There’s one burning question emerging within Manchester United at present and all are directed at Ruben Amorim – what’s happening with Kobbie Mainoo?

The Englishman was seen as one of the Premier League’s most exciting before the manager’s arrival, but he’s been unable to showcase such talents over the last few months.

He’s mainly been utilised as an impact player, as seen by his tally of six appearances in the league in 2025/25, all of which have come off the substitutes bench, totalling 118 minutes.

Mainoo has gone from an England international mainstay to a player now behind the likes of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in the pecking order at Old Trafford – a truly unthinkable thought 12 months ago.

His lack of action will no doubt have had an effect on his progress with the Red Devils, which could see him fail to match the expectations of the fanbase who have previously compared him to a former player.

The reasons behind Paul Pogba’s downfall at Man Utd

As a result of his impressive start to life in the United first-team, Mainoo was tipped to emulate the levels produced by midfielder Paul Pogba during his own time at the club.

The Frenchman cost a staggering £89m in the summer of 2016, a deal that still remains a club-record, leading to huge expectations being placed on him to impress at Old Trafford.

He often matched them in the early stages, as he became known for the odd world-class goal, something which he perfectly demonstrated against Young Boys in 2020.

However, his second stint with the Red Devils was far from plain sailing, with the players often coming into question for various aspects of his game during his six years in Manchester.

Pogba often struggled with his fitness at United, even being forced to train away from the first-team squad during Michael Carrick’s temporary spell in charge back in 2020.

The French international was also quizzed over his best position in the side, with his attributes often not fitting the demands of various managers at the club.

It was largely unclear if he was more suited to a deeper role at the heart of the side or a box-to-box role – but ultimately it contributed to his downfall and subsequent exit.

He would leave the Red Devils for a second time in the summer of 2022, rejoining Juventus on a free transfer for the second time in his professional career.

However, a little over three years on from his exit, current boss Amorim may have stumbled across his next version of the fan-favourite in a somewhat unlikely source.

The Man Utd player who’s Amorim’s own Pogba

Despite Mainoo’s availability over the last few months, the United hierarchy have been on the hunt to land a new midfielder to help bolster Amorim’s squad.

Such an area of the pitch has been brought into question over the last couple of months, with claims that the side have often been overrun in that department – subsequently leading to their dismal league standing last season.

However, it appears as though the 40-year-old has somewhat put an immediate fix to the issue, as his side have claimed four wins in their last six outings across all competitions.

Amorim has even claimed back-to-back wins for the first time in his tenure over recent weeks, highlighting that he’s finally starting to realise what his best starting eleven is.

Despite fixing the midfield issue, he already has his next Pogba in the form of forward Joshua Zirkzee – a statement that may come as a surprise to many supporters.

Whilst the pair operate in hugely different positions during their respective periods with the Red Devils, they both possess serious similarities in numerous key areas.

Upon his arrival at Old Trafford in the summer of 2024, many questioned the Dutchman’s fitness levels – even citing that he looked overweight despite scoring the winner against Fulham on his debut.

Despite being labelled “phenomenal” by one analyst, he’s struggled to nail his place down after Amorim’s arrival, with uncertainty around his best position undoubtedly at the forefront of the manager’s mind.

The 24-year-old even stated that he sees himself as a 9.5, often liking to drop deeper and affect the player, rather than operating as a poacher like Benjamin Sesko.

Games played

32

Goals & assists

4

Pass accuracy

72%

Shots taken

1.8

Chances created

0.8

Dribble success

38%

Aerials won

29%

Times dispossessed

2.8

Such a playstyle likely contributed to the Red Devils’ measly tally of just 44 league goals last season, with Zirkzee suffering with a lack of action after the club’s £200m spending spree.

He’s so far only featured for 74 minutes during 2025/26 to date, leading to huge rumours about a potential exit away from the Theatre of Dreams in January.

It’s a real shame to see his move to England fail to hit the heights many anticipated, but it’s further evidence of his similarities to Pogba, given his own demise in the Premier League.

Both are evidently more suited to the Italian top-flight rather than the Premier League, with the recruitment team desperately needing to learn from such examples going forward.

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حقق منتخب مصر 2009 الفوز على نظيره منتخب الأردن في المباراة الودية التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الخميس، بهدف نظيف.

