Pep Guardiola condemns Manchester City fans who chanted about Sir Bobby Charlton
Pep Guardiola distanced Manchester City from the two banned supporters who chanted offensively following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton, insisting the pair “don’t represent us”. Footage emerged on social media of two people, both minors, chanting about Charlton during City’s match against Brighton last weekend, soon after the Manchester United great’s death was announced publicly. City have acted swiftly, denouncing the chanting as “vile”, ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, where United will hold a minute’s applause before kick-off in memory of Charlton. Guardiola is hopeful the travelling fans will conduct themselves respectfully, as he condemned the behaviour of the two fans who have been suspended from attending City matches home and away. “They don’t represent us,” Guardiola said. “Alcohol makes bad things in people. (City ambassador) Mike Summerbee went to Old Trafford to sign the book (of condolence for Charlton), he represents us. “We have huge respect for Manchester United, especially for the icon of Sir Bobby Charlton. We will be part of the condolences, to Man United and English football.” This weekend will be the first meeting between the rivals since last season’s FA Cup final, when Ilkay Gundogan’s double sealed a 2-1 win for City as they collected a second trophy en route to the treble. With only nine matches gone in the Premier League so far, this derby does not have the same emphasis but it is a fixture that former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has always enjoyed. “When I was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and I travelled to England to play against United at Old Trafford, it was always special,” he said. “It is a special place and here it is special for our fans. “The clubs have a good rivalry. The clubs respect each other, no big issues have happened in my eight seasons here. Of course the FA Cup final was special because we wanted to win and win the treble. “But it’s not like an FA Cup final or the last fixtures of the season where winning or losing can define winning the Premier League or not. “There have only been nine fixtures so there are 87 points to play for. It’s another game, we have to be focused to beat them.” City, who will be without suspended defender Manuel Akanji, beat Brighton last weekend to rebound from successive top-flight defeats at Wolves and Arsenal before the international break. They currently sit second, behind Tottenham, but United, who finished third last season, have had a turbulent start to their campaign, losing four times in their first nine fixtures. While City are six points and as many places ahead of United, Guardiola is on his guard after Erik Ten Hag’s side snatched victory in last season’s corresponding showdown. “United have always had that feeling – it doesn’t matter who the manager is – they are a tough, tough opponent,” Guardiola said. “The qualities of the individuals they have, the stadium, the character they have, the momentum. They can score goals, we know the quality they have. Always that has been and always it will be.” Read More Mikel Arteta calls for increased squad sizes as Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow ‘High chance’ Sandro Tonali plays for Newcastle this weekend despite 10-month ban Mike McMeeken’s move ‘out of comfort zone’ to Catalans earned England recall Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham not a better team without Harry Kane, just different England’s woes at World Cup down to lack of preparation – Sir Geoffrey Boycott How ‘the best ever Scotland team to take the field’ fared at the Rugby World Cup
2023-10-27 22:47
Russia hikes interest rates to 15% as inflation soars
The Bank of Russia raises rates more than expected to try to lower inflation and boost the rouble.
2023-10-27 22:21
Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah is ‘biologically’ still a young player
Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah still has the body of a young player even as the Egyptian grows wiser with experience. Salah came off the bench to get Liverpool’s final goal in Thursday night’s 5-1 Europa League win over Toulouse, his 43rd European goal for the club – breaking surpassing Thierry Henry’s tally of 42 for Arsenal as the most scored by any Premier League player for a single club in continental competition. It came after the 31-year-old got both goals in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton, which meant that Salah has now scored or assisted in each of his last 13 Premier League games at Anfield. Salah will aim to extend that run when Nottingham Forest visit on Sunday and Klopp is enjoying the spectacle of a maturing player with a more-rounded game, yet one who still has the physical attributes to match anyone. “Off the pitch he behaves like a grown-up man but besides that he’s still a young player,” Klopp said. “He’s so fit. I think if we scan him the majority of the bones are probably 19 or 20 (years old) because he just keeps in such good shape. “(He has) game understanding. That’s what we try to give young players. They all know an awful lot about football when they finish their career at 35 but the earlier you can get this information the more useful it is. “And with Mo he understands the spaces much better, he knows how players react on him and if he cannot score he can still be a threat for us and that’s super important… I cannot compare Mo to other 30-odd-year-old players because I don’t think biologically he is.” Klopp admitted he had no idea that Salah had surpassed Henry’s European tally but, given the number of records the Egyptian has broken during his time at Anfield, it is not easy to keep up. I cannot compare Mo to other 30-odd-year-old players because I don't think biologically he is Jurgen Klopp “Maybe he would have broken a few more records if I would be more into that because sometimes I left him out when he could have broken a record,” Klopp said. “It wasn’t intentional but I’m not too much into this. “He broke a record (against Toulouse) but if not he would have broken it in two weeks or three that’s clear. He’s just such a good player. “We appreciate him and we will appreciate him even more after his career when we realise we saw something really special.” Klopp had made eight changes from the Merseyside derby for the visit of Toulouse, but will reverse most if not all of them on Sunday when Forest head to Anfield. Liverpool go into the weekend three points off the top of the Premier League table and aiming to show they can balance a Europa League campaign with a title challenge at home. “So far we could do it,” he said. “Thursday-Sunday is not great but it’s something we know really for long enough and that’s fine. “The boys that didn’t play (against Toulouse) will have a proper training session so that’s good. “If you play always the same team like we did in the past in the Champions League then it’s no training at all, it’s just recovery and then go again but so far we are able to do it like this with not too many injuries. “A lot of the players who didn’t play will probably start on Sunday so for them they had if you want a day off, just warming up and kicking a few balls. (On Friday) we will have a proper session to prepare for Nottingham. “This rhythm is the rhythm we have this year. We should get used to it sooner rather than later.” Read More Mike McMeeken’s move ‘out of comfort zone’ to Catalans earned England recall Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham not a better team without Harry Kane, just different Sandro Tonali could play for Newcastle this weekend despite 10-month ban England’s woes at World Cup down to lack of preparation – Sir Geoffrey Boycott How ‘the best ever Scotland team to take the field’ fared at the Rugby World Cup A closer look at Ireland’s World Cup campaign and what the future might hold
2023-10-27 20:21
The best centre-backs to sign on Football Manager 2024
The best centre-backs to sign on Football Manager 2024, including Harry Maguire, Joe Gomez, Jean-Clair Todibo & more.
