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* Forward believes Lionesses will thrive on pressure * ‘We believe in ourselves as a squad’ Ella Toone believes England’s players will embrace the pressure of travelling to the Women’s World Cup “with a target on their backs” after their triumph at Euro 2022. Sarina Wiegman’s side are second-favourites behind the holders, USA, despite losing their 30-match unbeaten record in a friendly against Australia in April. They face Portugal at Milton Keynes on Saturdaytomorrow before departing for a pre-tournament training camp on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Over in Germany, there’s a coterie of middle-aged men carrying the first name of Kevin. But you’d be hard pressed to find a German Kevin born before 1977. The name only started appearing at the local Standesamt once Kevin Keegan joined Hamburg from Liverpool to start taking the Bundesliga by storm. Continue reading...

* European Club Association study uncovers ‘staggering’ figures * A fifth of players surveyed customise boots to improve comfort A new report has revealed that as many as 82% of the female footballers in Europe that took part in a survey experience discomfort wearing football boots. The groundbreaking study was coordinated by the European Club Association’s high performance advisory group with industry leading experts from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, and Aspetar, an orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital in Qatar. Around 350 players from across the continent were surveyed for the research. Continue reading...

If Pakistan can get their act together off the pitch by finding relative stability the scope for progress on it is feasible India’s 4-0 win against Pakistan on Wednesday showed why this fixture is not currently one of football’s great rivalries but also why it could be. They may not meet often, this being a first game since 2018, and one may have fallen far behind the other, but the potential is there if Pakistan can get their act together off, and then on, the pitch. Sparks can fly, as the opening game of the South Asian Cup showed. India’s coach, Igor Stimac, caused a mass brawl just before half-time when he stopped Pakistan’s Abdullah Iqbal from taking a quick throw-in. The Croat pushed the ball out of the defender’s hands, earning a red card and causing tempers to flare on a warm night in India’s tech capital of Bengaluru. Continue reading...

Alkmaar supporters confronting West Ham fans is just one of many incidents Dutch FA wants to curb by adopting UK system The Dutch football season finished this month with a narrow victory for Twente against Sparta Rotterdam. It was a notable encounter for two reasons: first, because thanks to the Eredivisie’s playoff system, it meant Twente qualified for European football next season; and it also passed without incident, provided a reassuring end to what had been a troubling year. Six weeks earlier at the league fixture between Twente and Rotterdam, supporters had hurled objects at players from the stands. Both clubs have had matches called off because of hooliganism in the past year, as have Utrecht, Go Ahead Eagles and RKC Waalwijk. Continue reading...

From Bielsa with Uruguay to Simeone at Atlético, managers from the South American nation are everywhere – except Brazil When Uruguay appointed Marcelo Bielsa as coach in May, they joined a growing club. Lionel Scaloni led Argentina to glory at the World Cup. Chile are managed by Eduardo Berizzo. Paraguay are managed by Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Bolivia are managed by Gustavo Costas. Colombia are managed by Néstor Lorenzo. Venezuela are managed by Fernando Batista. Seven of the 10 Conmebol nations have Argentinian coaches and although Peru have a Peruvian and Ecuador a Spaniard, both succeeded Argentinians. Argentinian coaches are everywhere in South America; only Brazil stands aloof. Continue reading...

* Promoted team want to reach WSL and Champions League * Manager Becky Langley describes it as ‘monumental moment’ Newcastle United Women have turned professional as they endeavour to climb from the third tier to the Women’s Super League in successive seasons. Becky Langley’s players have just been promoted from the fourth tier but the club’s majority Saudi Arabian owners ultimately want to see the team in the Champions League on an annual basis. Newcastle are the first English third division women’s side to become fully professional since Fulham in 2000. That proved a short-lived experiment but 23 years on the women’s game has evolved considerably and no one at St James’ Park doubts the depth of ambition being directed towards Langley’s squad. Continue reading...

* Chelsea pay £65m for close to 100% stake in French side * Boehly has been looking for suitable clubs since last summer Chelsea have kickstarted their multi-club project by buying a majority stake in Strasbourg. The deal is a major boost for the Premier League club’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, who have been looking for suitable clubs to purchase since last summer. The initial expectation had been that Chelsea would be forced to settle for a minority stake in Strasbourg, leaving them unable to exert full control over the French club. Sources questioned whether there would be any benefits to such a deal for Chelsea and further talks were held. Continue reading...

