CRAIG HOPE: This is audition season, when team-mates are rivals just as much as those in opposition. Is it any wonder that we saw two very different team performances when players are motivated more by self-interest than that of the collective? It is a reality of international football on the eve of a major tournament. A lifetime of training, travelling, matches, watching, listening and learning, yet it could all boil down to 90 minutes or less. Friendlies? The competition is fierce. Against Belgium, it was telling that those assured of their place in Germany - the likes of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden - were not at their very best until the closing stages, when England pressed to avoid defeat.
Arsenal chief Edu 'compiles 10-man striker shortlist' including Ivan Toney, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak as club prioritise signing a new frontman this summer
Arsenal have been prolific this season without a consistent recognised striker, scoring a Premier League-best 70 goals so far. Kai Havertz has often operated as a false nine when Gabriel Jesus has been injured and, despite struggling at first, he has started to thrive in the role. However, the Gunners will revert to a typical number nine system as of next season and are narrowing down their search
IAN LADYMAN: Refs' lives are blighted by this poison.... Nottingham Forest coach Steven Reid has left football in the sewer after his shocking tirade
IAN LADYMAN - COMMENT: It is the normality of it that rankles. The sense of entitlement. The arrogance. Despite all the talk of being better and all the years of promises. Despite the acceptance that things must change, that it's just not right, it goes on. And it goes on. And it goes on. And now we are here. The brutal nature of a jobbing coach's verbal assault on a Premier League referee revealed in all its grim vulgarity. What did Steven Reid think gave him the right to call Paul Tierney a 'c***' three times in the space of a few guttural sentences after Nottingham Forest lost a game at home to Liverpool? What gave him the right to even approach Tierney in the middle of the field in the first place? What gave him the right to behave like such a hideous moron?
From Johnny Haynes, George Best and Bobby Moore to The Cottage's high-end dining club, swimming pool and Michelin star chefs. IAN HERBERT on Premier League clubs losing touch
IAN HERBERT: It's not just the teeming numbers of people that stand out in an image taken before Fulham played Chelsea at Craven Cottage in August 1965 - boys hanging from the floodlight pylons and perched precariously on a ledge in front of its ornate lattice ironwork - but the sense that it was a place for the entire spectrum of society. Men in ties and jackets blend in with the younger fans and though the flat caps which would have dominated such a scene ten years earlier are largely absent, there is clear sense that match-going is in no way stratified. Everyone had the same experience, including the solitary woman captured in photographer Patrick Larkin's shot. There was no corporate experience for those who had dressed so smartly for Fulham's second game of the campaign, which they lost 3-0. The photograph is an eternity away from the computer-generated images released this week of the modern new elements of Fulham's new Riverside Stand, including an outdoor swimming pool, 'skydeck' with views of the Thames and two Michelin star restaurants which form part of 'The Gourmet Experience. The supposed 'cheap seats' in the Riverside Stand are already eye-wateringly expensive. It was £160 to watch the Manchester United game from that vantage point earlier this season. A ticket with pool access and deck access? It just doesn't bear thinking about.
Erling Haaland leads the line, Kevin De Bruyne pulls the strings and Declan Rice and Rodri battle it out in midfield - but which team has more players in our combined Man City and Arsenal XI?
In what has been one of the tightest, most fiercely fought title races in recent years with the top three split by just a point, it already feels like we've had several six-point championship deciders. Yet Sunday's clash of the titans between holders Manchester City and leaders Arsenal will see the latest cruel twist of fate handed out by the footballing gods at the Etihad. The Gunners go into the game without a win at their title rivals in over nine years - yes, you read correctly - and have only scored there once in the league in five years, but did record a first win under Mikel Arteta when they last met at the Emirates.
Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has FALLEN OUT with Emma Hayes over a 'few problems' and been training 'with the boys', Germany women boss Horst Hrubesch claims
KATHRYN BATTE: Berger has not played in the Women's Super League since December's 4-1 defeat by Arsenal, with Hayes saying recently she had suffered a concussion in training. The goalkeeper, who has been named on the bench for Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final with Ajax this evening, was picked to be part of Germany's squad for upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers. Hayes was asked about Berger's availability after she missed the victory over Arsenal earlier this month.
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EURO 2024: Your rundown of ALL the 24 nations in Germany this summer, the groups and players to watch out for - and which team could spring a surprise?
The latest international break might be over, but the narratives and debates surrounding various national teams are only likely to grow in the run-up to Euro 2024. With the conclusion of Tuesday's play-off finals, the 24 teams who will be competing in Germany this summer have finally been confirmed. The likes of France, England, Germany and Portugal are among the bookies' favourites to win the tournament, which gets underway when the hosts take on Scotland in Munich on June 14.
