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Arsenal’s hopes of a top four finish took a hit on Sunday as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat to the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City, at the Etihad Stadium. 

When Unai Emery replaced the long-serving Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager in the summer, a key part of his remit will have been to bring Champions League football back to the Emirates Stadium as soon as possible.

However, with the Gunners in such fierce competition for a top four finish with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, qualification for the Champions League via this route in his first season in charge was always going to be a big ask.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Football FanCast’s Christy Malyan and Will Jones debate whether or a not a top four finish represents a fair expectation of Arsenal this season.

Jones: For

Arsenal have a squad capable of competing for the top four, so the expectation should be that they achieve that. That is not to say that Emery should lose his job should they fall short, but it should be clear that the club have big ambitions and expect the side to perform to the best of their abilities.

To expect less would be to lose the battle from the outset. Of course the competition is fierce, but the Gunners should feel that they can go toe to toe with anyone on their day. The expectation, then, should be that they do all they can to capitalise upon their potential, and they have the potential to achieve a top four finish.

Malyan: Against

In an era where there are six top teams battling for four Champions League spots, no club should ever ‘expect’ to finish inside the top four. Of course, some clubs will have a much better chance than others – in this instance, Liverpool and Manchester City – but margins are so fine that any club could easily miss out, especially when they’re undergoing the same transition as Arsenal are this season.

During Pep Guardiola’s first campaign at the Etihad Stadium, City finished inside the top four by just three points, and that was with a team that qualified for Champions League the term previous. There are many underlying issues with this Arsenal squad, chief amongst them that a significant portion of the wage bill is tied up in a player who barely starts these days, that finishing inside the top four would be a minor miracle.

Arsenal should take City under Guardiola as the example here, accept it’s a transition season and plan for better times ahead under Unai Emery.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sold the worldwide broadcasting rights for the home series against West Indies to Virgo Media Ltd.The outgoing BCB president Mustafa Kamal said Virgo, the owners of Channel 9 in Bangladesh, will produce the matches. “Channel 9 will handle the production and the board will be paid $50,000 dollars for the sale of the rights,” Kamal said. “We received a few other offers but this seemed like the most profitable deal.”Channel 9 is the official broadcaster of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). A source at the TV station said they would have to sell it to a foreign-based sports channel to make the deal profitable, as they had done for the first edition of the BPL earlier this year.Kamal also said the BCB would launch another tender following the West Indies series in order to sell its worldwide media rights for the long term. The board has been without an official broadcaster after its deal with Nimbus concluded in March this year.BCB had, in August, floated the tender for a TV deal from November 1, 2012, to April 30, 2016, after a committee headed by vice-president Ahmed Sajjadul Alam prepared a guideline for the new deal. A last date for buying the tender was set for August 31, but since only two companies showed interest, the deadline was first extended to September 12, and then to September 14, and amendments were made to the initial clauses in the tender. It still drew a lukewarm response. Last month, the BCB had to turn the long-term offer into a short-term one just for the West Indies series after Virgo Media did not raise their offering of $6 million, though the board had asked for at least $15 million.The prerequisites for prospective bidders were modified for the broadcasting and media rights. After it was understood by the BCB that companies with less experience wanted to apply, the new requirement stipulated a tender would be acceptable only if either the marketing agent or the broadcaster had five years’ experience in the related field. Earlier all three components of the media rights – production, broadcasting and marketing – were required to have five years of experience in cricket coverage. A $2.5 million bank guarantee was also made a key part of the deal, but the board is likely to revise the stipulations.West Indies are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on November 5 to play two Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty. The second Test and the first two ODIs are expected to take place in Khulna, while the rest of the games will take place in Dhaka.

On Tuesday, Aston Villa confirmed that they would be wearing their traditional home colours for the EFL Cup final against Manchester City on March 1.

Villa will be in their claret and blue kit for the clash at Wembley, where they will be tasked with overcoming the competition holders.

And the kit announcement on Tuesday went down extremely well with the club’s supporters, who took to social media in their numbers.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

Others, though, were surprised to learn that an announcement even had to be made as there is technically no colour clash between the two clubs.

Villa overcame Crewe Alexandra, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the early rounds of this season’s EFL Cup before famously beating a youthful Liverpool side 5-0 in the quarter-finals.