ويلعب منتخب مصر 2009 أمام نظيره الأردني اليوم الخميس والسبت، في إطار استعدادات الفراعنة للتصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس الأمم الإفريقية للناشئين.

وسجل هدف منتخب مصر مواليد 2009 اللاعب دانيا تامر.

طالع.. خاص | كيف يرى اتحاد الكرة أداء التحكيم المصري في السوبر؟

جدير بالذكر أن اتحاد الكرة يبحث عن وديات قوية لمنتخب 2009 قبل تصفيات شمال إفريقيا، وتفادي خطأ إعداد منتخب 2008 الذي لم يواجه منتخبات على المستوى المطلوب.

ويستعد منتخب 2009 لتصفيات شمال إفريقيا في مارس المقبل، والمؤهلة لـ كأس العالم في المغرب.

Should Celtic re-appoint Ange Postecoglou to replace Brendan Rodgers?

Well, the Australian did enjoy great success during his two seasons in Glasgow, winning five trophies, meaning he may remain the club’s most universally popular manager of the modern era.

However, following an ill-fated 39 days stint in charge of Nottingham Forest, reports suggest that Postecoglou is not looking to jump straight back into management, while his record at Tottenham and the City Ground, Europa League triumph aside, would be causes for concern, suggesting he may not be the dream candidate some supporters believe him to be.

Instead, should they target “one of the best coaches” around in a move reminiscent of what occurred in the year 2000?

Martin O'Neill's Celtic career

On Monday evening, when news of Rodgers’ resignation was announced, Celtic also confirmed that Martin O’Neill would be placed in interim charge, working alongside Shaun Maloney.

This is the 73 year old’s first managerial position since an Ange-esque 19 game stint at Nottingham Forest in 2019 and, having been in charge of the Republic of Ireland for five years before that, he hasn’t truly been a club manager since leaving Sunderland in 2013.

He did make a winning start to life back in the dugout, overseeing a 4-0 demolition of Falkirk in the Premiership on Wednesday night, with Johnny Kenny bagging a brace, while Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti were also on target.

Sunday’s League Cup semi-final against fierce rivals Rangers at Hampden should be a significantly tougher assignment, but O’Neill certainly has pedigree when it comes to winning Old Firm games.

The Irishman began his managerial career in the ’90s with very impressive stints in charge of Wycombe Wanderers and Leicester City, gaining promotion in charge of both, before winning two League Cups with the Foxes.

This earned him the Celtic job in 2000, viewed very much as a left-field choice at the time, but this proved to be a masterstroke.

Prior to his arrival, Rangers had won 11 of the last 12 Scottish titles, but O’Neill won the league in three of his first four seasons as well as leading Celtic to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003, ultimately defeated by José Mourinho’s Porto at the Cartuja in Seville.

Not since Jock Stein has a Celtic manager been so successful in Europe, with O’Neill also winning 13 of his 24 Old Firm games, while he also boasts the best win percentage of any permanent Hoops boss in history, before even including Wednesday’s win.

Celtic managers’ win %

Manager

Matches

Win %

Martin O’Neill

283

75.6%

Ange Postecoglou

113

73.5%

Neil Lennon

335

70.7%

Jock Stein

761

69.6%

Brendan Rodgers

292

68.8%

Gordon Strachen

195

64.6%

Willie Maley

1,617

64.4%

Ronny Deila

118

63.6%

Billy McNeill

455

60%

David Hay

209

56.9%

Tommy Burns

140

55.7%

Liam Brady

126

54%

Jimmy McGrory

843

49.7%

Note: minimum 100 matches in charge.

Stats via Transfermarkt

O’Neill will be hoping to improve that win ratio further, for however long he remains in the dugout, although that won’t be easy, with games against Rangers and then Midtjylland in Herning next on the agenda.

So, should Celtic appoint someone who is reminiscent of when O’Neill first arrived a quarter of a century ago?

Celtic could appoint 'one of the best coaches' in England

Of all the people reportedly in contention to become Celtic manager, Nicky Hayen, Craig Bellamy, Robbie Keane, Kjetil Knutsen and others, would Kieran McKenna represent the biggest coup?

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Sky Sports has reported that the Ipswich Town boss is a name whom the Celtic hierarchy are ‘very keen on’, although it remains to be seen if he would leave mid-season – while a reported £5m get-out clause could also prove prohibitive.

