forced to congregate in bottlenecks and faced a lengthy queue to get into the stadium”
• Other eyewitnesses saw fans pepper-sprayed before tickets were shown, as well as huge bottlenecks of supporters being contained in narrow walkways near the stadium
• French ministers did not produce evidence of the number of fake tickets, despite their claims that “70 per cent” of those trying to access the stadium had counterfeit tickets
• Liverpool have formally requested an inquiry

There has been one arrest of a 37-year-old man by Merseyside Police regarding the printing of fake tickets in Cheshire, though it is not believed that case is related.

Travis McNulty, another supporter who lost up to $7,000 on tickets he never received, together with flights and hotels, told i the experience had been “devastating”. He trusted a tout whom he had met in person previously and who had sent photos from multiple European away matches.

Merseyside Police, who had officers on the ground, said the behaviour of fans who did make the trip was largely “exemplary”.

It adds to the growing pressure on Uefa on the same day that Rangers released a statement condemning the governing body’s organisation of the Europa League final, when fans were left without water in soaring temperatures and there were further issues surrounding treatment of supporters by police and body searches.

“These issues could easily have led to even more severe problems on the night and it was only thanks to the calmness and mutual respect of both sets of fans towards each other that there were not more severe injuries suffered,” Rangers said.

Towards the end of the Champions League final, security personnel also organised a cordon at the Liverpool end of the stadium despite there being no signs of trouble, with Real Madrid leading 1-0. That was interpreted by some as another indication of prejudice against Liverpool fans.

While the French Interior Minister did express “regret that there was disorganisation with regard to welcoming the British supporters as opposed to the Spanish supporters”, government officials have stood by their account, while Uefa have issued no further update since Saturday night.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/NXsqxkJ

It’s fair to say relations didn’t begin well between Ivan Perisic and Antonio Conte when they first met in Milan.

Conte had just arrived as Inter manager, in May 2019, and told the club’s second highest scorer of the previous season, who saw himself quite clearly as a forward, that he needed to learn to defend.

To Perisic’s credit, he tried. He worked on his defensive positioning, his tracking back, his tackling. But Perisic didn’t believe he could do it, and Conte sent him away. “His response isn’t positive,” the Italian said, before sending him on loan to Bayern Munich.

A year later, Perisic returned to Italy a Champions League and Bundesliga winner who had played 35 games, scored eight goals and assisted 10. Yet Conte was far more impressed by his newfound defensive application than any trophies.

More from Football

Why claims about Liverpool fans with fake tickets don't add up after Champions League final30 May, 2022Why Phillips should be dropped and Tomori could replace Maguire for England against Hungary30 May, 2022Signing up star loanees has to be priority No 1 if Forest want to survive in the Premier League30 May, 2022

I recall this story because Perisic is set to become Conte’s first major signing of the summer at Tottenham and it’s a telling example of the curious devotion Conte commands from his players. Chances are the majority of footballers discarded in the way Perisic had been would not jump at the prospect of working under the manager again. Yet despite being one of this summer’s most sought-after out-of-contract players, Perisic chose Conte.

Word’s been getting round football circles in recent weeks that the Spurs x Conte collaboration could be on the verge of causing a surprise in the season ahead. That Tottenham are a good summer transfer window away from seriously loosening the stranglehold of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea on English football.

Clearly Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has smelt something in the Hotspur Way air. Levy’s decision to convince majority shareholders ENIC Sports Inc to make £150 million available would not have been made lightly.

And looking at Conte’s record, it’s easy to see why people are so captivated by his thrall. Everything he touches turns to silverware. When Conte took over at Juventus in 2011 they had just finished in seventh place for a successive season. This was not the mighty Juventus team of now, but the wounded beast still recovering from the Calciopoli scandal that saw them relegated to Serie B with a six-point deduction for match-fixing.

In stepped Conte, the return of the club’s former captain and fan-favourite forming a wave of expectation, and immediately made clear to the players that they were, quite simply, not good enough.

Andrea Pirlo had made a shock move from AC Milan on a free transfer and Conte worked smartly, signing Arturo Vidal and pairing him with Claudio Marchisio to allow Pirlo to spin his silk in central midfield. That season, Pirlo finished with Serie A’s most assists, created 100 chances and in the whole world only Xavi completed more passes than him.