Leicester City were waiting in the semi-finals of the competition, and Dean Smith’s side ran out 3-2 winners over the two legs to advance to the Wembley affair.

Villa have two Premier League matches before the clash with City, though, taking on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday before facing Southampton on February 22.

Meanwhile, AVFC may be handed an important fitness boost ahead of their upcoming match with Spurs.

Football FanCast recently spoke to former England and Liverpool winger John Barnes.

In a wide-ranging interview – split over three parts – we were able to get a fascinating insight into his life and career at the very top of the game.

In this first instalment of our conversation with the Premier League icon, Liverpool’s current title challenge is put under the microscope. 

Barnes was part of the last Liverpool side to win a league title, in the 1989-90 season. Barnes was in fine form throughout that campaign, and was instrumental to the Reds’ success as he racked up 22 goals in 34 league outings. At the end of the season he was named the FWA Player of the Year for the second time in his career.

Barnes, who was speaking on behalf of bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk, gave us his views on what it takes to win the league title, and whether Liverpool can keep up their challenge for the remainder of this campaign…

When you look at their squad and then Manchester City’s, do you think that Liverpool have what it takes to hold the reigning champions off?

“Well, Manchester City have a much stronger squad and I think we’ve seen that in the last few games – in the FA Cup  – when they’ve made wholesale changes and still won 7-0 and 9-0. When we made changes against Wolves we were unable to go through in the FA Cup. So, they’ve got a stronger squad, but in terms of the squad we have we definitely have a squad strong enough to win matches and go all the way to the end and be very competitive.

“So, Manchester City, yes, have a stronger squad, but we definitely have a squad that can go on to win the title. That’s not to say that we will, but we have a squad that can take us through the season, definitely.” 

What’s been lost since Liverpool’s era of utter dominance that has seen them go without a Premier League title for so long? 

“I don’t know what’s been missing for so long. We’ve spoken about it for 25 years, there’s no point asking ‘what’s been missing?’

“We have what there is now, and what there is now is a consistency of performance and a team good enough to challenge to win the title, and I suppose we haven’t had that in the past.

“I don’t want to look back and say why we haven’t won the title, because it’s not important. What’s important is that we’ve got a team now that’s capable of challenging at the very, very highest level.”

In the late 80s you were part of a very successful Liverpool side. What made that group so special?

“Well, Liverpool were the best team then. Liverpool were the best team from the 70s as well, not necessarily just the late 80s. If you look throughout the late 70s and mid-80s, Liverpool had the best players and they were the best team – as Manchester United were in the 2000s.

“They had better players than anybody else and they were a better team than everybody else. It’s as simple as that. If you’ve got a good manager and a good team then you can win matches. Of course, Manchester United then took over, then Arsenal I suppose with Arsene Wenger for a period of time did, because they had better players and a good manager. 

“Of course, Liverpool were then playing catch-up, so they weren’t able to get the best players, which meant that they were then just challenging for third and fourth place. But now we’ve got players who can challenge for first place.”

A lot of the current Liverpool squad have never been part of a title challenge like this before. What’s it like dealing with that pressure and knowing that you can’t afford to slip up?

“Well, it depends. First of all, the manager will keep them calm.

“It’s all about just keeping calm and knowing that you can win football matches. The pressure is what you make it. If you have players that believe in what they’re doing and they understand what they’re doing, and they play with the right intensity, determination, organisation, and the right humility, without getting carried away with themselves, then they’ve got a chance.

“So, it’s not a question of them, necessarily, not being able to handle the pressure.

“They just have to keep calm, do what they do, and win the games they should. That’s where Liverpool have been better this year; in their consistency against so-called lesser teams. We saw them against Brighton – last year we were losing and drawing games like that, whereas this year we are much more consistent and that’s what you have to be. 

“Don’t get carried away when you’re unbeaten and then all of a sudden you get beaten by Manchester City and people say the wheels have come off because of one game against the champions. It’s about keeping calm and knowing you’re a good side.”

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

How important, for you personally, was getting that mental side of the game right?

“You’re in an environment that gives it to you – the mentality. I got it with Graham Taylor and with Liverpool, and I suppose Alex Ferguson had that at Manchester United.

“You’re in an environment where the mentality is the most important thing. The mentality is about not getting carried away when things are going well. The mentality is about knowing you’re a good team and can compete against anybody. 

