Category: Sport

Arne Slot has not been getting enough credit for Liverpool’s stunning start to the season, but getting one over on FSG’s No.1 candidate will do him no harm…

Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen promised a great deal given all the pre-match noise surrounding a game pitting FSG’s No.1 candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp against the back-up option.

But as is so often the case with overhyped matches, the actual action on the field – especially in the opening half – was not as thrilling as hoped. The two well-coached sides nullified each other, but this was far from the case after the interval.

The post-Klopp succession plan has put their arch-rivals in Manchester to shame. The introduction of Arne Slot has been remarkably seamless as Liverpool have carried on from where they left off under their beloved former boss.

Under Slot, Liverpool have occasionally reverted to type to produce electrifying moments of brilliance, as seen in their 2-1 comeback win against Brighton at the weekend. But these moments have been far more fleeting since the Dutchman’s style of play made his team more resolute.

So far this has reaped extraordinary results as Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool have been a winning machine this season.

Slot has perhaps earned the affection of Liverpool’s supporters sooner than expected, but we can only imagine the reaction to Liverpool’s incredible form if Klopp was still in the dugout or had club legend Alonso got the job instead.

This is no fault of Slot. He has barely got anything wrong in an almost pitch-perfect start to the season, with his best decision perhaps to opt against making wholesale changes.

Slot’s minimal tinkering is all that was required to make Liverpool a more complete outfit. Should his side come out of this gruelling run of fixtures unscathed, any reluctance to laud the not-so-adored Dutch head coach will surely evaporate in the heat of what could be a pretty special debut season.

The former Feyenoord boss had a chance to take another step closer to being a cult hero at Anfield on Tuesday night as he attempted to get one over Alonso.

READ: Ruben Amorim Judgement Day upstaged by Man City being utter toss

The first half was poor as two risk-avoiding rivals played out a closely-contested 45 minutes which lacked chances but was rich in well-drilled focus on a game plan and defensive solidity.

Leverkusen – who had a goal disallowed as Jeremie Frimpong helped to set up his shot past Caoimhin Kelleher with his hand – dominated possession, and Florian Wirtz gave Liverpool a couple of headaches with his constant drifting between positions.

While Liverpool showed flashes of promise, they needed to increase their intensity levels and produce a moment of brilliance to get any joy against Alonso’s side.

Fortunately for Liverpool, this has been a hallmark of life under Slot and the second half was far better from their perspective.

Just past the hour mark, Curtis Jones continued his recent resurgence to play a sublime pass to Luis Diaz, who also produced another flash of excellence as he dinked the ball over goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and into the net.

When Liverpool score at Anfield, their first goal is often quickly followed by a second, and this was the case here. A previously rock-solid Leverkusen were cut open again a couple of minutes after the opening as a speedy attack led to a pinpoint cross from Mohamed Salah, which was headed home at the far post by Cody Gakpo.

It felt like game over when Liverpool got their second, but the win was sealed when they scored their third in the final ten minutes as Diaz took his turn to get on the end of a Salah cross for his second goal. Then in stoppage time, the Colombia international capitalised on a four-on-two situation to complete his hat-trick as the hosts made an almighty statement.

READ: Nine-tackle Liverpool man joins Van Dijk in Premier League XI of the season so far

The scoreline somewhat flattered Liverpool, but they were lethal when their chances came.

This term, Leverkusen have not been performing at the same level as last season when they achieved invincible status in the Bundesliga, with an understandable drop-off endured. But they remain a standout team in this year’s Champions League and this result will rightly raise a few eyebrows in the wider footballing world.

Upcoming tests for Liverpool are not getting any simpler as Aston Villa come calling on Saturday before a visit to Southampton precedes back-to-back games against Real Madrid and Man City. Woof.

This makes it hard to go all-in on this Liverpool team being the real deal. But presented with a ‘look at what you could have won’ scenario, the Anfield faithful would be wise to note that they remain on the winning team after another dream evening for Slot, who is sending his remaining doubters packing.

Erling Haaland ‘will’ reportedly ‘leave’ Premier League holders Manchester City next year if the Etihad hierarchy does not meet his ‘main condition’.

Man City paid around £51m to sign Haaland from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund during the 2022 summer transfer window.

Haaland has proven to be a huge bargain as he’s established himself as one of the best strikers in the world while he’s been part of Pep Guardiola’s side.

The prolific striker only has one goal in his past five Premier League appearances, but he still has 14 goals in his 14 appearances across all competitions this term.

Overall for Man City, he has 104 goals and 14 assists in his 112 outings in all competitions. To put it bluntly, he’s ridiculously good.

Haaland is under contract until 2027, but he has been heavily linked with an exit in recent months.

Man City still have over 100 charges of alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play rules hanging over their shoulders and a report in Spain claims they are in a ‘compromised’ position heading into next summer.

READ: Spurs, Man City but not Leicester among top 10 Forest-a-like surprise Premier League bolters

Head coach Pep Guardiola’s contract expires next summer and he’s ‘not made a decision about his future’.