Just 39 years old, the Northern Irishman has been in coaching since 2009, employed by Tottenham and Manchester United as a youth coach and scout, before working alongside José Mourinho and then Ole Gunnar Solskjær as an assistant at Old Trafford.

Solskjær spoke glowingly about McKenna, describing him as “the most thorough and analytical… process-driven coach that I’ve worked with”, while fellow ex-Man United great Nicky Butt agrees, labelling him “one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen on the grass”.

His reputation earned him his first head coach role at Ipswich, enjoying unparalleled success in Suffolk, guiding the Tractor Boys to back-to-back promotions, leading them back into the Premier League for the first time since 2002, even if they were relegated straight away.

A mixed start to this EFL Championship campaign has the Blues 12th, but there is still firm belief that, with McKenna in charge, the East Anglian-based outfit will be promotion contenders.

In fact, despite taking a battering pretty much every week in the Premier League last season, only Mick O’Brien in the ’30s and Sir Alf Ramsey have a better win percentage of any Ipswich boss in history.

As outlined by the Coaches Voice, McKenna favours a ‘short-passing style’ with width provided by attacking full-backs, allowing wingers to drift inside, concluding that this approach should take him ‘ to the top of the game as a coach’, something that would suit how Celtic have played in the past and their current squad.

Also, as documents, McKenna’s history working with youth teams means he is more than willing to bring through younger players, helping Omari Hutchinson and others realise their true potential at Portman Road.

So, while his lack of experience, and poor Premier League record, with an admittedly weak squad, are causes for concern, the Celtic board must be bold, rather than churning through the same three of four faces.

If Neil Lennon wasn’t currently Dunfermline Athletic manager, he’d almost certainly be in the dugout; the Pars face Scott Brown’s Ayr United on Friday, winner gets the Celtic job anyone?

On a serious note, when O’Neill arrived in 2000, this was off the back of work with Wycombe and Leicester largely in the EFL, so who is to say McKenna could not do something similar, as he would certainly bring a freshness and new ideas to a club going a bit stale.

​​​​​​​

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Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has heaped praise on a Spurs star who was a “real handful” against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday, alongside player of the match Xavi Simons.

Spurs’ commanding 4-0 victory marked the perfect bounce back from their bitterly disappointing 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the London derby just days earlier.

After an extremely lacklustre performance against their rivals, which was followed by Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence snubbing Frank’s attempt at a handshake after the final whistle, Spurs responded on the European stage in style.

From the off, Tottenham seized control — dominating possession and creating chances.

Xavi Simons

8.1

Micky van de Ven

8.1

Wilson Odobert

7.9

Pedro Porro

7.8

Randal Kolo Muani

7.6

via WhoScored

The team pressed Copenhagen high, denying them space and time to settle, and it wasn’t long before their pressure paid off.

One of the night’s highlights was van de Ven’s superb solo goal, which had shades of Son Heung-min’s famous Puskas winner against Burnley in 2019, and it was the perfect apology to Frank after the Dutchman’s post-Chelsea controversy.

The centre-back picked up the ball deep in Tottenham’s own half and drove forward with purpose, evading challenges and slicing through Copenhagen’s midfield before cooly slotting past the keeper in what was a world-class piece of quality and sure-fire contender for this season’s Puskas Award.

The standout performer, however, was Xavi Simons — whose man of the match display encapsulated what was a fantastic evening for the Lilywhites.

The 22-year-old has been widely criticised for his slow start to life at the club since joining Tottenham in a deal which could be worth a grand-total of £125 million, when factoring in wages, agent’s fees and other add-ons over a potential seven-year deal.

However, Simons ran the show against Copenhagen, chalking up his first assist since making his Premier League debut away to West Ham, and he could’ve had even more to show for his efforts.

Fellow summer signing Randal Kolo Muani missed a gaping free header from Simons’ exceptional cross on the half-turn which almost certainly should’ve been converted, which was after the Frenchman failed to take advantage of another close-range set-up from his teammate to make it 2-0.

Thomas Frank praises misfiring Kolo Muani after Tottenham win

That being said, Kolo Muani, after working his way back to fitness from a dead leg, is also beginning to impress.

The PSG loanee showcased why he should be considered Spurs’ new first-choice striker, at least until Dominic Solanke returns from injury, and Frank had plenty to say about Kolo Muani after the match.

