Arteta faces Ødegaard call; fitness problems persist at Manchester City: football news – live | Soccer

Joe Pearson gets in touch: “Can we give a shout to the Swiss Army Knife of footballers, James Milner? Completely at ease on either side of the pitch, and has variously played as a winger, midfielder, and full back.”

Seems to be operating as some kind of auxiliary fitness coach at Brighton.

Good one from Ruari McEvoy: “I’m an Arsenal fan who was a teenager in the invincible days so a very biased answer but Kolo Toure’s move from a midfield utility man to a top centre back was a good one.”

Geoff Wignall gets in touch: “Quickly pondering positionally changed players of the past, Kenny Burns was one who came to mind – famously converted from Birmingham striker to Forest centre back by Clough.

“But a rather classier example was late model Ruud Gullit, in his Chelsea days as a sweeper. Once described in these pages as being like ‘a man standing in a field of waving corn’. Or somesuch.’

Gullit was good enough to play any position. It is my opinion that Jude Bellingham is similar, and ought to play Ruud’s old Dutch position of secondary forward, free role, if Jude would inject a bit more energy into his game.

On another note: did we do Chris Sutton? These days ubiquitous, he was once as good a centre-half as he was striker.

Form team Nottingham Forest face Newcastle on Sunday.

How good was Van Nistelrooy as a player? This good.

Van Nistelrooy wants to be United manager

Guardiola: Grealish not available for City

Martinez wishes Amorim the best

Fitness problems continue at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola patronises opposition corner. On Brighton, City’s opponents on Saturday evening.

“I’m really impressed with the way they play. They had to make a lot of signings and he is doing an incredible job. They were outstanding against Liverpool but didn’t get the result. They played really good. They always have been tough away or at home, since Graham Potter, and this will be no exception.”

Also, on Jack Grealish being called up for England but not being available for City:
“That is the question for the manager of the UK.”
(We think he meant England, not the UK. And Lee Carsley, not Sir Keir Starmer.)

Odegaard back for Arsenal?

Steve Hoare gets in touch: “Paul Warhurst changing from centre-back to striker for Sheff Weds was the best change of position I can remember. He was sensational, scoring 12 in 12 and earning a big money move to Blackburn and winning a champions medal. However, he generally played in midfield with the SAS up front and was never really quite as effective as during that glorious 12 games at Wednesday. He really looked like a world beater for that short period.”

I remember him as a young, classy defender with Joe Royle’s Oldham.

Is Cole Palmer fit for Chelsea? Enzo Maresca: ““He’s getting better,” said Maresca. “[Just because] he can walk and have dinner it doesn’t mean he is completely fit, but we still have two days to prepare the game.

“Hopefully we can have him for the session at least on Saturday and then we’ll take a decision.”

More Gary O’Neil. He and Russell Martin were Norwich teammates.

“Lots of things that have gone on at the football club, lots of things that have gone on on the pitch – [I take] full responsibility from my part in that as well. We are where we are and there is nothing we can do about the last 10 games.

“The next one is the next one we can affect right now and the focus and prep and everything that has gone into it has gone very well so I know the boys are looking forward to the next challenge.”

More from Arne Slot.

Wolves v Southampton is this week’s relegation six-pointer. Both managers have been speaking.

Russell Martin: “We want to impose the game we want and create the chances we want. I’m sure Gary is preparing his team in the same way.”

Gary O’Neil: “I don’t ask the club for any backing or support, I’m very comfortable in my own skin and the work we do. I’ve given everything and there’s been some challenges. It’s important I take full responsibility and we embrace every challenge.”

Good afternoon, and let’s start with a look ahead to Sunday’s London derby. If Arsenal lose to Chelsea, they could drop 10 points off the top of the table.

The feeling from us is that we can compete and win against any team. If you don’t take it serious you can lose against any team. But we have the feeling that we are going in the right direction.

Right then, enough from me: it’s time for John Brewin to take over.

Some more words from Arne Slot, this time on Curtis Jones’s fine form:

Bobby Holmes has another for us:

Another Irishman, Steve Staunton banging in a hat-trick in the League Cup against Wigan as part of a front two with Jan Molby (!) It’s the second leg in this vid. And here’s Stan’s account of the feat. Staunton also played in goal for Liverpool, replacing Sander Westerveld, if memory serves.