As for Haaland, he is said to be ‘worried’ about Guardiola’s situation and has reportedly ‘put his cards on the table’, saying his boss staying is the ‘main condition for him to continue at Man City’.

Should the former Barcelona or Bayern Munich boss move on, the striker ‘will leave next summer’ as his ‘stance’ is that he’s ‘not prepared’ to carry on at the Etihad if the head coach exits.

The report also claims Haaland is ‘clear about his next move’.

‘Should Guardiola decide not to renew and leave the club, Haaland is already clear about his next move: he would look for a change of scenery, and the destination that most attracts him is Spain.

‘On more than one occasion, the Norwegian has expressed his admiration for La Liga, and both Real Madrid and Barcelona would be delighted to receive a player of his calibre.’

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‘This would put the City management in a compromised situation, which would be forced to look for a technician who manages to convince the striker to stay or, otherwise, face a significant loss both in terms of sport and finances.

‘The summer is complicated for Manchester City and its fans, who now have to wait for Guardiola’s decision to know if they can continue to count on the unstoppable Erling Haaland.

‘The situation becomes uncertain, but something is certain: without Pep Guardiola , the Norwegian has already decided that his time in Manchester will have come to an end.’

Haaland failed to score at the weekend and was spotted limping during Man City’s surprise 2-1 loss at AFC Bournemouth. Despite this, he starts against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League group stages on Tuesday night.

During his pre-match press conference, Guardiola was asked for an update on Haaland. He bluntly said: “He’s fine.”

He continued: “Manu [Akanji] and Nathan [Ake] are still with problems. Kevin [De Bruyne] is getting better, he’s having sessions with less and less pain, so we feel that he feels more comfortable. That is good news for all of us.

“Kyle [Walker] as well has had problems with his knee since he was with the national team. [Jeremy] Doku has had a little problem with muscular issues, Savinho is getting better with his ankle. The rest are fine.”

A Dutch journalist claims a centre-back at Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion is “100%” better than Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt.

Man Utd paid around £185m on signings in the summer and they invested an initial fee of £43m to sign De Ligt from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

As the Netherlands international progressed through the ranks at Ajax, he was tipped to become one of the best centre-backs in the world. His form for the Eredivisie giants earned him a move to Juventus, but he stagnated in Italy and struggled at Bayern Munich.

De Ligt endured a difficult start to this campaign for Man Utd, but his form has picked up in recent games alongside centre-back partner Lisandro Martinez.

The 25-year-old will likely play a big part under new head coach Ruben Amorim as Jamie Carragher expects him to start in a back three.

Carragher expects De Ligt to play in the middle of a back three with Leny Yoro (right) and Martinez (left) at either side of him.

READ: Big Midweek: Ruben Amorim Judgement Day, Liverpool v Xabi Alonso, Arsenal, Vinicius

Explaining his decision to pick Alejandro Garnacho and Noussair Mazraoui as wing-backs, he said: “I go to the setup and I’ve almost gone for one attacking full-back on one side [Mazraoui] and Garnacho on the other because when you look at his set-up at Sporting, these players are asked to be really high like wingers.”

However, Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen has admitted he’s been more impressed with Brighton star Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined the Premier League side for around £1.8m from NAC Breda in 2020.

Van Hecke has had loan spells at Heerenbeen and Blackburn Rovers but has established himself as a regular for Brighton in the Premier League.

After making 39 appearances across all competitions last season, Van Hecke made his senior debut for the Netherlands in September and Driessen reckons he’s “100%” better than De Ligt.

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Driessen said: “Liverpool were really outplayed in the first half.

“Brighton played really great. That Van Hecke… When you see him in the build-up, how calm he remains… He did almost everything right.

“Yes, 100% (he’s better than De Ligt). On the ball anyway. He doesn’t need any fouls; he doesn’t do really stupid things. I thought Matthijs de Ligt was a lot better yesterday against Chelsea than in the previous matches, but he did make a huge mistake just before the end.

“Literally. He slipped, which almost put Chelsea at 1-2. But for the rest he held his own quite well. But I really liked Van Hecke, yes.”

Man Utd striker Joshua Zirkzee has been criticised by Ally McCoist for reportedly being “a stone overweight” when he signed for the Red Devils.

The Netherlands international has found it difficult to hit the ground running at Old Trafford following his £36.5m move from Bologna in the summer transfer window.

Zirkzee started off the season in the starting XI under Erik ten Hag before dropping to the bench when Rasmus Hojlund returned to full fitness.

The Man Utd forward has contributed one goal and two assists in 15 appearances so far for the Red Devils with seven of those coming in the starting XI.

A report on Tuesday has claimed that Zirkzee turned up at Man Utd a stone overweight and that Ten Hag – who is set to be succeeded at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim – didn’t want the Red Devils to sign the striker.

And now former Scotland and Rangers striker McCoist insists that Zirkzee is “bang out of order” if the report about his weight is true.