Tottenham’s head coach admitted that the 26-year-old is still not ‘fully firing’ after their 4-0 rout of Copenhagen, but was adamant that Kolo Muani proved to be a “real handful” for Spurs overall.

Even if he did fail to score multiple chances that were put on a plate for him by Simons, Kolo Muani did assist Wilson Odobert with what was a phenomenal piece of composure.

The ex-Eintracht Frankfurt star took the ball down from a lofty height with deft control before laying it off to Odobert, who duly doubled the home side’s lead, and that is perhaps a sign of things to come.

Richarlison could, and perhaps should, be worried — especially after missing a last-minute penalty against Copenhagen as Solanke nears his long-awaited return.

Trent Rockets concluded their campaign with a third successive win, Nat Sciver-Brunt’s third half-century of the competition setting up a nervy three-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix to nudge her team up to fourth in the table.Sciver-Brunt finished as the leading run-scorer in last summer’s women’s competition and the England skipper’s thrilling innings of 52 from 29 balls at Trent Bridge moved her up to second place in this season’s batting charts, behind Meg Lanning of Oval Invincibles.After the Rockets had been set 124 for victory, Em Arlott clean bowled the dangerous Bryony Smith for 10 with a superb slower yorker but Sciver-Brunt was quickly into her stride, sharing a second-wicket stand of 46 with Grace Scrivens (16) before Scrivens holed out to Arlott off the impressive Phoebe Brett.Ash Gardner struck two quick boundaries before falling to Megan Schutt via a stunning catch in the deep by Ailsa Lister and the Rockets threatened to implode when Sciver-Brunt chipped to extra cover off Hannah Baker immediately after bringing up her fifty and Brett dismissed Heather Graham and Ellie Threlkeld in the space of four deliveries, the young left-arm spinner finishing with figures of 3-19 as the hosts slipped to 109-6.Alana King made a crucial 9 to settle the nerves a little and when she edged behind off Schutt (2-24), courtesy of a superb catch from Amy Jones, it was left to Jodi Grewcock to hit the winning boundary with three balls to spare, securing a first home win of the season for the Rockets.Earlier, Emma Lamb’s second half-century of the competition had steered the Phoenix to 123-6, the England opener batting through the innings to finish unbeaten on 56 from 42.It was tough work at times for Lamb, who struck five boundaries, but she played judiciously as the Rockets’ high-class spin triumvirate of Kirstie Gordon (2-24), King (1-21) and Gardner (1-18) served up very few loose deliveries.Ellyse Perry (14), Marie Kelly (14) and Lister (12 off 6) played useful cameos to help push the visitors up to a competitive target but ultimately it wasn’t enough to prevent them slipping to a sixth defeat in eight.Sciver-Brunt, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I would have liked to be there at the end and made it a bit calmer for everybody but it wasn’t to be. In the three games I have made runs that’s not been the case, so that’s something to think about in future.”As a batting group, we’ve always said if we can get ahead of the game, try and stay ahead of the game. That was the tempo I wanted to go at. Getting out at that point, had we not been ahead of the game as we were, it probably would have been even more stressful.”It’s always nice to win at your home ground in front of your home fans and we haven’t been able to do that until today. The wicket is quite specific, it’s quite slow, and we probably didn’t adapt to that as quickly as we wanted to.”

Jed Hoyer is not committing to anything and that will drive fans of the Chicago Cubs crazy.

During media availability on Tuesday, the Cubs' general manager was asked about upgrading his roster and how he planned to improve upon an 83-79 record and a third place finish in the National League Central. Hoyer sidestepped questions with a lot of double-talk and offered nothing concrete other than buzzwords.

When asked whether or not the Cubs needed to acquire a star player, Hoyer didn't actually answer the question except to note that all of the playoff teams, "Has a guy that had five or more wins this year," referring to their wins above replacement performance. Then he countered that by saying that of that group, only five of the 14 five-win players on playoff teams were projected to be five or more win players. Implying they had career years, instead of replicating past success. He then claimed the Cubs didn't have that this year.

Cubs fans aren't going to be excited by that answer. It feels like Hoyer is suggesting the Cubs have what they need in-house, they just need more from the guys they have.

He continued that train of thought by saying the Cubs need to ensure the guys on their roster beat their projected numbers for the year next season.

Hoyer also used a word baseball fans hate to hear: "Sustainable." He claimed the Cubs want to build something that's sustainable long-term. That word almost always means "cheap."

