Key events
Max Dowman made history again last night as he became the youngest-ever player to represent England’s Under-21s. At 16 years, 10 months and 13 days old, he broke the record set by Jude Bellingham, who was 17 years, two months and six days old when he claimed it in 2020.
Get your answers in below the line!
Pointless-style pointless quiz time…..
England play Spain whilst Scotland play Switzerland in a couple of days, and this made me think of Euro 96 where both these fixtures happened within a couple of days also…
So, name any of the players for Scotland or England who started those games at Euro 96. (22 needed, obviously – but I’ll be kind if subs are named)
Good luck….
This is a great read from Rob Smyth, Will Unwin and Sachin Nakrani on some iconic shirt numbers. Take a look if you haven’t already…
United allowing Pochettino to begin the job just a few days before a big Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield is… a choice.
United’s leadership team behaving how they think executives should behave without understanding why things happen how they do.
Hiring an international coach in an international window defeats the point of doing it now. Waiting a week just so they could meet in Monaco when expedience and respect should have been the starting point for any action. Not hiring the candidate in the summer when the costs for making the change would have been significantly lower. It is an absolute masterclass in failure.
Naturally, should Chelsea win and thus leapfrog Manchester City, then the title race will be considered wide open. If Andrée Jeglertz’s City extend their lead over Chelsea from two points to five, even at this early stage, they will be considered favourites for the title in May, but it will be said with a little less confidence than it might have been in previous years…
I’m going to attempt a score prediction and say 3-2 Manchester City.
I will say though, I rarely get any predictions correct.
Really looking forward to today’s game. Who doesn’t love a top of the table clash? Almost certainly the best two teams in the WSL going head to head for an early season title-decider.
Clichés aside, this dinnertime’s game, which should be later under floodlights like all proper football, ought to be a brilliant contest. The clash of styles if Chelsea stick with the 3-4-3 and City play both in-form wingers should be fascinating.
It’s a pity James won’t be playing but there’s been no better player in England this season than her namesake Hemp. Shaw is as lethal as ever and Fujino has found some great form, and they will all will need to be oat their best against the tightest defence in the league. It will also be so good to see Bronze and the great Walsh again.
There’s a real chance this could be an excellent high scoring game. Fingers crossed.
This feels like a huge weekend in the WSL – especially for the conversations around the title and the race for Europe. Chelsea could leapfrog City and return to the top of the table with a win today, or the reigning WSL champions could extend their lead.
Either way, it presents third-placed London City Lionesses with a huge opportunity to close the gap when they face Arsenal tomorrow. The Bromley-based side can be confident going into the London derby given their performances and results this season, while the Gunners have not exactly been at their best.
It will also be good to see another Second City derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham tomorrow.
How things stand in the WSL
We have four WSL fixtures to look forward to this afternoon, one of which could set the tone for the title race…
You can join Simon Burnton later today for minute-by-minute coverage of Chelsea vs City.
The post-Messi era began with an Argentina defeat on Friday.
Argentina fell to a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in an international friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, marking the team’s first match since Lionel Messi’s international retirement in early October.
Leonardo Balerdi opened the scoring with an own goal in the 48th minute, before Maximiliano Araújo doubled Uruguay’s lead in the 53rd minute under new coach Diego Forlán .
Julián Álvarez pulled one back for the hosts in the 73rd minute.
This clásico rioplatense also kicked off a new chapter for the Argentine national team under Lionel Scaloni, who extended his contract through 2030 earlier this week.
The most prominent absentee: Messi
The 39-year-old legend’s retirement remains a fresh wound for Argentine fans; notably, the stadium fell short of a sellout, a rare departure from the norm.
While most supporters in the stands wore the albiceleste jersey with Messi’s iconic No10, Scaloni chose not to assign the number to any player for the match. The coach explained that he has yet to select a successor and, as it is not mandatory, he prefers to leave the jersey vacant for now.
On the pitch, Argentina maintained its signature polished possession, but lacked the explosive, incisive spark that Messi typically delivered in the final third. Neither Nicolás Paz nor Thiago Almada was able to fill that void.
Argentina will look to bounce back against Costa Rica in Córdoba on Tuesday, while Uruguay returns home to host the Dominican Republic on the same day. The Associated Press
I think it was great to see how Manchester United fans stood by Carrick in his last few games despite the results and performances. The issues at the club seem to run far deeper than just the manager.
It makes you wonder, how much worse does it need to get to force a change in ownership?
“Do you think that was the right move by the club?”
When we talk about “the club” are we talking about the ownership of the club or the Manchester United the paying fans support? … the two seems divorced from each other.
United icon Gary Neville has slammed United’s “disgusting” treatment of Michael Carrick.
He said: “I think after the Bournemouth game I said at the time that Manchester United effectively watched Michael Carrick resign on the pitch at the end of the game with that lap around, that wave goodbye. I think he was expecting it to come at that point and they were indecisive.
“They obviously felt that they might be able to get to the international break and there could be some sort of pick-up in results, but it’s been a difficult two weeks. Indecision, lack of authority, just basically really poor leadership.
“In the last 24-48 hours it’s been spectacularly bad to be in Monaco as an executive and an owner whilst your manager, who’s a club legend, is taking training on the pitch and simultaneously approaching the US Soccer Federation to approach Mauricio Pochettino.
