Mondays Football Headlines

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Monday's football gossip and transfer rumours, including Liverpool's move for Marouane Fellaini (April 09 2018)


Daily Mirror

Brazil star Fred is set to move to Manchester this summer - with City and United scrapping it out for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder.

Arsenal have received a boost in their pursuit of Stevenage starlet Ben Wilmot with Tottenham also keen.

Liverpool 'to make shock three-year offer for Marouane Fellaini' as Manchester United contract winds down.

Sam Allardyce has warned Wayne Rooney the stats don't lie after a furious flash-point between the pair.

Daily Mail

Tottenham striker Harry Kane remains confident he can pip Liverpool's Mohamed Salah to the Premier League's Golden Boot.

Jose Mourinho has implied Pep Guardiola may have made a mistake with his comments about Paul Pogba before the Manchester derby.

Michael Carrick and Ashley Young were the senior players who rallied Manchester United at half-time and inspired a sensational comeback at the Etihad, after Jose Mourinho had told them not to end up looking 'like clowns'.

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte told his team he was bored of telling them to take their chances and said their wastefulness would cost them a Champions League place.

The Times

Ander Herrera has angered Manchester City fans after footage emerged on social media of the Manchester United midfielder spitting on the City crest near the tunnel.

Daily Star

Jose Mourinho has let Manchester City off the hook after he did not report that a pound coin had been thrown at him from the crowd during Manchester United's 3-2 win on Saturday.

Daily Telegraph

Claude Puel is battling against growing unrest in the Leicester dressing-room over his methods and training regime, despite the club's pursuit of European football.

Claude Puel

Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Liverpool rejected Manchester City's offer of a Champions League training base because it was made too late.

Ander Herrera has denied spitting deliberately at a Manchester City crest during Saturday's derby at the Etihad Stadium.

Ben Foster believes that West Brom's lost ability to defend a lead has been the key factor in their descent towards relegation.

Sean Dyche believes Burnley could adapt to the strain of the Europa League if they go on to secure a stunning qualification for it.

Daily Express

Pep Guardiola is worried about Manchester City's mental fragility ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game against Liverpool.

The Guardian

Football fans should 'think twice' about travelling to the World Cup in Russia this summer as consular services are threatened by the diplomatic crisis between Vladimir Putin and the west, a senior White House official has warned.

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Football news and talking points:

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City doubts, Joe Hart for England and more (April 09 2018)

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City doubts, Joe Hart for England and more - all in a round-up of Monday's football headlines...

Pep Guardiola admits his system could be flawed after seeing Manchester City ripped open by Manchester United and Liverpool in the past week.

The runaway Premier League leaders conceded three times in 16 minutes on Saturday as they surrendered a 2-0 lead and lost the Manchester derby 3-2, missing their first opportunity to wrap up the title.

That came just three days after Liverpool struck three times in a 19-minute first-half salvo at Anfield last Wednesday to leave City facing Champions League elimination.

City also allowed in three in the space of nine second-half minutes when they lost 4-3 at Liverpool in the Premier League in January.

"I came here to try to do what we've done all season, but maybe it's not enough to win at Champions League level or the Premier League," said Guardiola after Saturday's game.

"If that's so I will have to recognise that I'm not good enough or the way we want to play (means we are) not able to do that - but I don't think so because of what we've done this season."

Guardiola concedes losing control in such a manner is not a new problem for him. He particularly remembers how his Bayern Munich side allowed Barcelona to score three times late in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in 2015.

However, the Spaniard remains committed to fluid, attacking football.

He said: "I thought many times about that. I've dropped a lot of Champions League games in the space of 10 or 15 minutes. I've thought about that many times.

"Barcelona - 77 minutes 0-0, 90 minutes 3-0. It happened many times. Maybe it's my fault. I have to think about it.

"But I feel that when you dominate and create chances you are closer to winning games and I think this season has shown that.

"The numbers we have done in terms of goals - not just goals, the chances we concede - are the best.