Sixteen days shy of a year since Conte’s arrival, Juventus secured a first title in nine years and ended the season unbeaten, a first for Serie A after its expansion to 20 teams. For each of Conte’s three seasons in charge, Juventus won the league and the Italian was awarded the Panchina d’Oro – Serie A’s manager of the season.

“When Conte speaks, his words assault you,” Pirlo later wrote in I Think Therefore I Play.

After Conte turned Romelu Lukaku from a struggling Manchester United striker into a title-winner and near £100m player during two seasons together at Inter Milan (when Conte arrived they were in fourth and he left them as champions), Lukaku recalls how Conte taught players “how to go to the red zone”. Indeed, Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci referred to Conte as “the hammer” – “the rapport with Conte is frank and direct”.

More on Tottenham Hotspur FC

Fraser Forster signing will be the first step of a shrewd summer window for Tottenham26 May, 2022Paulo Fonseca escaped from Ukraine and now hopes for Premier League job despite Spurs snub26 May, 2022Why Spurs face their most crucial summer transfer window since 201924 May, 2022

In hindsight, it makes sense that Conte’s two-year spell in charge of Italy didn’t work out spectacularly. He is an all-or-nothing manager, a coach who gets results by demanding every last drop is squeezed from players every day in training. You can’t bend players to your will, shape them into the requirements of the whole rather than the individual, meeting only a few times a year.

Conte certainly had his work cut-out during his first job back in 2016, joining a Chelsea side on the back of a disastrous season in which they had finished 10th in the Premier League. Still, it didn’t take long for Conte’s transformation to take hold.

They would win the title with two games to spare during a season in which Chelsea won 30 of 38 league games – setting a Premier League record – and Conte became the first manager to win three successive Manager of the Month awards.

Even Conte’s formative years as a coach are frequented by these uplifting reconstructions. Midway through the 2006-07 season he took charge of relegation-threatened Bari then guided them to mid-table before winning the Serie B title the following year. After Siena were relegated from the Italian top-flight in 2010 they appointed Conte and he led them straight back up.

There are shades of it at Tottenham. Arriving in November at a club in ninth, with little sense of direction, all going a bit Spursy again, and still he led them to Champions League qualification.

At the core of the Spurs squad he has inherited still remain the bones of a side who once challenged for the Premier League and reached a Champions League final – notably Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris. Along with Perisic, they need at least one centre-back, a central midfielder, perhaps another full-back.

After Perisic arrived back from Germany to become a pivotal part in Inter’s title-winning season, Conte said he was pleased the player was ready “to put himself at the service of the team”. When players submit to Conte’s teams, they tend to win trophies.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/8CRxwNi

Gareth Southgate has six months to refine his selection and his thinking ahead of England’s World Cup opener against Iran on 21 November. Or put another way, six competitive matches. Four of them are condensed into 10 days in June starting in Hungary on Saturday.

The principal building blocks are in place. Southgate has his favourites, or players he trusts. Into this bracket come Jordan Pickford, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and, of course, skipper Harry Kane.

His immediate concern in the absence of Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw is at left-back.

More broadly midfield is arguably the area Southgate must improve if England are to progress from finalists to tournament winners for the first time since 1966.

More from Football

Why claims about Liverpool fans with fake tickets don't add up after Champions League final30 May, 2022Tottenham will be title contenders next season if they get this transfer window right30 May, 2022Signing up star loanees has to be priority No 1 if Forest want to survive in the Premier League30 May, 2022

Absentees, including Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa and Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe, have work to do when the season resumes in August to push for inclusion in the squad for the final Nations League fixtures in September. After that Southgate will be done with learning.

Below we take a deeper look at England’s squad for the Nations League, their fixtures for the rest of the year and how Southgate’s thinking in each position will be shaped in the coming weeks:

England’s Nations League squad

Goalkeepers:

• Jordan Pickford
• Nick Pope
• Aaron Ramsdale

Defenders:

• Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Conor Coady
• Marc Guehi
• Reece James
• James Justin
• Harry Maguire
• John Stones
• Fikayo Tomori
• Kieran Trippier
• Kyle Walker

Midfielders:

• Jude Bellingham
• Conor Gallagher
• Mason Mount
• Kalvin Phillips
• Declan Rice
• James Ward-Prowse

Forwards:

• Tammy Abraham
• Jarrod Bowen
• Phil Foden
• Jack Grealish
• Harry Kane
• Bukayo Saka
• Raheem Sterling

England fixtures

June 2022

• Hungary vs England (Nations League)
• Germany vs England (Nations League)
• England vs Italy (Nations League)
• England vs Hungary (Nations League)

September 2022

• Italy vs England (Nations League)
• England vs Germany (Nations League)

November 2022

• England vs Iran (World Cup
• England vs USA (World Cup)
• England vs Playoff winner (World Cup)

Goalkeeper

Pickford continues to enjoy Southgate’s favour, given which it will take either injury or clear and obvious decline to see Nick Pope or Aaron Ramsdale elevated to the starting line-up in Qatar.

Dean Henderson will need first team-football at Manchester United or elsewhere to have a chance of shifting Pope or Ramsdale.

Defence

Southgate is generally risk-averse. He will want to give Maguire every chance of proving his readiness to start alongside John Stones, with whom he formed a solid pairing at the Euros last summer.

The question is mental more than physical, with Southgate assessing how much of the old Maguire is left after a season in the energy-draining vortex of Manchester United. At some point you would expect to see Fikayo Tomori after a season of rapid growth at AC Milan.

Don’t be surprised to see Trippier start at left-back. Southgate values experience. At least on this occasion he has an excuse though there might be greater value in starting with Leicester’s versatile defender James Justin, who is adept at left-back as well as right. Kyle Walker’s pace gives him the edge at right-back, though in possession Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold offer more. And in that order.

Southgate will have noted the positioning of the latter for the winning goal in the Champions League final where Vinicius Jnr was allowed a free hit at the far post.

As ever with Alexander-Arnold the question is one of weighing the attacking gains of his exquisite delivery against defensive weakness.

James is the ideal compromise.

Analysis: Alexander Arnold’s flaws exposed by Vinicius

By Daniel Storey, i chief football writer

The longer Liverpool played Battleships, guessing at squares without ever quite sinking their teeth into something to give them real heart, Ancelotti knew that his time would come. His team created exactly the type of chance that Liverpool never did: teasing ball across the face, an attacker running onto the ball rather than stood still, sloppy marking that turns half-chance into simple one.

REAL MADRID LEAD! ????

Vinícius Júnior steals in at the back post to tap home from close range #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/owgAzrA75V

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2022

Charge up the great Trent Alexander-Arnold defensive debate one more time this season. Either Liverpool’s right-back doesn’t even look to see Vinicius Junior’s run or he looks once and then fails to cover it. Either way, it cost Liverpool. For all his surging attacking majesty and his set-piece delivery, it is an identified flaw that the best opponents will look to exploit. It had been previewed extensively as the key individual battle. The wisdom of the crowd principle strikes again.

Read Daniel’s full analysis from the Stade de France here

Midfield

Southgate must wean himself off the double defensive pivot of Declan Rice and Kevin Phillips if England are to hit the sweet spot in midfield. The two essentially do the same job and when in tandem end up both too deep.

The hope would be to see Jude Bellingham mature into a No 8 persuasive enough to force Southgate’s hand. After a decent start in the Euro final at Wembley England gradually fell under the spell of Jorginho and Marco Verratti, who recycled the ball so brilliantly against an England midfield falling ever deeper. It was only in extra time when Southgate committed to a more attacking shape that England looked comfortable and convincing.

Bellingham offers that crucial gear change in the middle of the park and drives forward in a way Rice and Phillips do not. Rice, Bellingham and Mount for his work-rate would be a decent experiment.

A better one would be to include Phil Foden in the Mount role instead of left of the attacking-three, where he is more likely to start.

Attack

Raheem Sterling, under-used by Pep Guardiola in Manchester City’s run-in, deserves to start with Kane for his experience and knack of finding space. He still has the pace and trickery to worry defenders and devastate in open play.

The last spot is a toss-up between Foden, if not in the No 10 role, the rapidly maturing Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish, also a peripheral figure in City’s title run-in.

Grealish is harder to assimilate into City. He slows the Pep rhythm. For England, who do not have a Bernardo Silva or Riyad Mahrez, he is that sliver of mercury offering a point of difference.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/Opxldit

In the dressing room of Wembley, Steve Cooper called for calm. He had two final messages for his players before they headed back to Nottingham, delirious and delighted. The first was that they should spend as much time with their families as possible over the next few days; these were the people who had sacrificed the most and were the most proud. The second, delivered as a punchline with a faux-serious expression, was simple: “We are Premier League”. Cue raucous celebrations and Cooper beaming as he tried to escape the sprayed champagne.