Striker believes her January move from Chelsea to Spurs is the main reason she is part of the Lionesses squad “The risk paid off,” Beth England says, sounding like a gambler who has just cleaned up on the Strip rather than a footballer standing in the rain on a dreary day in east Staffordshire. The setting may be somewhat incongruous for such a bold statement but, ultimately, that does not make it any less justified, for this is very much someone who rolled the dice and won big. England is part of England’s squad for the Women’s World Cup and reflecting on how that came about the 29-year-old is in no doubt of the moment that changed everything, the moment the doors slid in her favour: her move from Chelsea to Tottenham in January. Continue reading...

* Midfielder only made two league starts since signing from Leeds * Phillips believes he needs another year under Pep Guardiola Kalvin Phillips wants to stay at Manchester City despite making only two Premier League starts this season – both once the title had been won. The midfielder has promised to “come back fighting” and takes heart from how others have needed a year to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s methods. Phillips joined City from Leeds for an initial £42m last July but started only two games of any consequence: an FA Cup win at Bristol City and Carabao Cup defeat at Southampton. He was accused by Guardiola of being “overweight” and not in condition to train or play after returning from the World Cup. Phillips said after scoring for England against North Macedonia as a substitute on Monday that only another season of inactivity would prompt him to consider his City future. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Is state-level wealth ruining your Saturday? Can’t bring yourself to attend Non-League Day or watch your son or daughter hack it around the garden? Fear not, welcome to the Championship, a glorious compromise of quality and disorder to help you fall back in love with football. It is a division of unadulterated chaos. Pick a team, and who knows whether they will be automatically promoted or relegated. Some critics might complain about parachute payments, sure, but Leicester City are definitely, definitely going to get turned over by Rotherham next season, and there’s nothing that you or Enzo Maresca can do about it. So with the fixture list out this week and some teams already in pre-season for 2023-24, Football Daily has created the Biggest Championship Energy league table, ranking each side by their Championship-ness. Continue reading...

Gary O’Neil has been sacked as manager of Bournemouth despite steering the club to Premier League safety after Scott Parker’s departure. American owner, Bill Foley, concluded the club could not achieve his ambitions with O’Neil at the helm. O’Neil had two years on his contract after an extension was automatically triggered by avoiding relegation. He was appointed as manager, initially in a caretaker capacity, in August with the club bottom of the league after a 9-0 defeat at Liverpool. Foley said: 'Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for. This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.' Bournemouth have named Andoni Iraola as their next manager. * Bournemouth turn to Andoni Iraola after sacking Gary O’Neil as manager Continue reading...

The Balkan team have drawn in their last two visits to England so Gareth Southgate should beware the underdogs North Macedonia arrive at Old Trafford for the Euro 2024 qualifier against England on Monday night as underdogs but should not be underestimated. Just ask Germany and Italy, who faced them in the last World Cup qualifiers and endured home defeats. When North Macedonia qualified for Euro 2020, it could be argued they did so thanks only to a new Uefa invention that allowed countries to get there via the Nations League. The team from a Balkan state with a population of two million topped a group in section D – the lowest of the lot – that also contained Armenia, Liechtenstein and Gibraltar, then beat Kosovo and Georgia in the playoffs. Continue reading...

* Fellow veteran excited by ‘the opportunity of my career’ * Sky Sports: ‘Peter’s one of game’s most poetic commentators’ Peter Drury is joining Sky Sports to cover the Premier League from next season after Martin Tyler’s departure. Tyler, who had spearheaded Sky’s coverage of the competition since it launched in 1992, is stepping down from his role before the 2023-24 campaign. Continue reading...

Uefa is troubled by the trend of US investors targeting multiple clubs, but they have reaped limited rewards so far It is a trend that a few months ago was described by Uefa’s European Club Footballing Landscape report as “being fuelled predominantly by United States-based investors” and having “the potential to pose a material threat to the integrity of European club competitions”. Yet Aleksander Ceferin’s admission that European football’s governing body is considering a rule change after Manchester United’s takeover talks raised issues around potential conflict of interests seemed to indicate it is a threat Ceferin feels the game must embrace. Uefa’s report published in February estimated that 6,500 players from 195 clubs – a 75% increase in less than three years – were employed by 27 multi-club investment groups, a third of which are based in the US. It is too early to say whether this is a passing fad, but John Textor – whose Eagle Football Holdings has shares in Lyon, Crystal P

US Soccer took the least risky option by reappointing Gregg Berhalter as manager ahead of a rambunctious 3-0 win over feckless Mexico US Soccer went to Vegas and decided not to gamble. Just as the national anthems were wrapping up at Allegiant Stadium before kick-off in Thursday’s bellicose USMNT-Mexico clash, The Athletic broke the story: Berhalter is back. This might be the rare occasion when a thumping victory for the US over their fiercest rivals was not the biggest news of the night. Continue reading...