“The problem you have is when all of a sudden you think you’ve got it made, or you’ve won the league, or you’re better than everybody else. That’s when you come unstuck. So, you have to play with humility, you have to play with determination, and the mentality is the most important thing because we know they all have ability. There’s no players playing in the top division, particularly for the top teams, who haven’t got the ability, but that’s where the mentality is the most important thing.””

In his decade at Anfield, Barnes made over 400 appearances, scored over 100 goals, and claimed seven trophies, including two league titles and an FA Cup triumph. In 1997, he left Liverpool as a club legend.

In part two of our interview with Barnes, he discusses the issues still faced by black men and women on and off the pitch.

Fulham slipped into the relegation zone of the Premier League after being soundly beaten by Cardiff City at the weekend. 

The Cottagers took an early lead through Andre Schurrle who struck from long range, but they were behind just ten minutes later after Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid found the back of the net. Ryan Sessegnon equalised soon after before goals from Callum Paterson and Kadeem Harris secured a valuable victory for the Bluebirds. Defeat sees Fulham slip into the bottom three in the Premier League table.

Fulham simply must improve defensively if they are to avoid a swift return to the Championship. In their previous two matches, the Cottagers had conceded eight goals, and their woes continued against a side who had previously been struggling to find the back of the net. Slavisa Jokanovic needs to identify potential targets who can improve their fortunes in the New Year.

One man he should shortlist is former Manchester United defender – Rafael. Valued at £8.1m by Transfermarkt, the Brazilian is currently playing in Ligue 1 with Lyon and made over 30 appearances last season. Rafael remains a useful rotation option for his club but has less than one year remaining on his contract with reports in the summer suggesting the French side were open to his sale.

With Timothy Fosu-Mensah sidelined with an injury, Rafael could be the perfect replacement for Ryan Fredericks who left for West Ham in the summer. The 28-year-old reads the game well, averaging 1.8 interceptions per game last season. His defensive ability, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the league last year, could seriously help Fulham stop leaking goals (WhoScored).

Rafael already has experience of playing in the Premier League making him the ideal January addition.

Fulham fans, thoughts?

Everton are believed to be interested in signing Gremio defender Walter Kannemann, as covered by Corriere dello Sport.

The Toffees are finally making moves in this summer’s transfer window, with Lucas Digne following Richarlison to the club.

More new signings are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes next week, and the Merseyside outfit are in the market for a new centre-back.

That need has been strengthened following the news that Ashley Williams is on the verge of leaving the club to join Championship outfit Stoke City.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”275398″ player=”12034″ title=”4 Potential Replacements For Jordan Pickford At Everton”]

Kannemann might well be an alternative to Barcelona’s Yerry Mina, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent days.

The Everton fans have been offering their views on the 27-year-old, who has spent the last two years with Brazilian outfit Gremio.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The Premier League returns this weekend, and for Newcastle United they face a trip to Wales to take on Swansea City.

Rafael Benitez’s side had a difficult start to life back in the top flight when they suffered back-to-back defeats.

Their opening fixture against Tottenham Hotspur ended in a 2-0 loss, while a visit to Huddersfield did not go to plan, as the team were beaten 1-0.

As well as some poor results, doubts were bubbling beneath the surface regarding Benitez’s future at St James’ Park.

The Spaniard made it publicly clear that he was not impressed with the club’s transfer activity in the summer window, but at this moment, he remains committed to the cause.

Prior to the international break, Newcastle celebrated their first league win of the season with a 3-0 triumph over West Ham United at St James’ Park.

In order to continue that run, Quinn, who played for the Magpies between 1989 and 1992, believes that Benitez should keep faith in Mikel Merino and Isaac Hayden for the trip to Wales.

The retired football wrote in the Chronicle:

“We have the players to hit them on the counter, so let’s have a go. We have the pace; Ayoze Perez or Christian Atsu. I think you have to stick with Merino and Isaac Hayden after the West Ham game; there were lots of positives and it was important we won that game. Three goals, a clean sheet and confidence.”

Speaking exclusively to the official Celtic website, Stuart Armstrong has paid tribute to Brendan Rodgers for revitalise his career at the Hoops.

What’s the story?

Stuart Armstrong was going nowhere fast at Celtic prior to Rodgers arrival in Glasgow but almost one season on looks indispensable to the current team. He was on the scoresheet just two days ago, netting a vital derby goal to help his side earn a point against visiting Rangers.

