Premier League news LIVE: Erling Haaland latest and injury updates from today’s press conferences
The Premier League is back following the international break as Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool kicks off the weekend’s fixtures
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana are set to be fit as the Premier League returns from the November international break this weekend.
All three players withdrew or were absent from their international squads over the past fortnight but are set to be available for their respective fixtures. Haaland was considered to be an injury doubt after picking up a knock in Norway’s friendly win against the Faroe Islands, but Pep Guardiola is hopeful he will be ready to face Liverpool in Saturday’s top-of-the table clash.
The battle between Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp kicks off when should be a fascinating run of fixtures leading up to Christmas and beyond. Along with the fight for first place, there’s the battle for fourth with Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle and Brighton all chasing down Tottenham who currently sit in the final Champions League place. Villa face Spurs this weekend while United host Everton.
Speaking of the Toffees, they are once again in the midst of a relegation battle having been deducted 10-points for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules. The deduction sees them drop down to 19th above Burnley, and puts them two points away from safety.
Follow along for the latest updates and injury news from the Premier League:
How the Farhad Moshiri era left Everton languishing on the brink of ruin
It was the sort of comment that might have been made in recent seasons when Everton were found in the relegation zone. “The position Everton finds itself in is of its own making,” came the damning conclusion. Except that this was the independent commission’s verdict on their financial position, referencing losses that topped £300m in three years and – crucially – where they were deemed to have lost £124.5m under the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability rules, £19.5m more than permitted.
Deducted 10 points as a punishment, the position Everton find themselves in now is 19th, level on points with bottom club Burnley. Privately, Sean Dyche may note they are still above his former employers, even though Vincent Kompany has spent the kind of sums he was never afforded. If 38 points became a footballing cliché, a byword for safety, Everton, who only actually mustered 36 last season, may have to target 48 this year.
How the Farhad Moshiri era left Everton languishing on the brink of ruin
The British-Iranian businessman has invested a lot of money into the club but the mismanagement of finances has left the Toffees in a precarious position
Football rumours: Manchester United begin hunt for Raphael Varane successor
Manchester United are keen to add reinforcements at centre-back with 23-year-old French defender Jean-Clair Todibo and Portuguese defender Goncalo Inacio, 22, reportedly on their list.
They are seen as ideal replacements for Raphael Varane, according to The Sun.
Manchester United ‘identify candidates’ for Raphael Varane successor
United are keen to add reinforcements at centre-back, according to reports
Burnley boss Kompany responds to Everton points deduction with clubs now level on points
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has responded to Everton’s 10-point deduction.
The Toffees are now level on points with Kompany’s side, but the Clarets remain bottom of the Premier League with an inferior goal difference.
“I tend not to pay attention to anything I can’t control and it’s not something I can control,” the Belgian coach said, when asked for his thoughts on the sanction.
What Everton’s points deduction means for the Premier League, Man City and Chelsea
The scale of Everton’s 10-point deduction has shocked football in a way that is felt beyond Goodison Park. Even figures from other clubs were stunned as they went through the 41 pages of the judgment for breaches of profit and sustainability rules. Part of that is that there was no precedent for this; the Premier League had never done anything like it.
That is why many in the rest of world football are watching just as keenly. Over the last few years, a constant refrain in the highest-level boardrooms has been the following: “Something must be done about the power of the Premier League.”
A fair question is now whether something big is going to change because the Premier League itself has finally done something.
What Everton ruling means for the Premier League, Man City and Chelsea
The seismic judgment to dock Everton 10 points for a breach of the Premier League’s financial fair play rules has the rest of world football watching closely to see what comes next
Hojlund could feature against Everton
Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag, says Rasmus Hojlund could be in contention to make the squad for Sunday’s trip to Everton.
Hojlund was not involved with Denmark’s squad this month after being injured during United’s 1-0 Premier League win over Luton Town.
Ten Hag said: “Rasmus Hojlund, not too bad. Everton will be a close finish but we’re working on that. We’re not sure if he can make that but, hopefully, in the next week, he will return to the squad.”