In the end, it went about as well as the 68,000 attendees at Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium, the vast majority of whom were wearing Argentina shirts, could have hoped. The world champions recorded a 2-0 win over Australia and everyone got what they paid for. Probably a good thing, too, as according to local reports, some in the stands paid up to 4,800 yuan ($A980) for the privilege. His name emblazoned across the back of his shirt in Chinese script, Lionel Messi, the star of the show, quickly went to work. Finding room after Mat Leckie turned the ball over just outside his penalty area, he received a pass from Enzo Fernández, sent Aiden O’Neill sprawling as he shifted his weight and then curled the ball beyond Mat Ryan. A gorgeous goal, scored inside 120 seconds – the fastest of Messi’s 103 international strikes. Continue reading...

* Ten Hag accepts club must be realistic over transfer package * United’s £40m offer for Mason Mount rejected by Chelsea Manchester United have ended their interest in signing Harry Kane from Tottenham, feeling the money it will take to lure the England striker to Old Trafford is unrealistic. The United manager, Erik ten Hag, had made the player his primary summer target and is disappointed it has fallen through, but understands the club cannot go past a certain point when it comes to the transfer fee and the overall package for a 29-year-old, who has one year left on his contract. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist looks at a watershed season for state-owned PR projects around the football world * Like what David does? Consider supporting our journalism * And you can buy this cartoon from the Guardian Print Store Continue reading...

* Monchi worked with Unai Emery, Villa’s manager, at Sevilla * Christian Purslow departs as chief executive Aston Villa have agreed terms with Monchi to become their sporting director after confirming the departure of the chief executive Christian Purslow. Monchi is poised to join from Sevilla, where he and Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, worked together. Purslow had been in charge of the day-to-day running of Villa for almost five years but has left as part of a restructuring. The club want Monchi to work closely with Emery, who was keen on reuniting with his fellow Spaniard after Barcelona’s Mateu Alemany rejected a move to Villa Park. It is thought Monchi, the Sevilla sporting director, has a release clause of about £1.7m. Continue reading...

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's Champions League win was 'written in the stars' after they were crowned as European champions for the first time. City beat Internazionale 1-0 in a close game, with Rodri scoring in the 68th minute to see the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners complete a treble of trophies this season. The Spanish manager had tears in his eyes as he celebrated on the field with his players. It was Guardiola's 30th major piece of silverware as a coach and the second time he has won a treble, emulating his feat with Barcelona in 2009. Internazionale did not go down easy, and had chances to equalise late in the game. Simone Inzaghi praised his team after the game saying 'We clearly didn't deserve to lose. We played against a tremendous opponent. But they also found a great Inter who played a great final'. * ‘You have to be lucky’: Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola grateful for small margins * Manchester City 1-0 Internaz

Real Sociedad, Lens and Red Star Belgrade have also qualified for the group stages of the final edition of the current format When the confetti cannons have been silenced, the celebratory pyrotechnics extinguished and the presentation podium dismantled after Saturday night’s Champions League final, tournament organisers at Uefa HQ will have little or no time to catch the collective breath. On Tuesday, after a run-through of the byzantine rules of qualification, the glass bowls and mini screw-top plastic footballs so synonymous with Champions League draws will be dusted off and pressed into service in Nyon. The qualifying rounds of next season’s competition are scheduled to kick off later this month and, less than 72 hours after the trophy lift in Istanbul, the four teams in the preliminary round will be paired. Continue reading...

Striker reflects on record-breaking season and his dream of winning European football’s biggest prize with Manchester City For Erling Haaland, the moment of truth comes as he goes through what, by his standards, must be considered a drought. In the countdown to Saturday’s Champions League final against Internazionale, he has scored once in seven games – his worst run since he arrived at Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last summer and began to dismantle defenders and records. “You can think of it as one goal in seven games,” Haaland says, a faint smile playing across his features. “Or 52 goals in 52 games and eight assists, I think.” It is actually nine but who is counting them? “I’m not stressed, I feel really good,” he continues, not breaking stride, allowing what he has said to land. Continue reading...

Jamie Jackson explains how Manchester City escaped the third tier of English football, before the Abu Dhabi-led 2008 takeover brought an end to their 35-year trophy drought. The appointment of Pep Guardiola in 2016 has seen City become the dominant force in English football, winning five Premier League titles in six seasons and now standing one game away from emulating Manchester United's treble in 1999 – the same year Paul Dickov scored that dramatic equaliser at Wembley. Continue reading...

Models analysing a player’s broader contribution to team success show the clear winner, says Ian Graham The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever. The forwards are almost neck and neck on goals scored, Ballon d’Or and Golden Shoe awards, but according to Dr Ian Graham, the outgoing director of research at Liverpool FC, a deeper look at the data reveals a clearcut winner. Continue reading...