Despite having deep-pocketed owners and being in a massive media market, the Cubs haven't reached the postseason since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. They were swept out of the wild card round by the Miami Marlins. In fact, they haven't advanced past the wild card round since 2017.

Hoyer has been with the Cubs since 2012, first as general manager before being promoted to president of baseball operations in 2020 after Theo Epstein stepped out. He's under contract through next season. The Northsiders have yet to reach the postseason since he took over baseball operations.

The are set to be a ton of big-time free agents available this offseason, with Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes leading the way. The Cubs should be expected to be in the mix on all of them, but Hoyer is giving off the vibe that they won't be gambling at the big table.

India captain says the team had not been prevented from looking closely at the pitches at any other venue in this series

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20252:40

Gill: Levelling series with a young squad will be a big achievement

India captain Shubman Gill has said it was “absolutely unnecessary” for Lee Fortis, the Surrey head groundsman, to prevent the visitors from having a look at The Oval pitch from close quarters during their training session on Tuesday.Tempers flared when India head coach Gautam Gambhir got into an argument with Fortis, who was concerned by the heavy footfall as well as the presence of training gear on the main square, and reportedly told the Indians that they should view the pitch standing 2.5 metres away from the strip.Gambhir was seen wagging his finger at Fortis and telling him that he was “just a groundsman”.Related

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Gambhir loses temper with Surrey groundsman

“What happened yesterday, I thought was just absolutely unnecessary,” Gill, who was not at the venue during the incident, said on the eve of the fifth Test at The Oval. “It’s not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket, we have been there for almost two months. A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. I actually don’t know why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket.”Gill said no curator at the four previous venues in the series – Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s and Old Trafford – had imposed restrictions on viewing the pitch or the square.”As long as I remember, we had never got any instructions. As long as you are wearing rubber spikes or [are] barefoot, you can see the wicket from near,” he said. “We have played four matches already in this series, and nobody stopped us from watching the pitch.”All of us have played so much cricket, we have gone to the pitches so many times, including the coaches and captain, I don’t know what the fuss was about.”0:35

Watch – Gambhir’s heated exchange with Surrey groundsman

With India trailing 2-1 in the series heading into the final Test, Gill was asked whether the pressure of a must-win game could have provoked Gambhir’s reaction.”Not really,” Gill said. “If a pitch curator is going to come and ask us to not look at the wicket and look at the wicket from three metres behind, that’s not something that has happened to us before. We’ve been [playing] cricket for such a long time […] That’s the job of the coach and the captain.”Despite there being several heated moments between the teams since the third Test at Lord’s, Gill said relations between England and India remained strong. He said he had “no regrets” at the way he and his team had behaved during the incidents.”The relation is fantastic, but when you are on the field, you are trying to win a game at the end of the day, and both the teams have been very competitive and sometimes when you are competitive in the heat of the moment, you do or say things that you might not do [otherwise],” he said. “But once the match is over, there is mutual respect between both teams.”