2023-10-27 19:24
NBA schedule today, game time, players to watch: Oct. 27
TGIF! Here's everything you need to know before today's near-full slate of NBA action.
2023-10-27 19:21
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham not a better team without Harry Kane, just different
Ange Postecoglou has scoffed at talk Tottenham are a better team without Harry Kane, but admitted the departure of the club’s record goalscorer has allowed other individuals to flourish. Kane left Spurs on the eve of the season to join Bayern Munich in a deal that could rise to £120million in add-ons and which had been expected to derail a club that only managed to finish eighth in the Premier League last term. The opposite has occurred with Postecoglou able to mastermind an unbeaten start in the top flight that has sent Tottenham to the summit and posed the question are the north London club better without their ex-talisman Kane, who scored 278 times in 430 appearances for his boyhood team. Postecoglou cited Kane’s final outing in Lilywhite – a four-goal salvo in a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on August 6 – as evidence against the aforementioned rhetoric, although acknowledged the sale of the England captain has changed the dynamic of his attack, which is now led by the likes of Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Brennan Johnson. “What I’ve been trying to explain is that individuals change the way you play,” the Spurs boss said ahead of a Friday night clash at Crystal Palace. “I’m not into this commentary that we’re a better team without Harry because the last game Harry played for us, he did alright in our system when he scored four goals. “It’s fair to say we would have been able to squeeze him in somewhere – and I’m being sarcastic there – but him not being there just allows us to bring different individuals into the team and they change the dynamic. Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we're using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we'd have the same fundamentals. Ange Postecoglou “Again, while the way I want my teams to play has a really clear structure, what I try to do is create a balanced squad where individuals can change the dynamics of it. “Having Sonny as our nine is different from having Harry or even Richy as our nine. Having Deki as a winger or having Brennan Johnson as a winger changes it even if the structure is the same. “Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we’re using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we’d have the same fundamentals of trying to dominate opposition, press the opposition, all those kind of things would still be there. “Ultimately, I don’t want to suppress the qualities they have, I want to bring out the best of them within the structure we have.” Tottenham captain Son has shouldered the burden in Kane’s absence with seven goals, while new number 10 James Maddison has immediately hit the ground running in N17. Maddison scored for the third time on Monday night against Fulham and has also provided five assists to quickly become the team’s fulcrum. Postecoglou said of the former Leicester playmaker: “He’s very intuitive around the game and at understanding the game. “For all the players we try to provide a framework of education where we give them information to improve them as individuals, but some of them take them in a more broader concept of the team aspect and Madders is one of those. “He takes the information but not just from an individual aspect but how it can help the team. The goal he scored the other night came not from his individual ability but just from him working hard. “He pressed two or three times. That’s a conscious thing he has to do. That’s not just about him being a good footballer, that’s him as an individual saying I need to do this because I think the team will benefit and ultimately, he benefitted from it because he scored the goal. “But if he didn’t someone else would have, like we did for Sonny’s goal, so I think he’s one of these players that looks at it from a broader perspective, not just how it can help him as an individual but how it can help the team evolve into the team we want to be.”