That form has earned him a Scotland call-up and he’s on the verge of receiving his first international cap for Scotland in the upcoming international break.

He’s now hailed his manager for bringing his career at Celtic back from the brink.

As quoted by the official Celtic website, Armstrong said:

Since he came in, we had the initial conversation at the start of the season and how he wanted me to go about my business at Celtic. That really spurred me on and gave me a great platform and opportunity to work my way into the side and play in my favoured position. I owe him a lot for reigniting my career at Celtic.

It’s more proof that Rodgers’ man management is second to none, having brought a number of players through tough periods to produce some of the best form of his career.

Can he shine for Scotland?

Armstrong is one of five Celtic players to reach double figures in terms of goals this season, racking up 11 from central midfield. That’s a testament to his desire to impact games and commit himself into the final third, something that Gordon Strachan could certainly use at international level.

With 5 assists too, he’s shown he’s a team player, not just a goalscorer and has combined marvellously with fellow Scotland internationals like Scott Brown, James Forrest, Leigh Griffths and Kieran Tierney all season.

Despite having no experience for his country, the upcoming international window is a great opportunity to give him that chance and you’d be foolish to think he can’t shine for the Tartan Army.

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Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has described comments made by Rangers players James Tavernier and Andy Halliday as “utterly ridiculous.”

After Rangers were promoted back to the Premiership after beating Dumbarton 1-0 last Tuesday Tavernier and Halliday believed that the current team was capable of beating any side in the top flight and should be competing for the title next season.

Writing in his column in the Daily Record, Sutton believes those aren’t realistic ambitions: “I saw Tavernier’s stuff and I think it was ill-advised.

“He should be keeping his thoughts to himself. Yes, maybe Rangers CAN beat Celtic but if you fail to deliver, you look stupid. If I were a Rangers player, I wouldn’t be getting carried away about winning the Championship.

“In fairness, I thought Warburton and David Weir weren’t getting over-excited. For them it was ‘job done’ but some of the stuff coming out of the Rangers players’ mouths was best kept in-house. Some of the comments have been utterly ridiculous. It’s the Championship, for Christ’s sake!”

Sutton believes that such comments will spur Celtic players to perform when they face their Old Firm rivals in the Scottish Cup next Sunday.

“If I’d been a Gers player on Tuesday, I wouldn’t have celebrated, he said.

“I would have regarded it as merely doing my job with no great elation. And if I were a current Celtic player, hearing Tavernier and Halliday coming out with absolute nonsense, I’d be half-laughing thinking: ‘Are you on the same planet? You’re playing in the Championship.’

But on the flip side, I’d be thinking, ‘You know what? We are going to ram those words so far down your throat.’”

Celtic go in to the cup tie after a 2-1 win victory over Motherwell moving them 8 points clear in the Scottish Premiership after Aberdeen lost 2-1 to Hearts on Friday evening.

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The 22-year-old helped the Cityzens defeat Arsenal and Chelsea in a huge week, and deserves to continue that momentum with her country

How big a week could this end up being in Jess Park’s career? After making back-to-back starts for Manchester City for the first time in two years and producing a match-winning display in their monumental win over Chelsea, the 22-year-old now heads off to Spain for England’s first two fixtures of 2024 – and Sarina Wiegman is surely looking at granting her an opportunity to continue that momentum.

Park has had to be patient this season. Having thrived on loan at Everton last year, she’s stuck around in Manchester this time and it’s not been easy to break into a team that is now joint-top of the Women’s Super League. However, the reason they now hold that status is in no small part thanks to the England starlet.

Her performance on Friday, at league leaders Chelsea, was outstanding. No one created more chances than Park, who’s delicate through ball set up Khadija Shaw to score the winning goal inside 15 minutes. She did her work on the other side of the ball, too, winning possession back four times and making three clearances, a number only bettered by Laia Alexiandri and Alex Greenwood, Man City’s centre-back duo.

It's always felt like Wiegman has seen something in Park. While still quite young and forging her way in the WSL, she has continued to receive England call-ups on a consistent basis and has been granted a decent number of chances by a manager who doesn’t shake things up all too often.