Result dents both teams with Surrey pulling away at top of table

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay01-Aug-2025 Nottinghamshire 544 (Haseeb 208, James 72, Haynes 70) drew with Somerset 438 (Rew 166, Abell 156, Abbas 3-60) and 200 for 5 (Abell 51, Banton 43*) A half-century from the experienced bat of Tom Abell was key as Somerset secured the draw that had seemed inevitable for much of their Rothesay County Championship visit to Trent Bridge.In the context of the race for the title, the result leaves Surrey, who won at Durham earlier in the week, with a nine-point advantage over Nottinghamshire at the top of Division One as they seek a fourth consecutive title, although they still have to meet Haseeb Hameed’s side at The Kia Oval next month.Nottinghamshire were all out for 544 in their first innings – 208 of those runs scored by Hameed – after their last four wickets fell in the first 40 minutes of the final morning as former Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball finished with three for 76 on his return to Trent Bridge.It left Somerset, who began this match in third place, with a deficit of 106 and a potential 85 overs minimum remaining in the match, but after former skipper Abell and Tom Banton (43 not out) had shared a vital partnership of 87 for the fifth wicket under some pressure, they were 94 in front at 200 for five when the players on the field shook hands on a draw shortly after 4.50pm.Though a draw had looked the likeliest result after the slow progress of the opening three days, there were some moments of jeopardy for Somerset to survive, mostly induced by the leg spin of Calvin Harrison, who finished with three for 57.When Harrison, bowling his leg breaks into the rough outside off-stump, dismissed the left-handers Tom Lammonby and James Rew in quick succession early in the afternoon, Somerset were four down and still in arrears.But Abell and Banton guided them out of trouble to the extent that they were 84 ahead by the time Harrison had Abell caught behind for 51 with time running out for Nottinghamshire to take the remaining wickets and chase even a modest target.Given the amount of time that lay ahead of them at the end of the Nottinghamshire first innings, a flurry of early wickets might have set Somerset nerves jangling.They lost two in the space of three balls after Josh Davey and Lewis Gregory had shared 32 for the first wicket, but in the event they had reduced their arrears to 34 in the 15 overs they faced in what remained of the opening session, going to lunch looking comfortable.Davey well caught at second slip off Dillon Pennington, with Gregory smartly taken off an inside edge by wicketkeeper Joe Clarke as he drove at Mohammad Abbas.As Lammonby and Rew went about their business, adding 68 at a run a ball, the visitors were looking increasingly secure.But it became a different story as the fourth-day pitch began to offer help to the slow bowlers, Harrison bowling Lammonby before finding bounce and turn to have Rew caught at short leg.Earlier, Nottinghamshire’s plan to add substantially and quickly to their overnight lead of 73 unravelled rather swiftly, in contrast with the slow pace of developments over the first three days as the Kookaburra ball combined with an unresponsive pitch to produce somewhat stiltifying cricket. For all that Hameed (208), Rew (166) and Abell (156) had excelled with the bat in the first innings, it had been largely uninspiring fare.Liam Patterson-White was the batter most likely to impose himself on a Somerset attack weary and frustrated from 151 overs in the field – all of them using only one ball after Gregory stuck with the original through the whole innings. But he had added only a single to his overnight 47 before chipping Ball to midwicket.Harrison, keen to make the most of his first innings of the season in a red-ball match for Nottinghamshire, made 31 from 34 deliveries but Brett Hutton fell first ball, caught and bowled by Davey, Ball cleaned up Dillon Pennington and Harrison departed in similar fashion to Patterson-White before him.

The Premier League has approved Arsenal's application for their game against Everton on December 21 to be pushed forward after Mikel Arteta complained about fixture congestion. With the Gunners progressing to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, where they are scheduled to face Crystal Palace on December 23, the club wanted to avoid playing two matches in the span of just three days.

Arsenal want Premier League game to be rescheduled

The match against Everton was originally scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM BST on December 21, but the Gunners pushed for it to be held a day earlier at 8:00 PM.

Arteta's side will face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on December 23, so would only have had two days to recover from their exertions against the Toffees at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The EFL had originally scheduled the Carabao Cup tie on December 16, but later postponed it so that Palace, who are competing in the Conference League, would not be forced to play three matches in five days.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta ranted over fixture congestion

Arsenal made the request after a passionate outburst from Arteta,who told reporters: "Hopefully they will move our Premier League match, because to play two days later doesn't make any sense. So now we decide the date [for the Carabao Cup match], I am sure they will change the Premier League [match] as well. I'll leave that to the club. I think we're very clear what was the best thing is, the more logical day to play, they bring a different date."

Palace have also been granted permission to move their Premier League clash with Leeds from December 21 to the 20th. Eagles boss Oliver Glasner joined Arteta in bemoaning the tight schedule earlier in the season: "I was really upset when I heard it for the first time. I couldn't even believe that they were considering this. We are trying the same thing that Arsenal are trying, to move our Leeds game forward to Saturday [December 20], so we don't have two days between these games.

"There are people who work on this, and I would really like it if they talked together. We have international games, the two cups and the Premier League. It would be nice if UEFA, the Premier League and the FA talked together because it's so surprising. Maybe now you can't find a solution, but we need to get it sorted. It would be irresponsible to play on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. But there is a solution because the week after, on the 21st [of December] we play Leeds and then we play on the 28th. There was a big discussion as to why there are no Boxing Day [matches]. Again, they fixed these games without talking to anyone. It would be nice if they all talked together; this is their job, what they get paid for."

Premier League approve change of dates

On Tuesday, Arsenal and Palace confirmed that the Premier League has accepted their respective requests to reschedule the games for December 20.