Former Spanish FA boss is facing two-and-a-half years in PRISON over Women's World Cup 'kissgate' scandal - and if convicted will have to pay his female footballer 'victim' £85,000 compensation
NATALIA PENZA: Spanish prosecutors have announced they are seeking a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for the country's former FA chief Luis Rubiales over the infamous 'Kissgate' scandal. They said on Wednesday they also wanted him to pay Jenni Hermoso €100,000 (£85,000) in compensation he is convicted at trial They laid out their pre-trial demands in a six-page indictment made public on Wednesday.
ENGLAND'S EURO 2024 SQUAD LADDER: Anthony Gordon and Kobbie Mainoo made their case with dazzling debuts, but Luke Shaw and Jordan Henderson will be sweating on their places
The years of hurt counter has ticked into its 52nd year, but this summer England will head to Germany as favourites to win a first major tournament since 1966. Gareth Southgate is blessed with arguably the strongest team the Three Lions have fielded in a number of years and there is palpable excitement to see the likes of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden combine together. That is to say nothing of exciting youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Anthony Gordon, whose respective debuts this week hinted at a very bright future for the national team.
The next Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? Endrick and Lamine Yamal are set to provide another rivalry for the ages in Spain... the wonderkids will shape Real Madrid and Barcelona's destiny
PETE JENSON: Endrick turns 18 in July and has just scored his first two goals for Brazil - one in the Santiago Bernabeu and the other at Wembley. Lamal will turn 17 a week before Endrick's birthday. He has only started 14 games for Barcelona and three for Spain but in record time he has become the most important player for club and country. Endrick was born just before the 2006-2007 season, Lamal just after. Real Madrid won the league. 19-year-old Messi was already at Barcelona and scored 14 goals in all competitions but he was still two seasons away from his first Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo was still at Manchester United and would not arrive at Real Madrid until 2008. Their historic rivalry will never be topped, but watching Spaniard Yamal and Brazilian Endrick going head to head at the Bernabeu was a throwback to Argentinian Messi up against Portuguese Ronaldo in the colours of their clubs. And it was a taste of things to come.
Harry Styles and James Corden party with England stars until 4am on 'boozy' night at A-list hotspot Chiltern Firehouse, as Jude Bellingham, James Maddison and Co toast Declan Rice's 50th cap
Harry Styles and James Corden threw a party to celebrate Declan Rice claiming his 50th cap during England's 2-2 stalemate with Belgium on Tuesday evening. The Arsenal midfielder was also rewarded with the captain's armband for the friendly tie at Wembley, in a gesture that Rice described as leaving him 'speechless'. When Gareth Southgate let him know that he would be leading the side out against Domenico Tedesco's side, Rice said that he 'stood up, shook his hand, gave him a hug and said "thank you so much".'
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The VIP box with a rooftop SWIMMING POOL: Fulham unveil new hospitality area - set to be one of football's priciest - with views of the Thames, Michelin star chefs... and even a half-time swim!
Fulham have unveiled their glitzy plans for the New Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage. The West London outfit have been in the process of revamping that part of the stadium for a number of years, with it originally due to open in 2021, but this has been hit by a series of delays. It became part-operational in the summer of 2022, but tickets in the limited areas available cost upwards of £100. And in new plans detailing what the rest of the stand will look like, Fulham have unveiled a hospitality area full of glamour and lavish features.
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Stars of sport
- Gary Neville responds to Brian McClair's claim that he did not choose Man United's iconic walkout song by The Stone Roses
- Steph Houghton announces she will RETIRE at the end of the season after legendary career Won three WSL titles and captained England
- Harry Styles and James Corden party with England stars until 4am on 'boozy' night at A-list hotspot Chiltern Firehouse Party with Three Lions
- Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has FALLEN OUT with Emma Hayes over a 'few problems' and been training 'with the boys' Claims in Germany
- Youri Tielemans throws punches at seats in the Belgium dugout as he fumes by shouting 'BULL****' at Jude Bellingham and England stars
Pos | Pos | Team | P | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal | Arsenal | 28 | 64 | |
2 | Liverpool | Liverpool | 28 | 64 | |
3 | Manchester City | Man City | 28 | 63 | |
4 | Aston Villa | Aston Villa | 29 | 56 | |
5 | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham | 28 | 53 | |
6 | Manchester United | Man Utd | 28 | 47 | |
7 | West Ham United | West Ham | 29 | 44 | |
8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton | 28 | 42 | |
9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolves | 28 | 41 | |
10 | Newcastle United | Newcastle | 28 | 40 | |
11 | Chelsea | Chelsea | 27 | 39 | |
12 | Fulham | Fulham | 29 | 38 | |
13 | AFC Bournemouth | Bournemouth | 28 | 35 | |
14 | Crystal Palace | Crystal Palace | 28 | 29 | |
15 | Brentford | Brentford | 29 | 26 | |
16 | Everton | Everton | 28 | 25 | |
17 | Luton Town | Luton | 29 | 22 | |
18 | Nottingham Forest | Nottm Forest | 29 | 21 | |
19 | Burnley | Burnley | 29 | 17 | |
20 | Sheffield United | Sheff Utd | 28 | 14 |