Those two messages reflected the mood amongst supporters. On Wembley Way they created a sea of red that engulfed Huddersfield’s blue and white. Thirty years ago, trips to the national stadium were commonplace: 1988, 1989 (twice), 1990, 1991, 1992. And then…nothing. A light turned out on Brian Clough’s tenure and with it Forest’s time in the sun. Saturday was about kinship, community and family, those who remember great nights taking those still seeking great days.

If getting to the Premier League was the ultimate reward it was, as nonsensical as it sounds, an afterthought. When there is redemption to seek, glory to reacquaint yourself with like a long-lost friend, the experience itself becomes everything. Those on trains home barely spoke of the future, merely the mesmeric, overpowering present.

On Monday, Forest held a hastily organised victory presentation in the city’s Market Square. The banner draped across the balcony of the Council House, where Forest once paraded European Cups and the First Division title in 1998, reinforced Cooper’s message to the tens of thousands of revellers who can’t quite believe it yet: We are Premier League.

More from Football

Leeds ace out and Chelsea reject to replace Man Utd flop? How England should line up vs Hungary30 May, 2022How Nottingham Forest seized destiny to end two decades of desperate longing29 May, 2022Why the 2023 Champions League final venue holds a special place in the hearts of Liverpool fans29 May, 2022

The work has already begun. Forest drew up plans in case of top-flight or second-tier football next season and will delight in screwing up the latter into a ball. One of the inevitabilities of promotion via the play-offs, to a league containing super clubs and state-owned investments, is that you are the favourites to be relegated. Shortly before leaving for the parade, a PR email landed: “Nottingham Forest are 8-11 to be relegated next season after they defeated Huddersfield in the Championship play-off final”. Way to kill the buzz.

The most noticeable aspect of the victory ceremony was not the trophy lift, the players dancing nor the heady, final rendition of Mull of Kintyre for the season, but the repeated chant when certain individuals – Philip Zinckernagel, James Garner, Djed Spence, Keinan Davis – were announced to the crowd: “Sign him up, sign him up, sign him up”.

That is reflective of the uncertainty – albeit with an emphatically positive tinge – that Forest face this summer. Each of the loanees lapped up the chant, asking fans to sing it louder and longer. Cooper has built something that they clearly want to remain part of, but it is not all their choice. Johnson, the new apple of Nottingham’s eye, told supporters that he can’t wait to play for the club in the Premier League and received the biggest cheer of the afternoon.

Nottingham Forest targets

As well as tying down their loanees, Forest have been linked with a number of new additions, including a reunion with former defender Cyrus Christie. Christie is being released by Fulham, but it is also possible he’ll stay with Swansea, where he’s been on loan this season.

Forest have also reportedly shown interest in Morgan Gibbs-White, with the Wolves midfielder having spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, and Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone.

Forest’s best strategy is surely to continue this season’s blueprint. Keep as many of that aforementioned list as possible, if the fees are not outrageous. Target the cream of the Championship. Buy younger players who have high sell-on values and can be sculpted by Cooper. If this exceptional coach has one specific talent above all others, it is the development of youth. The young players in this Forest squad love him dearly.

There is an ambition at Forest that relegation need not be a probability. On Monday, the owner Evangelos Marinakis, rarely heard in public, spoke of writing new history that could leave the past behind. He insisted that Forest can compete towards the upper end of the Premier League eventually and even mentioned Cooper eclipsing Brian Clough. You can’t accuse him of not playing to his audience.

That will not happen. There is only one Brian Clough and provincial teams don’t win European Cups anymore without using billions of pounds as fuel. But that is not the point. The release of pent-up frustration and remorse over 23 years may have coincided with the full-time whistle, but to be content with that as the conclusion of this redemption story would be to settle. Marinakis isn’t happy to settle. Cooper isn’t happy to settle. Forest don’t just want to survive in the Premier League; they want to thrive.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/mgzwBIC

Ralf Rangnick has left his role as consultant at Manchester United to focus on the demands of the Austria head coach job, the club has announced.