“It’s just quite simply disgusting. That falls well below the standard of what you would expect in any other business, in any other industry. It would be constructive dismissal and you’d be getting sued.
“The optics of being in Monaco whilst the team, the staff, the people who are running the club on a day-to-day basis are in Manchester, it’s just not good and it reflects badly on the leadership.
“I don’t think anybody comes out of this well at all.”
Pochettino was visibly emotional during a press conference at US Soccer’s national training centre on Friday, shortly after being announced as the new head coach of Manchester United.
He said: “I think [the decision was] one of the most difficult decisions of our careers. Thank you guys. Thank you so much.
“These moments are not easy decisions. Normally it’s the opposite. Normally you get sacked and you cry because you want to stay and you’re sacked by [the club]. It’s a tough decision but at the same time we are excited for the next step forward.”
Andrew Beasley
Among the 20 managers with more than 290 matches in the Premier League, only the five “big beasts” of Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have better points-per-game averages than Mauricio Pochettino. He is an elite manager…
Michael Carrick released a statement yesterday following his Manchester United departure.
He wrote on social media: “I’ve had the immense privilege of leading Manchester United, the football club that I love. There are very few who get to live that and feel it, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.
“With that comes huge responsibility, and to be at Manchester United, you need to understand exactly what that means. It’s different to anywhere else.
“Ultimately, you need to push to be the best, but there is a culture, there are values and there are behaviours that you have to live by and respect, which have been built over a long period of time.
“It’s a football club that is unique, with substance and history that cannot be ignored. This is what inspired me every single day.
“I want to say a big thank you to the supporters. I must say, you are a special, rare breed.
“We’ve had some great times this year and moments we’ll all remember. The best thing about being in my position was seeing so many of you lose yourselves in the emotion of those moments, leaving the stadium desperate to come back again next time.
“I just wanted to give you something back. That love never dies.
“I know we’ve not had the results lately, but you’ve shown me nothing but love and support in times when the easiest thing, and what most end up doing, would be to turn the other way.
“That means more than a win or two. That’s what makes you who you are.
“That’s why I fell in love with this club all those years ago.
“A special thank you to my coaching staff. You gave me everything you had, every single day, and I couldn’t have asked for any more. I’m incredibly grateful for your loyalty, hard work and support throughout.
“To all the staff behind the scenes, thank you for everything you do for this football club. So much of your work goes unseen, but it never goes unappreciated.
“And to the players, thank you for your efforts and the moments we’ve shared. I wish you all the very best for what’s ahead.
“I want nothing but success for Manchester United. This club has been such a big part of my life and that will never change. I’ll always be proud to have played my part and I’ll always want the very best for it.
“I’ll be right there with you from now on, watching from the sidelines, cheering the lads on.”
In case you somehow missed it, Mauricio Pochettino was announced as the new Manchester United head coach yesterday. He succeeds Michael Carrick, who was sacked on Thursday.
It was initially revealed on Monday that United were planning to dismiss Carrick, but they waited until Thursday to announce it after agreeing terms with Pochettino.
Do you think that was the right move by the club? Or was it disrespectful to Carrick?
Be sure to message in with your thoughts at matchday.live@guardian.co.uk or leave a comment below the line.
Right, shall we take a break from talking about international football for now? Moving on to the current situation at Manchester United…
Cristiano Ronaldo called time on his international playing career last Thursday. The 41-year-old scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal across 23 years.
Today will mark the nation’s first match since his retirement. The Euro 2016 winners face Denmark in Braga.
Today’s Nations League fixtures
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Norway v Wales
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Portugal v Denmark
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Georgia v Hungary
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Northern Ireland v Ukraine
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Kosovo v Israel
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Austria v Republic of Ireland
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Romania v Poland
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Sweden v Bosnia and Herzegovina
John McGinn scored twice as Scotland clinched a 2-1 win against North Macedonia at Hampden Park. It was also a special night for Andy Robertson, who earned his 102nd cap to move level with Kenny Dalglish as the joint-most capped player in the nation’s history.
Yesterday’s Nations League results
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Netherlands 7-0 Greece
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Serbia 1-3 Germany
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Scotland 2-1 North Macedonia
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Slovenia 0-0 Switzerland
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Moldova 2-1 Kazakhstan
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Slovakia 2-2 Faroe Islands
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Bulgaria 0-5 Iceland
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Luxembourg 0-1 Estonia
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Andorra 2-0 Gibraltar
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Liechtenstein 0-1 Azerbaijan
Before we go any further, here is a recap of what happened in the Nations League yesterday…
Preamble
Well, it’s been quite the week, hasn’t it?
It’s not often that we have lots to discuss over the international window, but this one has generated so many talking points.
Manchester United have taken most of the headlines over the last few days. It was revealed on Monday that United were expected to sack Michael Carrick – but it took them until Thursday to actually do it. Meanwhile, they were busy appointing former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino as his successor. More on that shortly.
Crystal Palace also announced the dismissal of Pierre Sage this week, with Thomas Frank the favourite to replace him.
Also, of course, we do have some football to look forward to. Wales are in action against Norway later, with Portugal facing Denmark in their first game since captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced his international retirement.
And there are four WSL games taking place today, with Chelsea hosting Manchester City in the big one.
All of that and more to come! Join us!
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