McCoist said on talkSPORT: “Well, I get it. I don’t know enough about it. I don’t know what his weight is, I don’t know what his weight should be, but if he’s a stone overweight, I’ve got to say it’s bang out of order. I would suggest that’s maybe exaggerating a little bit.

“I don’t think he’s going to turn up a stone overweight with a big transfer fee going to a big club. I would be staggered, if that was the case. One or two pounds perhaps, that he thinks he could lose in the first couple of weeks of training or so, but Jeff, a stone overweight today?”

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There was a report in late October which claimed that Zirkzee was already ‘starting to regret the choice he made last summer’ and that he ‘wants to leave’ Man Utd.

Speaking after Ten Hag was sacked by Man Utd last week, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher insisted Zirkzee “looks miles off” being good enough for the Red Devils.

Carragher told the Daily Telegraph: “As an outsider looking in, it feels like United are too obsessed with stellar names rather than paying enough attention to their underlying numbers. That is certainly the case with recent player deals.

“Matthijs de Ligt struggled at Juventus and Bayern Munich, so why was there an assumption he would hit the ground running at Old Trafford?

“Manuel Ugarte was a substitute at Paris St-Germain, and I am afraid Joshua Zirkzee looks miles off being a Manchester United player.

“This is not a time for gloating or ‘I told you so’ but it was obvious after the first home game against Fulham this day would come.

“United kicked the can down the road, and the echoes of when Liverpool delayed sacking Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 were obvious.

“Liverpool waited because they knew Jurgen Klopp was available and he was in charge for the next game after Rodgers’s exit.

“If United have almost agreed a deal with Ruben Amorim to be their next head coach, then the timing of Monday’s sacking makes more sense, even if it should have happened three months earlier.”

READ NEXT: Mediawatch: Ruben Amorim ‘joke’ fails to land as English press take him seriously

Stories of the winners of the charity race in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On October 27, the final race of the "RUN 4 VICTORY" series took place on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv, UNN reports.

Details

The event brought together nearly a thousand participants from all over Ukraine. Military, civilians, children and even a robot dog joined the charity marathon.

The race in Kyiv was organized by the international company MHP, the MHP-Hromada charity foundation and the Kharakter sports community. The event raised funds to support the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Khartiya.

Participants ran at distances of 2, 5, 10 and 21 km. More than 100 National Guardsmen joined the event. An inclusive course of 2 km was available for participants with musculoskeletal disorders and people with amputations. Children ran 200, 400 and 800 meters.

Artem Kazban won the 21 km half marathon. It was the second time he took part in the RUN 4 VICTORY race. He ran in 1 hour 7 minutes and 29 seconds. In Cherkasy, Artem won the 10 km race.

"I didn't think about winning before the race. But I set myself the task of running for time to improve my results," Kazban said.

His longest races were the marathons in 2019 and 2021 – he ran 42 km each. Then he took a break due to the pandemic, and later – a full-scale invasion. He mainly focuses on distances of 10-15 km. However, this year in October, Artem ran the marathon again at the Ukrainian Championships and took third place. Also last year, he won the European Championships at a distance of 10 km, running the course in 29 minutes.

"I trained for my first marathon for about a year. I went for runs of 20-25 km seven times a week. Now I train more often in the evening. You don't have to rush in this business. If you start too fast or with long distances, you can quickly lose desire and motivation. Beginners can start with 2-3 kilometers and gradually move on to longer runs," says Artem.

Kazban has been serving in the National Guard of Ukraine for over 15 years and personally knows many of the Charter's fighters. Therefore, it was very important for the athlete to support the race on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv. As a military man, Artem could have registered for free to participate, but decided to donate to help the brigade.

Maxim Anenko, a participant of the event, set a personal record and won the 10 km race.

"The track on Trukhaniv Island is very cool and fast, and the weather was favorable for running. My total time was 31 minutes and 28 seconds. This is a personal record and the first RUN 4 VICTORY race I have taken part in," the athlete shared his impressions.

A few weeks earlier, Anenko had overcome his first marathon in his life. However, he was able to quickly recover and join the race on Trukhanov island in Kiev. The athlete has been running for more than three years.

"At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to walk away from the marathon. Even though my legs were not fast enough, I managed to win the 10-kilometer race. Sport is an integral part of my life. It helps me get rid of cortisol, a stress hormone. Since Ukrainians have been going through a lot lately, sport is a good tool to cope with stress. And running is generally one of the most accessible sports, because everyone has running shoes or sneakers. You just go out, run, relieve yourself a little bit, and your mood improves," Anenko added.

Next, he plans to run a half marathon in Dnipro.

"We turn our donations into help, and we also spend our time actively and usefully. In addition, running energizes and sets you up for a productive day. I run in the morning before work, and it improves my productivity. Running also brings people together – it's a community of like-minded people. I am a member of a running club with which we often organize various events and charity fundraisers," summarizes Maksym.

Dmytro Kharchenko won the 5 km race. He has been running for 14 years and works as a coach at the Running Laboratory in Kyiv. His maximum distance is 42 km.