Rangnick was meant to remain at United in a consultancy capacity following the appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager this summer. He was due to work six days a month for the next two years overseeing the club’s progress.

But following a conversation with the board following the end-of-season defeat to Crystal Palace, Rangnick and the club had agreed to scrap that arrangement.

“We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months,” a United statement read. “By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

More on Ralf Rangnick

Man Utd season review: Interim gamble backfires to leave United staring at their own disarray23 May, 2022Rangnick reveals he wanted to sign a striker in January but was overruled by Man Utd's scouts06 May, 2022Ronaldo denies saying 'I'm not finished' at Man Utd as questions arise over his future03 May, 2022

“We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.”

Rangnick confirmed his exit at an Austria national team press conference on Sunday, saying: “We have come to the conclusion that it is better for me and the club to concentrate fully on the Austrian national team.

“I cancelled the consultancy contract.”

Rangnick leaves Old Trafford after a disappointing tenure as interim manager, during which time he was been vocal about the changes he believes are required at the club.

He joined as something of a temporary saviour in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking last autumn. But Rangnick’s commitment was questioned by some supporters following the announcement he intended to combine his club consultancy next season with managing Austria.

A reputation tarnished?

Rangnick was meant to revive United’s crumbling season. When he arrived at the club back in late November, the objective was clear: steady the ship and navigate towards a top-four finish.

And he was generally well accepted. An astute “student” of the game, they said, who had a wonderful football philosophy that had helped RB Leipzig compete in the Bundesliga.

But the stability United’s hierarchy craved never really come to fruition. The scale of the task at hand was laid bare in his first Champions League match in charge of the Red Devils, when an impish Young Boys side had the better of a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

A month later and the home defeat to Wolves proved another backwards step just as Rangnick thought he was making progress. By February the interim boss was blaming his players for their inability to convert chances. Two months later and the finger was pointed at their apparent lack of effort.

If fans thought the United players had downed tools in Solskjaer’s final weeks in charge, then what must they have thought of the final two games of the season – a disastrous 4-0 loss at Brighton followed by the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Rangnick won just three of his last 14 games in charge of United – and one of those was a needlessly tense 3-2 victory over rock-bottom Norwich.

It was this run that exposed the tensions between the clubs new figurehead and its players. Having failed to deliver in the dugout, what chance was there realistically that Rangnick would hold any authority behind the scenes?

It is understood that the Austria job caught United by surprise. Announcing it with three games still to go in the season suggested the 63-year-old was already looking for his first opportunity to jump ship.

Whether that’s a sinking ship with Ten Hag at the helm remains to be seen. But there are structural fissures that run deep through United that Rangnick was meant to help fix. Instead, he leaves the club worse off than when he found it, a squad low on confidence, and a new manager exposed to the magnifying glass that comes with the job.

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/zO2KETl

France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sparked anger after blaming Liverpool fans for the distressing scenes in the build-up to the Champions League final.

Thousands of supporters were pepper-sprayed by police, crammed into dangerously tight spaces, and left waiting for hours outside the Stade de France ahead of the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. One of the main gates was closed for close to an hour with thousands of fans left on a walkway, with pregnant women and children among those caught up in the chaos.

Despite countless eyewitness accounts to the contrary, Darmanin had tweeted: “Thousands of British ‘supporters’, without tickets or with counterfeit tickets, forced entry and sometimes assaulted the stewards. Thank you to the very many police forces mobilised this evening in this difficult context.”

French politician and Member of the European Parliament Jerome Riviere insisted that was a “lie” and demanded that Darmanin “apologise to the British for having wrongly accused them and to the French for the shameful fake news.”

More from Football

Why the 'richest game in football' could be worth £300m to Nottingham Forest or Huddersfield29 May, 2022The personal tragedy inspiring Huddersfield's unlikely hero in race to the Premier League29 May, 2022Champions League final was a sorry night for Liverpool and an even worse one for football28 May, 2022

Kick-off was delayed by more than half an hour – having initially been pushed back by 15 minutes – with Uefa immediately blaming the “late arrival of fans”. European football’s governing body released a further statement claiming that turnstiles had been “blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets which did not work”. Uefa said it would launch an urgent review alongside French authorities.

However, Merseyside Police – who had officers present at the scene – said that “the vast majority of fans behaved in an exemplary manner, arriving at turnstiles early and queuing as directed”.