Regarding favourite changes of position, Nicholas Ridgman points to the versatility of a Manchester United cult hero: “It would have to be John O’Shea briefly having to go in goal against Spurs in 2007, making him the only United player to have played in goal, CB, fullback, CM, wing, and up front.”

Outfield players going in goal is obviously popular. Rio Ferdinand, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker are others who’ve had a go.

On the subject of Luis Díaz enjoying success as a centre-forward, I’ll open the floor to hear your favourite positional changes from players. Think, I don’t know, Gareth Bale moving from left-back to left wing. It doesn’t even have to be a long-term switch: e.g Steven Caulker coming off the bench to play up front for Liverpool in the early-Klopp era.

Mourinho targeting Newcastle job if Howe departs

Ange Postecoglou has been offering some injury updates ahead of Tottenham’s meeting with Ipswich on Sunday. He says his team came through “unscathed” in their loss to Galatasaray last night. Cristian Romero “is a chance” for the weekend, having come off after an hour in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa. Mikey Moore (illness) and Timo Werner (groin) are set to miss out on the game.

A lunch-time read for you: Barney Ronay reviews Miguel Delaney’s new book, States of Play.

Stick to football. It doesn’t really work does it? The big problem with sticking to football is that football doesn’t stick to football. Instead, football keeps sticking to other things, such as nation building, geopolitics, contrived Hollywood bro-ship vehicles and cruelty.

Jobe Bellingham called up to England Under-21s

Slot: Díaz’s success as centre forward ‘a surprise’

Uefa has released a statement regarding the reported violence in Amsterdam last evening. More on that story below:

Uefa strongly condemns the incidents and acts of violence that occurred last night in the city of Amsterdam before and after the Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

We trust that the relevant authorities will identify and charge as many of those responsible for such actions as possible. Uefa will examine all official reports, gather available evidence, assess them and evaluate any further appropriate course of action in accordance with its relevant regulatory framework.

Brighton are up against the struggling Manchester City tomorrow and their manager, Fabian Hürzeler, wants his side to learn how to win “ugly”. His side are eighth in the league, with Hürzeler – 31 years young – settling in pretty well after joining in the summer. Here are his ambitions, courtesy of PA:

On the one side I think we can be happy about the performances, how we play, the style of play, how we have developed. On the other side, when we look at the results, we could have more points. There we have to find a good balance between playing a good style of play and getting the results for the style of play.

So, on the one side happy, on the other side there are still things we can improve, especially the game management, how to win the games, maybe in an ugly way, how to win the games in an efficient way.

I don’t want to be recognised or want to be seen as the small Brighton and Hove Albion. It’s more that we have a big potential in our squad. We have a great leadership in the club.

Suzanne Wrack writes about the fixture conundrum that has forced Arsenal to move their Women’s Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich next month away from the Emirates.

The reality is that this mess was an opportunity for all involved to go beyond paying lip service to the value of women’s football and its place in the football ecosystem; to say: women’s football should not play second fiddle, we value it, and we want you to value it too.

Speaking of Chris Wood, here’s what Eddie Howe’s had to say on his former player. Wood struggled for goals at Newcastle, scoring five in 39 games.

I’m delighted for Chris on a personal level. For me it was never lost how well he played for us. He did everything but score. His positive performances were so important in our efforts to stay in the league especially that first season when he joined. The work he did, the unseen things, bringing other players into play. If you asked his teammates that played with him in that season, they’d say Chris was one of the reasons that we changed our position in the league and were able to win consistently. But he just didn’t get the goals that elevated his performances or probably got the wider world seeing what a transformation he played in our team. He was very selfless, he was very team-orientated and that’s why now on a personal level he’s getting the individual accolades that his goals are bringing him.

Here’s what to look out for in the Premier League this weekend. To the key question: how many will Chris Wood score against his former club Newcastle?

Following those illuminating extracts from his book, Hugo Lloris has spoken to Donald McRae about Spurs, losing the World Cup final two years ago and that watch story.

Here he is on that loss to Argentina:

I’d meet people in the street who’d thank me for the beauty and emotional intensity of this final, assuring me that it was the most wonderful match they’d experienced in all their lives. Maybe when I’m old I’ll be able to see it like that. But not yet: it was a disaster because we lost, because we were crap for 80 minutes. And so the pain was unbearable.

Diallo targets long-term United deal

Preamble