"During the race on Trukhanov island, I planned to win, kept a good rhythm, and I succeeded," says Dmitry.

The athlete trains six to seven times a week. On average, he covers 10 to 12 km during a run.

"This is a quiet run, or five times a week running at a slow pace up to 12 km and once – interval and fast training. For example, a kilometer is fast, 400 meters is slow. I advise everyone to run, so life becomes brighter. Training also reduces the impact of stress," explains Kharchenko.

Run4Victory races were held in Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Ladyzhyn, and Kyiv. The first four races raised over UAH 2 million. The Kyiv event raised about UAH 800 thousand, which will be used to meet the needs of the military at the front.

Help

"MHP-Hromada is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that started its operations in 2015. Its main mission is the comprehensive development of communities. The geography of its activities includes 13 regions of Ukraine: more than 700 towns and villages. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has been systematically supporting people in the war zone, Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals and maternity homes, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.

Courtesy of the wonderful FBREF we’ve used the PSxG minus goals allowed metric to rank the top-flight stoppers. ‘What the f*** is that?’ you might reasonably ask…

Post-shot expected goals is expected goals based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot. When the number of goals they have conceded is subtracted, we are left with the figures below. FBREF explains that positive numbers suggest better luck or an above-average ability to stop shots.

Here’s how the Premier League keepers have performed this season, and at this early stage they must have started five Premier League games.

1) Nick Pope (Newcastle): +3.8
Ranks joint-second for saves, while being singled out as “brilliant” by Pep Guardiola for his part in holding the champions. The Newcastle goalkeeper really should not be this busy. His save percentage is third behind Alisson and Matz Sels.

2) Mads Hermansen (Leicester City): +3.8
Only one keeper has ever made more saves in a Premier League game than the 13 Hermansen managed against Arsenal. That was David de Gea against the Gunners in December 2017; the Foxes’ No. 1 was unfortunate that Mikel Arteta’s side are slightly better now. He was a little less busy v Bournemouth, too busy again v Southampton and then actually uncharacteristically poor v Forest.

3) Andre Onana (Manchester United): +3.3
Saved a penalty v Southampton to boost his numbers, and then kept another clean sheet at Crystal Palace. And as bad as Manchester United were against Spurs, he prevented it from being even worse. He is far from United’s biggest problem.

4) Alisson (Liverpool): +2.5
The best goalkeeper on this metric two years ago, and is in the mix again. He has the best save percentage in the Premier League at a smidge over 88%.

5) Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace): +2.4
Very motivated to make a point v Manchester United after their ‘criminal’ decision, but when not fuelled by spite you get two Dwight McNeil goals conceded from a PSxG of 0.6 against Everton. But he was brilliant in almost keeping out Nottingham Forest, then bagged another clean sheet v Spurs.

6) Ederson (Manchester City): +1.7
It’s rare that Ederson is forced into four saves in one Premier League game but he stood up to the challenge of Brentford. He then over-conceded (is that a thing?) v Arsenal but he could do little about Riccardo Calafiori’s peach. He was then brilliant in keeping out Adama Traore v Fulham. A Rodri-less City means a much busier Ederson.

7) Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham): +1.4
He struggles with set-pieces but his shot-stopping is pretty exemplary; he had under-conceded (is that a thing?) in all his Premier League games until that batsh*t game v Brighton. Made five saves v Crystal Palace.

8) Robert Sanchez (Chelsea): +1.2
Back-to-back clean sheets featuring a penalty save v Bournemouth, then partially culpable in a mad game against Brighton. Is behind only Alisson, Matz Sels and Pope in terms of save percentage.

9) Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest): +1.0
One among many incompetent Forest keepers last season but has an 81.8% save percentage this season. He was excellent to safeguard a point v Chelsea and then a clean sheet v Crystal Palace. Was barely tested v Leicester City.

10) Kepa (Bournemouth): +0.8
Currently injured but has acquitted himself well since joining the Cherries on loan, claiming a clean sheet at his fifth attempt.

11) Bart Verbruggen (Brighton): +0.1
Lucky to emerge just about in credit after conceding four goals v Chelsea, though perhaps only one goal was close to his fault. Was then pretty rotten v Tottenham. But then made six saves to keep a clean sheet v Newcastle. He made five saves v Wolves in a 2-2.

12) Arjanet Muric (Ipswich Town): –
A brilliant double save v Brighton earned Ipswich a second point of the season and made Vincent Kompany look even dafter for persevering with James Trafford for so long last season. Conceding 10 goals in three games sounds bad until you realise that he faced 29 shots on target.

13) Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa): -0.3
Not the sort of player you expect to see down here, but it took a rotten Manchester United for him to finally keep a clean sheet. Saved a penalty v Fulham to boost his numbers.

14) Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton): -0.5
Four shots on target v Leicester led to three shots conceded. A 65.2% save percentage will inevitably lead to another relegation.

15) Bernd Leno (Fulham): -1.1
Unusual to see Leno this far down the page, but conceding six goals in two games v Man City and Aston Villa put a big old dent in his numbers. Definitely better v Everton.