“We know that people would have witnessed a lot of distressing scenes last night and we wish everyone returning home from Paris a safe journey,” they added.

Left-back Andy Robertson added weight to fans’ accounts, revealing he had given a ticket to a friend who was then told it was fake.

The French police are charging fans and locals outside the Stade de France. #UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/stQkzX0l4G

— Jam Williams-Thomas (@JamAntonioTV) May 28, 2022

“You have to have some sympathy because this was thrown on Paris kind of the last minute with all that has gone on with Russia [the final was moved from the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg to the Stade de France in February following the invasion of Ukraine],” Robertson said.

“But as a Uefa competition it is the biggest game in world football and it should be organised a lot better. Things like that should not be happening and definitely the force used by certain authorities should not be happening either.

“Pretty much all our families were affected. I can only speak for my family and all I know is everyone is safe and that’s my main priority. I hope all the fans are safe.”

Liverpool supporters trust’ Spirit of Shankly also criticised Uefa’s “extremely dangerous” and “shambolic mismanagement” of the match, accusing them of pushing a “narrative that fans were to blame”.

“Fans were not late,” they said. “Many began arriving more than two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled kick-off… The failure was with Uefa, the French authorities or police.

Related Stories

Courtois' heroics lead Real Madrid to victory over Liverpool in Champions League final28 May, 2022

“The French authorities and police also failed to control gangs of local youths before and after the match. Innocent fans were left distraught after they were assaulted, bags pick-pocketed and match tickets stolen.”

Spirit of Shankly cited a Merseyside police officer who described it as “the worst European match I’ve ever worked at or experienced”.

Liverpool have formally requested an inquiry. “We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France,” a club statement said.

“This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight. We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.”

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/OMZ9ofC

Not only does promotion to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs bring with it a reputational boost for the winning club, it also guarantees a significant financial windfall too.

Deloitte’s sports business group expect either Huddersfield Town or Nottingham Forest to be £170m richer after the final whistle at Wembley and that total could rise to £300m if they emulate last season’s play-off winners Brentford by staying in the top-flight in their first season.

The estimated increase in commercial and matchday revenues for the winners is £90m over a three-year period, largely due to the Premier League’s multi-billion pound broadcast deals.

The league renewed its £4.8bn domestic deal with Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon in May last year and has similarly lucrative arrangements overseas, including a £2bn deal spanning six years with NBC in the US.

More from Football

The personal tragedy inspiring Huddersfield's unlikely hero in race to the Premier League29 May, 2022Champions League final was a sorry night for Liverpool and an even worse one for football28 May, 2022Courtois' heroics lead Real Madrid to victory over Liverpool in Champions League final28 May, 2022

In total, the Premier League’s broadcasting revenue both domestically and abroad will be worth more than £10bn over the next three seasons.

The remaining £80m is comprised of parachute payments which clubs are entitled to should they suffer relegation back to the Championship within a year.

Last season, both Norwich and Watford were relegated at the first attempt, while Fulham and West Brom went straight back down in 2020-21.

Tim Bridge, a director in the sports business group, said: “Wembley this weekend is host to the match with the most lucrative prize in world football.

“Following a fiercely contested season, the winner of Sunday’s Championship play-off final will walk off the pitch having secured additional future revenues of at least £170million.

“Promoted teams benefit from considerable financial gains which can deliver new player signings, stadium improvements and more.”

Having experienced promotion via the play-offs as recently as 2017, Huddersfield know all about the riches in store in the Premier League.

The Terriers’ annual turnover jumped from £15.8m to £125.2m in their first year in the division and after avoiding relegation in their first season they secured a third year of parachute payments, increasing the total from £80m to £90m.

Forest, meanwhile, have been situated outside of the top tier for 23 years since suffering relegation in the 1998-99 season.

Of course, an influx of cash offers no guarantee of short to medium-term success. Numerous clubs have spent considerably upon achieving promotion to try and stay there only to come up short.

Related Stories

Nottingham Forest head to Wembley with 23 years' worth of demons to slay28 May, 2022i's guide to the Championship play-off final - kick-off time, TV channel, live stream27 May, 2022

Those who do invest heavily after receiving a spike in revenue, are often accused of “doing a Fulham” in reference to the Cottagers’ disastrous 2018 summer transfer window where over £100m was spent on a squad that finished 19th.