* Swiss regulator says Fifa made claims that could not be proven * Environmental campaigners welcome ruling and call for change Fifa misled fans by claiming the Qatar World Cup would be carbon neutral, a Swiss regulator has ruled. A report by the Commission for Loyalty, which regulates advertising in Switzerland, found that Fifa broke rules against unfair competition by making claims about the tournament that could not be proven, while using controversial offsetting measures that would not comply with Swiss standards. Fifa, which is based in Switzerland, has been warned to “refrain” from making such claims again. It said it was considering an appeal. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist picks over City’s triumph at Wembley, securing the Double and delivering a blow to United legends * Like what David does? Consider supporting our journalism * And you can buy this cartoon from the Guardian Print Store Continue reading...

After trophy-laden Camp Nou stay the midfielder discusses what next, his favourite season and splits in Spain’s winning 2012 squad There was something of the heist movie about it, the story taking shape one man at a time, like the opening scenes from a film. First Andrés Iniesta announced he was leaving Japan. Then Sergio Busquets bade farewell to Barcelona. The next day, so did Jordi Alba. That afternoon the Paris Saint-Germain head coach, Christophe Galtier, confirmed Lionel Messi was going. All in suspiciously quick succession, destination as yet unrevealed. It was easy to imagine a plot being hatched, to hear the deep voice of the Hollywood trailer: they had been the best; now the old gang was getting back together for one last job. These are not just former teammates, who produced arguably the finest football seen; they’re best mates too, people Busquets says share “the same culture, the same jokes, the same upbringing”. At Busquets’s goodbye at the Camp Nou on Thursday, Messi s

* French striker linked with move to Saudi Arabia * Carlo Ancelotti: ‘Departure was a surprise for everyone’ Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema scored on his final Real Madrid appearance, just hours after the club confirmed he would leave as a free agent at the end of the season. After 14 trophy-laden years, Real announced the striker would be moving on after being linked with a switch to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad. But there was still time for a final farewell, as he scored in Real’s 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabéu. Continue reading...

* 36-year-old admits ‘desires for other things’ * Goalkeeper remains under contract at Spurs Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has admitted he “desires for other things” and is contemplating life away from the club at what he called “the end of an era”. The 36-year-old retired from international duty with France in January, one year after signing a contract extension that would keep him at Spurs through to the end of next season. There has been speculation, however, that the goalkeeper might have already played his last game for the side he joined in 2012 following his season-ending thigh injury against Newcastle in April. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Saturday, Wembley Way. The tribes will gather, demarcated by red and blue – though Mancunian fashion by-laws dictate all adult males must wear white ankle socks below thigh-revealing shorts, should temperatures top 15 degrees. It’s likely to be bad-tempered; it always is between these two, but rail strikes and lengthy motorway delays from Congleton downwards are hardly likely to ease the mood. Continue reading...

Treble is the target but centre-back knows looking beyond the FA Cup final against Manchester United is dangerous Rúben Dias is the leader of Manchester City’s defence who Pep Guardiola loves to cite as the model footballer owing to the 26-year-old’s drive to burnish his elite talent via an uber-professionalism. In a team built to chase perfection this pursuit of excellence makes Dias one of Guardiola’s captains and is an inherent quality of a centre-back who was voted the Football Writers’ Association’s player of the year in 2020-21, his first season at City. “I guess I’ve always been like this, it’s the way I believe I should conduct myself and it’s the way that makes sense to me,” says Dias of percentage gains. “Definitely. Football is details and the more details you can put together the better. This is the way that makes my life have more sense and I follow through with it. Continue reading...

As City and United prepare to meet in the FA Cup final, their former midfield force describes how a derby victory at Wembley 12 years ago helped shift the balance of power in Manchester Yaya Touré was Manchester City’s buccaneering force when Roberto Mancini’s side ended a 35-year trophy drought by beating Stoke City 1-0 in the 2011 FA Cup final, claiming the first silverware of Sheikh Mansour’s proprietorship. The Ivorian scored the winner at Wembley, as he had done in the semi-final defeat of Manchester United which marked the moment City began to dislodge their neighbours as England’s dominant force. Touré, too, was in the XI that handed United a 6-1 hiding six months later at Old Trafford which continued an ascendancy that, 12 years on, has them seeking to beat United again at Wembley. This time in Saturday’s FA Cup final, the second step of the attempt by Pep Guardiola’s gilded team to landi the treble and emulate Sir Alex Ferguson’s 1999 vintage. Continue reading...