16) Sam Johnstone (Wolves): -1.4
Lost his place after the 5-3 mauling by Brentford, though replacement Jose Sa would actually be bottom of this ranking if he had played enough games.

17) David Raya (Arsenal): -1.4
One of the best Premier League goalkeepers of the season so far if you judge on things like number of goals conceded and save percentage; he made nine saves v Man City but stats do not take kindly to Leicester scoring two goals from three shots on target. And then he was rotten v Bournemouth. And did nothing of real note v Liverpool.

18) Mark Flekken (Brentford): -1.9
Consistently one of the worst goalkeepers on this metric last season, no keeper has made more saves than Flekken this season. Unfortunately, nobody has conceded more goals.

19) Jordan Pickford (Everton): -2.1
Back-to-back clean sheets as Everton have recovered their form nudges his numbers close to even, though his save percentage still sits under 60%.

20) Alphonse Areola (West Ham): -3.6
Second-worst save percentage in the Premier League. And conceding four goals from a PSxG of 0.9 is abysmal.

Jamie Carragher backed up his controversial claim that Mikel Arteta is “slowly morphing into a Jose Mourinho style of manager” on Monday Night Football before sticking the boot in by highlighting the key difference between the two managers.

Carragher recently suggested that the style Arsenal are playing in under Arteta is more similar to that of the Chelsea legend than his mentor Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The claim caused quite a stir among the Arsenal fans, but Carragher explained his stance ahead of Fulham’s clash with Brentford on Monday, claiming Arteta’s lack of faith in his attacking players has led to him focusing on the defensive side of the game.

“Anyone who thinks I just plucked this Jose Mourinho thing to create negativity around Arsenal… it’s analysing exactly where Arsenal are going,” he told Sky Sports.

“If people don’t agree with that, I don’t think you’re actually watching what’s going on with Arsenal right now.

“I think Mikel Arteta feels he doesn’t have the attacking quality that Manchester City have, so he’s going another one to try and win the league. Strong defensively and a more powerful team.”

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Carragher emphasised the similarities between the current Arsenal side and Mourinho’s tactical approach in his first spell at Chelsea, pointing to the defensive strength, height and power, and set-piece reliance of both teams.

The pundit did though insist the comparison was not meant as a criticism, before sticking the boot in by highlighting the key difference between the two managers.

“My first thing would be my team is going to be strong defensively – Arsenal are strong defensively,” Carragher said.

“Height and strength and power in my team… we’ve highlighted the strength and power of this Arsenal team. That’s what you get from Mourinho, that’s what you’re getting from Arsenal.

“Set-piece reliance at times. You think how powerful [Didier] Drogba and [John] Terry were at Chelsea, that’s exactly the same with Arsenal. At times, Arsenal with the goalkeeper are going direct. How often did we see Petr Cech go direct?

“The one thing that we should also say that Arsenal are not like Jose Mourinho is winning trophies.

“This is the guy that has won the Premier League three times. Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League in 20 years.”

Arteta himself certainly wasn’t displeased with the comparison, insisting he is full of admiration for Mourinho.

The Spaniard said: “For sure. I’ve known him since I was 15 years old. He coached me. He was in Barcelona. Yeah, he’s won 26 titles. So he’s someone to really admire, the way he’s done it, the way he’s changed the culture in clubs, the way he’s done it in different countries. But I don’t like comparing myself to anybody.”

“It’s like a cold shoulder to your English fans,” said Gary Cotterill as Ruben Amorim politely declined the Sky Sports reporter’s request to answer his question in English.

It is precisely because he wants to avoid giving fans the cold shoulder that Amorim opted against bowing to Cotterill’s ludicrous demand and wasn’t moved by his cringey, nonsensical attempt to bully him into changing his mind.

Just imagine the furore if Amorim been on the verge of moving from Manchester United to Sporting and answered a question ahead of the Red Devils’ biggest game of the season in Portuguese.

The club, players and fans would have been furious, and rightly so, and Cotterill – a man famed for his outspoken and unapologetically brash approach to sports reporting – would almost certainly be chief among those peddling his lack of respect to the club he still manages.

Here’s the excruciating exchange in full:

Cotterill: “You could be a hero even before you get on a plane to Manchester. Has that crossed your mind?…… In English please.”

Amorim: “Mmm sorry, I cannot speak in English now.”

Cotterill: “Why?”

Amorim: “Sorry.”

Cotterill: “Why?”

Amorim (gesturing to the other reporters): “They will miss in Portuguese so I have to speak in Portuguese.”

Cotterill: “They’ve had about 25 minutes in Portuguese. We want ten seconds in English.”

Sporting media representative: “We’ll proceed in Portuguese. Next week you can hear him talking in English.”

Cotterill: “It’s like a cold shoulder to your English fans.”

Amorim (laughing nervously): “Sorry.”