So as the young forward comes into the Lionesses’ first camp of the year on a real personal high, the likelihood of her being granted just a second-ever start for her country feels big. In fact, Park’s sprightly manner could be exactly what England need as they look to bounce back from the Nations League heartbreak that devastated them at the end of 2023.

GettyOn the brink of something special

It was some seven years ago that Park signed for Man City, from York City, with her only 16 years old when she debuted for the club in a Continental Cup win over Doncaster Belles back in the 2017-18 season. She’s had some incredible moments in the time since, scoring a hat-trick against Ipswich Town in the FA Cup in early 2020 and, at the end of the same year, providing the assist that allowed Georgia Stanway to give City the lead in extra-time in that competition’s final.

But she’s always been on the fringes of a first team that has long boasted an abundance of attacking assets, only once hitting double figures for appearances in the league in her six seasons so far.

AdvertisementGettyLearning on loan

Last season’s temporary switch to Everton was crucial in Park’s development, then. She made 19 starts in all competitions, having racked up just 21 for City in the five seasons prior, contributing five goals and five assists in her first campaign as a regular starter for a WSL team. It was a strong showing from a player who was just 20 years old when the season began.

“Jess has been great for us and it shows in the minutes we’re giving her,” Everton boss Brian Sorensen said last term. “There are still things in her game she needs to improve but, as a whole, she looks much more confident than when she first came in.

"She is really trying to develop her physical side, she’s really taking steps in the right direction there. Then it’s just being smart under pressure – and being consistent, always tracking back and doing the right stuff. When she gets that right, you will almost have the complete, finished product, but she still has years to grow and we’re happy to help her with her development.”

That growth didn’t go unnoticed back at her parent club, either. Speaking about her time on Merseyside, Man City boss Gareth Taylor said on Friday: “There were times last year when I was monitoring her progress and I was like, ‘As much as she's growing and developing elsewhere, we could really do with her here'.”

But after being on the fringes for so long, the time Park spent playing regularly was important, and it set her in good stead to come back to City and make an impact.

GettyOpportunity knocks

In the first half of this season, though, it felt justified to question why the Cityzens didn’t send Park back out on loan. The 22-year-old had played just 101 minutes in the WSL by the time the winter break rolled around, from six substitute appearances.

She was doing all she could in the Conti Cup to try and earn a place in the league, scoring twice and providing one assist in five appearances, but that place on the bench on a weekend remained unchanged. She was trying to break into a team that was competing for the title, after all, one with top players performing consistently well.

But then City were dealt a real blow. Jill Roord, who had thrived since arriving from Wolfsburg for a bumper fee in the summer, ruptured her ACL at the end of January. It was devastating news for the player, of course, and the whole team. Roord’s attacking threat from midfield had helped City thrive and it wasn’t going to be easy to replace.

Park, some 15 centimetres shorter than the Dutchwoman, is a very different player but she is a threat in the final third in her own way. And since a space has opened up in City’s midfield, she has grabbed the opportunity to fill it with both hands.

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Stepping up

Taylor admitted on Friday that if Roord was fit, then “she plays”. But it says a lot that, in her absence, he looked to Park, over Filippa Angeldahl or Mary Fowler, two established senior internationals, to start the huge FA Cup fifth-round clash with Arsenal and then, five days later, the trip to Chelsea in the league. They were her first starts of the season that didn’t come in the Conti Cup, and her first back-to-back in two years.

“She's always been there,” Taylor said on Friday. “I think she's always been a player that has really interested me. I mean, she helped us win our first trophy together as a team, coming off the bench and showing real maturity from a young age. She's had to be patient, but her training levels and her attitude has been first-class, and I think is a real example for any young player. She's now broken into the England set-up as well.

"We've adjusted her position a little bit but I've always felt she's capable of playing in between the lines. She picked up some good positions this evening and worked tremendously hard as well.”

When GOAL noted that it said a lot of Park for her to come in and thrive in what was probably City’s biggest week of the season so far, Taylor showed no sign that he had been surprised. “Yeah but she's capable,” he responded. “You look at Jess and you see, physically, okay, she's not the biggest, but her agility is very good, her ball control and her technique is very, very good.

"With Jess, the thing that's going to make her world-class will be her final action, but she is improving a lot on that, working hard with Shaun [Goater, the former Man City striker who is part of Taylor’s coaching staff] in training and she's really contributing to the team at the moment.”