“Whilst a narrow majority of clubs promoted to the Premier League over the past decade survived their first season, half of the play-off final winners have not,” Bridge warns.

“Hence the winner of Sunday’s game will face the challenge of maintaining the excitement of fans, as well as balancing financial stability in the coming months.

“This Sunday’s game holds the key to re-entering the top-flight of English football, but the harder battle is to come: staying in it.”

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/GSapANm

If you want to know how Huddersfield emerged from the Championship pack to play in the richest game in English football, look no further than goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.

Not just because he has emerged as the steadiest hand of a team with one of the best defences in the second tier with 19 clean sheets and a place in the PFA team of the season. But because he represents the apex of the Terriers brilliant recruitment strategy.

A club that hasn’t got a budget to match many of its promotion rivals has made a point of recruiting character and potential, which is what led them to Nicholls, who spent most of last season warming the bench at MK Dons.

Huddersfield’s head of goalkeeping Paul Clements knew Nicholls from his time playing for England sides in his youth and wondered why his career “had fallen off a cliff”. But a summer meeting convinced him that he was a rough diamond who could transform Huddersfield.

More from Football

Champions League final was a sorry night for Liverpool and an even worse one for football28 May, 2022Courtois' heroics lead Real Madrid to victory over Liverpool in Champions League final28 May, 2022Why Benzema's goal was ruled out for 'offside' despite the ball coming off Liverpool's Fabinho28 May, 2022

It has proved to be a very astute move. Nicholls attributes previous struggles to a “combination of things” but a family tragedy overshadowed pre-season. His brother-in-law Mick Broadhurst passed away suddenly in the summer and he admits he was still grieving when the campaign began.

“There was a lot of things that went into what happened at MK Dons – two or three or four things that tied together to create it. I lost someone really close to me and mentally I wasn’t there to be honest,” he tells i.

“I lost my brother-in-law who was more or less a brother to me. It was sudden – a heart attack – and the whole family took it really tough. I came back into pre-season not in the shape I needed to be and the season just went from there. I was on an uphill battle from there I think, to be honest.

“Then I got offered a new deal and I turned that down and I think then the club wanted to prepare for the future so they brought in another goalkeeper [Andy Fisher]. He was playing well so I didn’t have a leg to stand on and I just pushed him, supported him and tried to help the team.

“By the end I was ready for a move and I wanted to test myself in the Championship again – so Huddersfield came at just the right time.”

It is a testament to Nicholls’ character that he was prepared to listen to Clements’ breakdown of how to get his career back on track.

“There was a lot of things he said he’d like me to do to improve and I was just all ears. He did mention losing weight and if it’s going to help me, it’s going to help me. My attitude is just ‘Let’s do it’,” he said.

“What’s so special working with Clem is that it’s not his way or the highway, we work on things together. It’s him being so relaxed around preparing for games. He’s helped me stay calm and level headed.”

How to watch the 2022 Championship play-off final

• Date: Sunday 29 May
• Kick-off time: 4.30pm
• Venue: Wembley Stadium
• TV channel: Coverage begins at 3.30pm on Sky Sports Football or at 4pm on Sky Sports Main Event
• Stream: You can stream it on Now. Sign up for a monthly membership for £33.99 or else buy a day pass for £11.98

Huddersfield are helmed by Marcelo Bielsa acolyte Carlos Corberan, surely a contender for manager of the year for his feat turning the club around. The Terriers are lethal on the counter attack and teak tough to break down.

Nottingham Forest – heavy favourites with the bookies – have been warned.

“Carlos has been brilliant,” Nicholls says. “He’s so level, the way he talks before games, he gives the opposition a lot of credit and it shows in how we’re set up. We’re hard to break down, we’re quite happy to let the opposition have the ball but we have a plan.”

For Nicholls, the mantra is quiet confidence. The squad are just back from a pre-play off camp in Portugal that went well. The club have a plan for penalties, he admits, but he’s staying quiet on what it involves. Sunday, he admits, cannot come soon enough.

Nicholls says his brother-in-law will be “by his side” as he walks out at Wembley for one of the most important matches of his career.

“This is the biggest game of the season, the biggest game of some of our careers,” he admits.

“We are all so focused on it and at the moment, it’s not about individual praise or anything like that. I just want to win the game and then it’ll cap off a special season.”

from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/LHVhlPQ