We got our native Portuguese speaker here at Football365 to translate Amorim’s answer – we’ve got bilinguists on retainer to cover all the European leagues for instances like this when foreign players or coaches refuse to speak The Queen’s – and he gave an interesting response, explaining that he knows he will be judged by many solely on this game before making a tongue-in-cheek quip about links being inextricably made with Sir Alex Ferguson if his Sporting side claim victory over Manchester City.

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He provided two lines worthy of headlines in a few sentences. As journalists frequently let down by dry press conferences and humdrum responses we couldn’t ask for anything more and rather than reprimanding him for not speaking English, Cotterill should be thanking Amorim for providing him with an answer at all.

The Sporting manager – because he’s the manager of Sporting and not Manchester United – would have been well within his rights simply to state his pure focus on the job at hand. Less amenable managers would have said nothing.

Amorim asked if it was possible to delay his move to Old Trafford until the summer, when he had told the Sporting chiefs he would be leaving in any case, but it was “now or never” for United. He’s made a big deal about leaving the club where he’s made his name in “the right way”; allowing the club time to source a replacement and giving that replacement time to settle during the international break.

By all accounts he’s a man of morals and is in a very unusual and difficult position where he knows his bread will shortly be buttered on the other side.

Despite the attempts of a shameless reporter who should have had his microphone and accreditation removed the moment he lip-synced to ‘Call Me Maybe’ with the Crystal Palace cheerleaders over a decade ago to push him to flout those moral standards, Amorim played it perfectly, giving something for his “English fans” while showing courtesy to those who will be cheering for his team on Tuesday.

Well done, Ruben Amorim, and shame on you, Gary Cotterill. It’s that sort of Premier League-centric, Little Englander nonsense that gives the rest of us a bad name. How about you ask him a question in Portuguese instead?

Ruben Amorim is wary of a Sir Alex Ferguson tag ahead of his move to Manchester United if Sporting beat Manchester City on Tuesday.

Amorim has two games left in charge of Sporting, including the clash against United’s rivals in the Champions League, before he moves to Old Trafford to become Erik ten Hag’s permanent successor.

“If the result is very negative, expectations will drop and I don’t think that’s a bad starting point, when you begin at Manchester United,” he said.

“If we win they’ll think the new Alex Ferguson has arrived, which is very difficult to maintain.

“I’m fully aware that I’m going to be judged as a manager on this game, and only on this game, and I realise what [people] can take from this depending on the result.”

Ferguson won a whopping 38 trophies in 26 years as Manchester United manager before retiring in 2013 and bringing about a downfall that Amorim hopes to reverse.

Both Sporting and City have seven points from their first three Champions League games this season and Amorim also reflected on the last time they came up against each other, when in 2022 City beat the Portuguese side 5-0 on aggregate in the last 16.

“I feel like I’m a better coach [now],” said Amorim. “Unfortunately what I feel is that Pep Guardiola has also become an even better coach, so the gap remains.

“[City have] the best team in the world and the best coach in the world.”

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United legend Gary Neville gave his advice to Amorim ahead of him taking over at Old Trafford, starting with the backline playing further up the pitch as the current mentality makes Man Utd “play like the underdog in games”.

“If you want to push your defence up the pitch, which is what I think every team looks to do nowadays, Amorim has got to start with that because Manchester United quite often have to travel 70, 80 yards to score a goal because they’re so deep and they play like the underdog in games,” Neville said on his podcast.

“The other metric was possession one in the final third.

“So possession won high up the pitch: first was Manchester City, second was Tottenham, third was Arsenal and fourth was Liverpool. Manchester United are ninth.

“The final one I asked for was the highest turnovers.

“City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal made up the top four while Manchester United were ninth. These three things are critical to performance levels.

“Man Utd played like a team that is sat behind the ball. ‘Let’s try and get them on the counter or score from a set piece’. That’s got to change.

“You’ve got to be a team of dominance. And I mean dominance. I mean dominating the ball in the final third, dominating your forwards and staying high up the pitch.”

Edu Gaspar is leaving his role as Arsenal sporting director, leaving a huge void in the club’s recruitment team, which has been very efficient in recent years.

With the former Gunners midfielder reportedly set to move on, perhaps to Nottingham Forest, we have ranked all 35 of his signings since joining the club as a director.

Arsenal: Every Edu signing ranked from worst to best

35) Willian (free)
Edu brought Willian in on astronomical wages from London rivals Chelsea. He scored once in 37 appearances for Arsenal, costing the club a fortune before generously agreeing to terminate his contract in August 2021. Willian is one of many Brazilians to play for the Gunners during Edu’s reign.

34) Alex Runarsson (£1.8m)
Runarsson is probably better with his feet than with his hands which, for a goalkeeper, is not ideal.

33) Pablo Mari (£5.4m + £7.2m loan fee)
Mari was only signed because he is left-footed – and for an extortionate loan fee.

32) Mathew Ryan (loan)
A decent back-up goalkeeper, Ryan spent the second half of 2020/21 at the Emirates. He made three appearances and joined Real Sociedad after his spell in north London.

31) Marquinhos (£2.6m)
The teenage Brazilian was signed for next to nothing after being in talks with Wolves. We have no idea where he is now.