2023-10-27 19:20
Billionaire Rinehart Muscles Into Another Lithium Takeover
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2023-10-27 17:55
Celtic fans risk Uefa sanctions after displaying Palestine flags at Champions League match
Celtic fans held Palestine flags aloft ahead of their Uefa Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. The build-up to the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw despite the hosts taking the lead twice, had been dominated by internal and external strife. Thousands of Celtic fans defied the club’s guidance before kick-off by displaying Palestine flags, an act which is likely to lead to sanctions from Uefa, who has previously applied disciplinary action against the Scottish giants, including a £8,600 fine in 2016 for displaying Palestine flags in a game against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Uefa’s Rule 16.2 states that club's are responsible for fan behaviour and disciplinary procedures may occur if a political message is displayed, with Barcelona and Celtic previously fined for showing national flags that Uefa deemed to have sent a political message. Atletico’s decision to dispense with their striped shirts and wear an all-red top based on the one worn by the team that beat Celtic in the 1974 European Cup semi-finals also opened old wounds. The Green Brigade, an ultra supporter group at Celtic Park, had previously said they would hand out flags ahead of the match, and the group has already been banned from away games after displaying the same flags at other recent matches, the BBC has reported. The flags were also waved in other areas of the stadium not occupied by the Green Brigade. Ahead of the fixture, the club announced the players and staff would wear black armbands as a show of respect for all those affected by the conflict and would make a contribution to the red cross. But the club also asked that “banners, flags and symbols relating to the conflict and those countries involved in it are not displayed at Celtic Park at this time.” The Green Brigade believes football fans have the right to express political beliefs. Celtic fans have previously shown their support for Palestine, and in 2014 the club was fined after fans waved flags during a match against Iceland’s KR Reykjavik, and again during a 2016 qualifier against an Israeli team. The Scottish club could also face being fined by Uefa for their actions on Wednesday night. Celtic have an Israel winger, Liel Abada, who is currently out of the matchday squads with injury, but it adds another dimension to the actions of the fans. The Independent has contacted Uefa for comment Additional reporting from PA
2023-10-27 16:21
Amundi Defies Client Risk Aversion as Inflows Beat Estimates
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2023-10-27 15:57
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2023-10-27 14:56
Is England vs Belgium on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Lionesses tonight
England will look to get back to winning ways as the Lionesses host Belgium in the Women’s Nations League tonight in Leicester. The European champions and World Cup runners-up defeated Scotland in Sunderland to open their Nations League campaign but then suffered just their third defeat under Sarina Wiegman in a 2-1 loss at the Netherlands. The result puts England in third place in Group A1 ahead of the double-header against Belgium, who lead the standings on four points following their win against Scotland and draw against the Netherlands. The Lionesses must win their group to advance to the Nations League Finals, and must then get through the semi-finals to book Team GB’s qualification spot for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Here’s everything you need to know. When is England vs Belgium? The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Friday 27 October at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on ITV 4 and online on ITV X, with coverage starting from 7pm. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on thebest VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the England team news? Fran Kirby could make her first England appearance since last October after returning to Sarina Wiegman’s squad. Kirby missed the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery but is in line to return to England’s midfield, while Keira Walsh has also returned to the squad after missing last month’s fixtures. The Lionesses will be without Lauren James, however, with the forward ruled out of both matches against Belgium due to a concussion injury. Predicted line-up England: Earps; Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Daly; Walsh, Stanway, Kirby; Kelly, Russo, Hemp Prediction England 3-0 Belgium Read More Beth Mead ‘not close’ to England recall, Sarina Wiegman admits Fran Kirby returns to Lionesses squad as Sarina Wiegman reveals Beth Mead decision Darwin displays full range of brilliance and buffoonery as Liverpool thrash Toulouse Darwin displays full range of brilliance and buffoonery as Liverpool thrash Toulouse Jurgen Klopp excited by Liverpool squad after big European win over Toulouse Roberto De Zerbi stressed the need for a winning mentality at Brighton
2023-10-27 14:55
Is Crystal Palace vs Tottenham on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Premier League fixture
Tottenham have the chance to go five points clear at the top of the Premier League table as they travel to Crystal Palace in a Friday night London derby. Spurs continued their best start to a league campaign since 1960-61 with Monday night’s 2-0 victory over Fulham, as goals from Son Heung-min and James Maddison saw Ange Postecoglou’s side return to the top of the standings. The victory means Postecoglou has taken a Premier League record 23 points from his first nine games in charge, but the Australian revealed afterwards that he was “really disappointed” with Tottenham’s second-half display. Tottenham will therefore be looking to maintain their high standards as they face the trip to Selhurst Park and take on a Crystal Palace side who were thrashed 4-0 by Newcastle last weekend. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League clash. When is Crystal Palace vs Tottenham? The match will kick off at 8pm GMT on Friday 27 October at Selhurst Park, London. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 7pm. Sky subscribers can also stream the match live on Sky Go or Now TV. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouama is available for selection after serving his one-match ban. The impressive Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie came off early in the win against Fulham and are doubts. Crystal Palace remain without Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. Predicted line-ups Crystal Palace: Johnson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Lerma, Doucoure, Hughes; Ayew, Mateta, Edouard Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison; Son Odds Palace 18/5 Draw 17/6 Spurs 10/13 Get latest match odds and tips here. Prediction Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham Read More Former Tottenham performance director joins top sports agency Fulham ‘punished’ by mistakes in 2-0 loss to Tottenham, says Marco Silva ‘Really disappointed’: Ange Postecoglou’s surprise response as Tottenham go top Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Ange Postecoglou’s four new signings breathe fresh life into different Tottenham Ange Postecoglou hopes Tottenham can offer fans ‘escape’ from Israel-Hamas conflict
2023-10-27 14:50