"But it's impossible when the opponents arrive four times and score three goals - there is no system that can sustain that, so it's so complicated."
Food for thought for Southgate

Joe Hart sent a timely reminder to England boss Gareth Southgate with a man-of-the-match display in West Ham's 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

The goalkeeper's World Cup spot is under threat after a difficult season which has seen him dropped by Hammers manager David Moyes following some unconvincing performances.

Hart was not used in either of England's friendlies against Holland and Italy last month, with Jack Butland and then Jordan Pickford getting the nod, while Burnley's Nick Pope is also in the frame.

But the Manchester City loanee is back in favour under Moyes and at Stamford Bridge showed glimpses of the form which made him the Three Lions' undisputed number one not so long ago.

Hart made a fine first-half block to deny Willian when he was clean through, and after the break tipped Marcos Alonso's fierce drive over the top before palming Olivier Giroud's header around a post to preserve a point for his side.

Moyes said: "Joe Hart showed why he has so many caps and so many medals, so that will be good for him.

"Whoever plays Chelsea needs a good goalkeeper because they always make chances. We have more big teams to come and we will need our keeper to play well."

Arsene Wenger hailed Danny Welbeck as "exceptional" as the Arsenal forward scored a late winner to condemn relegation-threatened Southampton to defeat at the Emirates Stadium.

Charlie Austin came off the bench to equalise for Saints with his first touch after Shane Long's earlier effort had been cancelled out by goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Welbeck.

But Welbeck was on hand to score a second of the afternoon and secure a 3-2 win for Arsenal - who have won six games in a row for the first time this season - as a fiery end to the game saw both sides finish with 10 men as Jack Stephens and Mohamed Elneny saw red.

Welbeck had not scored in the Premier League since September and had an injury lay-off earlier in the season. That was on the back of two serious knee problems which curtailed his career - although this match-winning brace could prove the latest part of a recovery story which could end with a place in England's World Cup squad.

"Danny Welbeck is getting sharper, because he has been out for a while," said Wenger.

"He had every reason to feel sorry for himself and think this mountain is too big to climb. He had the right knee, the left knee, a year out both times, but he worked hard, which is unnoticed by everybody.

"People were questioning if he'd come back or not, that is the most difficult test for any sportsperson. I believe what he has done is exceptional."

Five Premier League talking points

1. Write off Paul Pogba at your peril

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been the topic of intense debate throughout the season, and his contribution at the Etihad Stadium fuelled further discussion.

Whatever the merits of his choice of derby hairstyle, his first-half display played into the hands of his critics, while his two goals and overall performance after the break belatedly served as a reminder of his quality.

2. Rafa knows what he is doing

Even in the depths of a desperate run which saw his team collect just a single point from nine league games as 2017 drew to a close, Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez called for calm and insisted they would improve.

Saturday's 2-1 win at Leicester took the Magpies' points tally since the turn of the year to 19 from a possible 33 with only Manchester City and Liverpool having beaten them on their way into the top 10.

3. Kane will claim anything

Harry Kane's capacity to find the back of the net has been a major factor in Tottenham's recent rise to prominence and his appetite for goals shows little sign of being satisfied.

What proved to be the winner at lowly Stoke on Saturday may be among the most tenuous he will claim during his career with Christian Eriksen's free-kick barely ruffling the fabric of his shirt as, so he later asserted, it kissed his arm on the way to goal.

4. The relegation race is going to the wire

If Newcastle have edged themselves out of the fight for survival, the bottom eight clubs from Brighton downwards still have work to do after a weekend which proved frustrating for most of them.

There were defeats for Stoke and Southampton and draws for the Seagulls, Huddersfield, West Brom, Swansea, Crystal Palace and West Ham as anxiety levels rise with time running out fast.

5. The Champions League trumps derbies

Tuesday night's Champions League quarter-final, second leg showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool had a significant impact on their respective derby clashes on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne was used only as a substitute in City's 3-2 home defeat by Manchester United, while Liverpool's free-scoring forward Mohamed Salah was not even included in the 18 as he nursed a groin problem with one eye very firmly on European glory.