30) Nicolas Pepe (£72m)
Pepe scored 27 goals and claimed 21 assists in 112 matches for the Gunners and was heavily criticised for his performances, mainly because of his transfer fee. That price tag definitely held him back. A £72m fee will always bring more scrutiny, unfortunately for the Ivorian.

29) Albert Sambi Lokonga (£15.75m)
Lokonga joined in the summer of 2021 with high hopes. He struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but proved his worth during a season-long loan spell with Luton Town. He’s left for Sevilla on loan with an option to buy, which is not going to plan.

28) Nuno Tavares (£7m)
Hauled off after 30 minutes against then-Championship side Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. Taken off at half-time against Crystal Palace. Being dropped as central midfielder Granit Xhaka filled in at left-back. Tavares had a rough debut season at Arsenal.

After a decent season on loan at Marseille, Tavares joined Nottingham Forest for 23/24. He is now at Lazio with Matteo Guendouzi, where it most certainly is going to plan. In eight Serie A appearances this season, he has eight assists. Honest.

27) Matt Turner (£5.7m)
Turner was Aaron Ramsdale’s back-up for one year before joining Nottingham Forest, whose addiction to signing goalkeepers is A Problem.

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26) Neto (loan)
A cup goalkeeper ineligible to play in the Carabao Cup for Arsenal. Hmm.

25) Dani Ceballos (loan)
There were high hopes after Arsenal signed a player who ran the show as Spain came out victorious at the 2019 Under-21 European Championships. Ceballos failed to live up to the hype with Gunners fans happy to see the back of him after a two-year loan.

24) Auston Trusty (£1.6m)
Arsenal made a tidy £3.3m profit when Trusty was sold to Sheffield United in the 2023 summer transfer window.

23) Cedric Soares (free)
Signed on loan and then offered a contract before kicking a ball, Cedric failed to endear himself to the club’s fans with his performances. His ranking here is respectable after performing well in Takehiro Tomiyasu’s frequent absence in 21/22.

22) Fabio Vieira (£30.4m)
The Portuguese playmaker signed for the Gunners out of the blue and has struggled for game time. There is potential there and Vieira had a few important cameos off the bench in the first half of last season. He is now on loan at his former club FC Porto. Sell or keep? Arsenal’s intentions next summer are unknown.

21) Raheem Sterling (loan)
The finances involved make it hard for Arsenal to be losers here. Sterling adds valuable experience and ability to the Gunners’ attack but he is not the player we once knew. This latest Chelsea reject was Edu’s final signing, which is very fitting.

20) Jakub Kiwior (£22.3m)
Kiwior could not get game time over Rob Holding after William Saliba picked up an injury during the run-in two seasons ago, which made fans think he might be rubbish. He isn’t, though. If he had started instead of Holding against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton and Manchester City, would Arsenal have won the Premier League in 22/23? Perhaps.

There was a strong chance Kiwior would leave in the summer but Arteta did not want to lose him.

19) Mikel Merino (£31.6m)
New signings are very hard to judge and we do not want to do the men ranked above Merino a disservice. The Spanish midfielder is a top player and a Euro 2024 winner but a little older than the sort of player Arsenal have signed for big money under Arteta. He could easily force his way into this top 10 in 24/25.

18) David Luiz (£7.8m)
Luiz divided opinion during his Arsenal career. From red cards against Manchester City and Wolves to masterclasses in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final and final to help his side win the trophy, nobody went from a world beater to completely shocking overnight quite like the Brazilian. We have a lot of respect for what he did at the Emirates, though.

17) Takehiro Tomiyasu (£16.7m)
“Tomiyasu was offered to most clubs in the Premier League. He’s a good player but the problem is he’s not really a right-back, nor is he a central defender. I’m not sure how he will get on at Arsenal.”

Egg on your face, Kaveh Solhekol. Tomiyasu is solid, versatile and very two-footed. His injury proneness is a big worry though. He only has a handful of minutes played this term.

Tomiyasu being 17th is perhaps harsh, but he is made of glass and at least shows how good Arsenal’s business has been over the last three years.

16) Oleksandr Zinchenko (£30.4m)
Zinchenko brought his leadership skills from Manchester City to Arsenal to help them become title contenders in 22/23. But the Gunners have quickly outgrown him.

15) Gabriel Jesus (£45.5m)
One of two players to come into the Arsenal team before 22/23 and transform them into title contenders, Jesus, like Zinchenko, brought City’s winning mentality to the Emirates and made them a serious team once again.

Jesus’ overall play is fantastic but his lack of conviction is worrying. Like with Zinchenko, Arsenal have simply outgrown him. A little too fast for their liking.

14) Riccardo Calafiori (£42m)
Calafiori’s desperation to play for Arsenal made this a fairly straightforward deal, excluding some sell-on arguments between Bologna and FC Basel.

The Italian is a giant man but has the technical ability of a left-back, which is where Arteta wants him to play. His ability with the ball has surprised us but we have not been surprised by his comfortable defending in the Premier League.