Mikel Arteta vows to maintain referee stance despite FA charge
Mikel Arteta insists he will continue to speak freely on refereeing decisions despite being handed a Football Association charge for comments he made after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
The Gunners boss labelled VAR’s decision to not overturn Anthony Gordon’s 64th minute winner “an absolute disgrace”.
Arteta, who said that he has submitted observations he made during the match to the FA, highlighted the importance of freedom of speech and believes communication is key if the standards of refereeing are to improve.
Mikel Arteta vows to maintain referee stance despite FA charge
The Gunners boss labelled VAR’s decision to not overturn Anthony Gordon’s 64th minute winner ‘an absolute disgrace’
Chelsea’s attack is close to catching fire — now a forgotten signing can ignite it
Three wins from ten games and just 13 goals scored. Rewind almost a month and the Premier League campaign had started in bleak fashion for Chelsea; the critics were loud from some sections over Mauricio Pochettino’s lack of quick impact, highlighted all the more by Ange Postecoglou doing exactly that a few miles further north.
Yet even with a misfiring front line, there had occasionally been hints of what this team could be: the beginnings of partnerships, a few players starting to settle, standing out, finding their form. In a team which has been ripped up and effectively started anew through the last year, cohesion between individuals is everything to rebuilding a style and a successful approach. Pochettino has been hampered there, too, by injuries and absences, imbalances and those who arrived before him not finding the level hoped of them.
Now, two matches later and with eight goals scored across them - including four in that chaotic, eternally watchable draw with Man City just prior to the international break - there is not just intangible reason for optimism, but quite clear on-pitch alterations which show Chelsea should be far better, far higher than the tenth place they currently occupy.
Chelsea’s attack is close to catching fire — now a forgotten signing can ignite it
Christopher Nkunku is set to make a long-awaited competitive debut after the international break
Heckingbottom previews Bournemouth clash
Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom is ready for the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday after the Blades got their Premier League campaign up-and-running before the international break.
They earned a first win against Wolves before following it up with a draw against Brighton.
The match versus Bournemouth is a good chance of picking up more points but the manager does not believe his team are favourites at Bramall Lane.
“Lots of people already giving me the points,” he said. “No, you only have to look at their last game [beating Newcastle 2-0], they were really good.
“Newcastle impose themselves and try and dominate but Bournemouth were really good, so it’s going to be difficult.
“Regardless of the opposition, we have to put ourselves in the position to take points. Whoever we’re playing. We’ve shown we can do that, we got over the line in the last two and that’s the difference.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of Man City v Liverpool: ‘If we don’t win the title we have ourselves to blame’
The safer approach would be merely to look for incremental improvement, to eye the dotted line that traditionally separates the European elite from the rest, to say the objective for Liverpool’s season was simply to return to the Champions League. But then, as anyone who has seen Trent Alexander-Arnold pass a ball knows, he can eschew the risk-free option. There is ambition to his distribution; to his rhetoric, too.
“Our aim as a team is to win the league and that’s the aim again this season,” said the Liverpool vice-captain. And if he was neither saying Liverpool will win the Premier League or are the favourites to do so, the right-back is unafraid of setting a lofty target. “Our ambition is to be as successful as possible and to maximise the potential we have got as a team and as a club,” he added. “At the start of last season it was the same as at the start of this season: our ambition was to win the league. We were nowhere near good enough to get anywhere near that last year and that’s where we needed to put it right this year.”
That his ambition is underpinned by honesty was underlined by that last sentence. Liverpool go to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in second place, in the familiar position of being Manchester City’s closest challengers, the side on the shoulder of Pep Guardiola’s frontrunners in case they stumble. Yet last year, there were 22 points between them. Liverpool slipped to 10th in their bleak midwinter. They were as low as eighth in early April, closer in points to the foot of the table than to City.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: ‘If we don’t win the title we have ourselves to blame’
As Liverpool prepare for a crunch meeting with perennial title favourites Manchester City, the vice-captain is unwavering in his belief that they can finish top of the pile this season
Man City vs Liverpool
Liverpool’s most recent win at the Etihad away from the Premier League was in the 2018 Champions League.
The Reds won 2-1 and reached a first Champions League semi-final for 10 years. Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino were among the goals.
Still, that victory was five years ago. Is it possible for them to triumph tomorrow?
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