The statement from Arsenal read: "Our Premier League match at Everton in December has been rescheduled, with the fixture at the Toffees' new Hill Dickinson Stadium now taking place on Saturday, December 20 at 8pm. This match was previously scheduled for Sunday, December 21. However, the EFL scheduled our Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Tuesday, December 23 due to the Eagles’ participation in the UEFA Conference League. When that fixture was officially scheduled, and before tickets went on sale for our away game at Everton, we opened dialogue with the Premier League and Everton Football Club to request a change of date to avoid playing two matches in the space of 48 hours. As a result, the match has moved to Saturday, December 20. Playing two matches within a 48-hour period contravenes FIFA recommendations, which have established a consensus for a minimum of 72 hours' rest between games. This recommendation is in place to protect player health and fitness. Recovery time between matches is especially important during busy periods of the season, such as December."

Palace's statement said: "Crystal Palace's Premier League fixture away to Leeds United in December has been moved. The fixture, which was due to take place on Sunday, 21st December, will now kick off at 20:00 GMT on Saturday, 20th December, our final league game before Christmas. The match will remain live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. This followed a club request with the Premier League, due to the scheduling of our Carabao Cup tie away to Arsenal on Tuesday, 23rd December."

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Getty Images SportFinger of blame pointed at UEFA

Amid the chaos related to the scheduling of matches heading into November, the EFL shifted the blame to UEFA, saying in an official statement: "In determining the schedule for the quarter-finals, the League recognises the challenge it presents to Arsenal and Crystal Palace in particular, and the frustration and concern that will undoubtedly be felt by their managers and players. These are concerns which are shared by the League. The expansion of European cup competitions and number of exclusive match nights across Europe ahead of the 2024-25 season, implemented without adequate consultation with domestic leagues, means that such scheduling conflicts – for both the EFL Cup and other competitions – are now entirely unavoidable. 

"With those teams competing in Europe already entering the EFL Cup in Round Three and having been forced to implement further draw conditions to avoid scheduling conflicts at that stage of the competition in the past two seasons, we have shown a willingness to compromise. However, to continue making endless concessions only serves to undermine the reputation of the EFL Cup – a competition which delivers vital revenue to EFL Clubs and provides millions of supporters with the opportunity to back their team on the road to Wembley each season. It also challenges the traditional scheduling of the English football calendar and strength of our domestic game, which relies upon teams having the necessary time for preparation and ability to field their strongest lineups, in order to entertain their supporters and progress through the competition."

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Chegou ao fim a 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, e mudanças importantes aconteceram na tabela de classificação. A três jogos do término do torneio, saiba como está a situação das vinte equipes da Série A, que brigam por título e contra o rebaixamento.

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Quem subiu?

O Flamengo venceu o América-MG por 3 a 0, e assumiu a vice-liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro. O Rubro-Negro empatou em pontos com o líder Palmeiras, mas perde posição por causa do saldo de gols: 26 a 17.

O Atlético-MG também ganhou posições após triunfar sobre o Grêmio por 3 a 0. Com o resultado, o Galo chegou à quarta colocação, com 60 pontos.

Dessa forma, após os jogos da 35ª rodada, o G-4 do Brasileirão está composto por: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Botafogo e Atlético-MG.

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Quem desceu?

Já na parte debaixo da tabela, na briga contra o rebaixamento, não houve mudanças de posição em relação à 34ª rodada. No entanto, após a derrota por 2 a 1 para o Fluminense, o Coritiba está matematicamente rebaixado para a Série B.

O primeiro time fora do Z-4 é o Bahia, com 41 pontos, mesma pontuação do Cruzeiro, que abre a zona de rebaixamento, mas tem uma vitória a menos. A sequência da classificação tem Goiás, com 35 pontos, e os já rebaixados Coritiba e América-MG.

VEJA TABELA COMPLETA DO BRASILEIRÃO APÓS 35ª RODADA

Palmeiras – 63
Flamengo – 63
Botafogo – 62
Atlético-MG – 60
Grêmio – 59
Bragantino – 59
Fluminense – 53
Athletico-PR – 52
Cuiabá – 48
São Paulo – 47
Internacional – 46
Fortaleza – 45
Corinthians – 44
Santos – 43
Vasco – 42
Bahia – 41
Cruzeiro – 41
Goiás – 35
Coritiba – 29
América-MG – 21