13) Thomas Partey (£45m)
Partey has been vital for Arsenal when fit, which is not often enough. His fitness has not been an issue this season, though. With less than 12 months left on his contract, no less. How convenient.

12) Kieran Tierney (£24.3m)
The Scottish left-back’s injury record will always let him down, though it has afforded him another chance this season after being too crocked to be sold. Tierney missed 23 games in his debut season, 11 in 20/21 and 13 in 21/22.

He was second when we first made this list! What has Arteta done to this club?

11) Jurrien Timber (£34.6m)
Versatile, proven in Europe and internationally, Timber did not cost an extraordinary fee and vastly improves Arsenal’s defensive depth. An ACL injury on his competitive debut was a huge blow but he is back and Like A New Signing.

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10) Aaron Ramsdale (£25m)
Ramsdale added a new dimension to the Arsenal team when signed from Sheffield United. He was fantastic before being dislodged by David Raya at the start of last season.

Despite losing his place and joining Southampton in August, Ramsdale was a clever signing for a respectable price. He was written off by a lot of the club’s ‘fans’ before officially joining but quickly silenced his critics. For a bit anyway.

9) Jorginho (£10m)
Arsenal signed Jorginho instead of Moises Caicedo, which made him public enemy number one when he initially joined. As an underwhelming alternative and another Chelsea player, the Italian was able to win over his doubters and has proven himself to be a vital player, both on and off the pitch. We see Jorginho joining Arteta’s coaching staff when he hangs up his boots.

8) Kai Havertz (£64.8m)
‘Quite what Mikel Arteta has seen from Kai Havertz at Chelsea to justify spending that kind of money on him is beyond nearly everyone. On the flip side, Arteta has built the trust of the Arsenal fan base and has earned the right to take a chance or two in the transfer market. He has taken a big one on Havertz, whose every touch in red and white is going to be analysed and critiqued. The pressure is on both the player and manager here.’

This is what I wrote in September 2022 and with Havertz struggling in the Arsenal midfield in his opening months at the club, the doubters’ doubts were strengthened. When Arteta moved the German up front – a position in which he looked lost for Chelsea – it all changed. His form up there has been ridiculous.

So ridiculous that Arteta decided not to sign a new striker this summer. His form is again coming under fire. Will Arsenal swallow their pride and spend big on a new No. 9 in January?

7) David Raya (£27m + £3m loan fee)
Turns out Arteta and Edu know what they are doing. Arsenal fans are not going to doubt their manager again after he was proven right in the Raya/Ramsdale debacle. Oh, and with Havertz. Ish.

He owed a huge debt to the defence in front of him, but Raya’s Golden Glove was vindication.

6) Benjamin White (£52m)
The transfer fee raised many eyebrows, with many laughing at Arsenal for paying more for White than Manchester United did for Raphael Varane. Who’s laughing now, huh? Just imagine how good he would be if he was ‘sufficiently interested in football’.

5) Leandro Trossard (£21.4m)
Arsenal saw an opportunity with Trossard after missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk and capitalised on an expiring contract to bring him in for a very respectable fee in January 2023.

We all knew Trossard was a good player but did not expect him to contribute quite so much to Arsenal. He has that clutch gene in him, for sure, scoring huge goals against Porto, Bayern Munich, Everton, Chelsea, Burnley, Liverpool, Wolves, Manchester United and Leicester City. Clutch indeed.

4) Gabriel Magalhaes (£23.4m)
Signed for more than his left foot, Gabriel is an excellent player and formed a terrific partnership with Benjamin White in 21/22 before doing so once again with William Saliba over the last two-and-a-bit seasons. A little over £23m is a right bargain, too.

Is there a better centre-back partnership in club football than Gabriel and William Saliba? Probably not…

3) Declan Rice (£101m)
The fact Rice is only third shows just how impressive Arsenal’s recruitment has been.

His debut season at the Emirates was everything Arsenal fans dreamed and more. His ridiculous consistency and ability both on and off the ball exceeded expectations. There are not many footballers who can justify costing over £100m but Rice has done so in one year. It is now up to him to continue his form and get even better.

2) William Saliba (£27m)
Edu’s first signing at Arsenal was a corker.

Gabriel Martinelli was announced as an Arsenal player a week before Edu’s arrival and while he was unlikely to have a massive part in signing Saliba, he was in the job over a fortnight, so this transfer qualifies.

Arsenal fans were very anxious about Saliba’s future in the summer of 2022 after an outstanding year on loan at Marseille. He was yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners and was being linked with an exit. Thankfully, Arteta made him a crucial player for the 2022/23 campaign and neither player or manager have looked back. He is a world-class player.

1) Martin Odegaard (£31.5m + £1.8m loan fee)
In the modern market, £33m for Martin Odegaard is bloody ridiculous. He is the very best of a stellar bunch bought under Edu’s leadership.

Norway and Arsenal captain Odegaard is the heartbeat of Arteta’s team and the sky is the limit. What a gem Arsenal have on their hands.