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England’s World Cup squad revealed; Guardiola confirms exit; Manchester United appoint Carrick: football – live | Football
England, 26-man squad named
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
Key events
On Harry Maguire’s omission and subsequent fallout, Thomas Tuchel said he was “a bit surprised” but could “see the reason”: “We had a private conversation and he had a chance to express his feelings, which is fair enough. We stood firmly with our central defenders who carried us in September to November.”
On Pep, here’s Jonathan Wilson.
It would be oversimplistic to say that the other great tactical thinkers who shaped English football had one big idea and then stopped. But, equally, Guardiola stands alone in his willingness to adapt, to tweak and to change. That perpetual inventiveness perhaps lay behind his tendency at times to overcomplicate his approach in the Champions League, but it is also why Guardiola has remained at the very peak of the game for 18 years.
Tuchel on Djed Spence: “Excellent in every single match he played for us. He is the quickest player in the squad and loves defending,”
On his leadership group: “They created a culture, they set the tone, they set the standards created and took care of the standards and we were very happy with that and that is why the maturity of this team and selection is from the players who were with us in September, October and November.”
More Tuchel: “We have specialists with us, specialists for all kinds of different scenarios, when we are leading, when we are chasing a game, a result. We’ve always said we want to be a strong set-piece team, so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that.”
Back to England, where Thomas Tuchel says that Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King and AN Other will travel to the Miami camp ahead of the World Cup.
Via Manchester City’s website, some words from Pep Guardiola:
“When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, ‘Okay… Noel is here? This will be fun.
“And what a time we have had together. Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time. Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.
“This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too.
“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way.
“Hard work comes in many forms. Trips to Bournemouth, when we lost the Premier League, and you were there. Trips to Istanbul, when you were there, too.
“Remember, the Manchester Arena attack, when this city showed the world what strength actually looks like? Not anger. Not fear. Just love. Community. Togetherness. A city united.
“Remember, losing my mum during Covid and feeling this club carry me through it. The fans, the staff, the people of Manchester, you gave me strength when I needed it most. Cris, my kids, my whole family, you were there as always. Khaldoon, you were there too.
“Players don’t forget – every single instant, moment, me, my staff, this club, everything. What we have done, we have done it for all of you. And you have been just exceptional. You don’t know it yet, but you are leaving a legacy.
“So as my time comes to an end, be happy. Oasis are back again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for trusting me.
“Thank you for pushing me.
“Thank you for loving me.
“Tony Walsh said in his unforgettable poem this is the place. I’m sorry, Tony: this is my place.
“Noel…I was right.
“It has been so f****** fun.
“Love you all.”
Here’s the Guardian story on Pep Guardiola departing Manchester City.
Breaking news: Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City
From the club: “Pep Guardiola will step down as Manager of Manchester City this summer.
“The Catalan, who joined City in July 2016, has had a transformative effect during his ten years in charge, and will leave having won 20 major trophies – making him the most successful Manager in our history.
“Despite his departure as Manager of Manchester City, Pep will continue his relationship with the City Football Group, by taking up a role as a Global Ambassador. The role will see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations.”
Thomas Tuchel on Ivan Toney: “Also a beautiful surprise to us. I had fantastic feedback from his coach, from his club coach who was my player, and I have a close connection with him. I’ve always fantastic feedback about his role there, about his ability, about his fitness. We could see that he still collects the numbers.
“I think he has very special skills that could help us, meaning the situation, the scenario, when we were chasing a result, when we were chasing a goal.
“I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane. He can be a presence in the box. When we’re pushing for a goal, he can take attention of other strikers. He has a natural presence within the box. He’s a natural finisher. He can help us with said pieces, because he’s very strong in the air. Very good in using his body, and not to forget, he’s a world class penalty taker.“
Tuchel: “Teams win championships, it is as simple as that. What we are trying to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team.”
Tuchel is now speaking at Wembley, and issuing his opening remarks. Jason Steele of Brighton is being used as an auxiliary keeper. He’s talking about his squad being committed to the idea of “being unselfish”.
Manchester United confirm Michael Carrick’s appointment
Michael Carrick has been appointed the new permanent head coach of Manchester United. The former midfielder has been rewarded with the job on a two-year contract after a successful interim spell, leading the side to third in the Premier League and securing Champions League qualification with three games to spare.
Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January with United seventh in the Premier League and out of both domestic cup competitions. The mood was close to rock bottom at Old Trafford and the task of reversing that appeared substantial. But Carrick got off to an excellent start, leading United to a 2-0 home victory over Manchester City, and has guided the club back to the Champions League after a two-year hiatus, winning 11 and drawing three of his 16 games.
Jon Collins gets in touch: “That midfield looks a bit short of defensive options. If Anderson picks up an injury can Henderson really play 90 minutes? Or will Rice drop into a deeper position? James Garner may have been an outsider to make the England squad but it’s odd for Tuchel to have picked him, praised his performance, and then dropped him when there is no obvious replacement.”
A message from the England captain.
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Here’s that 26-man England squad in pictures:
Before the England press conference, due for 11am, more Arne Slot, who has made a series of pointed remarks this morning, He was asked if Dominik Szoboszlai could be a captain in the near future.
“Virgil is with us next season, so let us not look ahead too far. He is already a captain for the national team, so that already tells you that he has that in him. But as I said, Virgil is already here next season. The future of a manager is only normally three days, so looking further than that is a bit too much.”
Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s story on that England squad:
That meant the available slots in the No 10 position went to Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze, leaving no room for Palmer and Foden after disappointing seasons for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. Palmer has struggled for form and fitness, and Tuchel is thought to have reservations over whether the 24-year-old has the personality for a camp that could last seven weeks.
With Morgan Gibbs-White also excluded, Tuchel has not been afraid to make some unpopular decisions. There will be many England fans wondering why Alexander-Arnold has not made the cut. The Real Madrid right-back has not been in a squad since last June, though, and Tuchel has gone on the record to say he does not trust him defensively.
Yet more Thomas Tuchel: “A lot of factors play into that nomination process. Like I said, I love the difficult decisions, and I love the tough decisions – they bring a certain edge. That is what you need to go all the way. It is hard to please. In the end, we have to pick the squad that we as a staff are convinced of and really believe in.
“You feel the love of your coach, and you feel the trust. In the end, it comes down to this – who do we really trust? The connection has to be there. Somehow, it is a bit of a tool to challenge myself. What would I think from the outside? Mostly it is about the energy, connection and trust between me and the players.”
More Tuchel: “Three very different teams. We are able to have a clear picture. A very hard opening game, England v Croatia sounds like a quarter-final game.
“If we win the group we play every fourth day, and it’s like non-stop away matches. We have to be on point with the preparation. Naturally the tension will just grow.”
England have launched their social media campaign, featuring hip, up and coming youngsters the, er Beatles.
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Harry Kane sends in a message, from a rural location, with birds tweeting around him. “Really proud, can’t wait to see you all this summer.”
Tuchel: “This leadership group took massive steps, and they were driving the standards, setting the rules, and Harry was a big part of it.”
Tuchel now getting grilled by the fans. “It is allowed to dream, I can dream for a little time and then you chunk it up and go little by little. At the first camp, we said, let’s try to win it. The focus will now be on the 10 days of pre-camp.
“You could see in the selections, the idea is to stick with this formation. It should be flexible to change our defensive approach. Will we change our structure? I think we will try to stick with what makes us strong.”
More Tuchel: “Decisions were difficult, but someone had to make them … the level of emotion and what it means for players, it was very nice to see … I am sure I made the right choices.”
Thomas Tuchel: “It’s about picking a very balanced squad.”
On those missing, he confirms he spoke to all of them on the phone: “Difficult phone calls as I respect all of them. All of them deserved a call up. I called all players that have been in camp. In the end we went back to the evidence of September, October, November.
“Did this mean any of them did anything wrong? No.”
He says there was no sense in sending five No 10s and asking them to play different positions.
Thomas Tuchel: “It’s about the energy and the connection and the trust between me and my players.”
Thomas Tuchel: “We had to pick a squad that we love, and we really believe in. It comes down to who do we really trust? Who set the standards? Who formed the leadership group?”
Thomas Tuchel: “Once the decisions are made it gives you a certain edge, it’s one week we are on the plane, and I can’t wait to coach.”
The England app now goes to Thomas Tuchel, as he joins the studio, in full Going Live mode. “A lot of phone calls in the last three days,” he begins.
That’s as widely expected, with Toney and Spence the wild cards, Foden, Palmer, Gibbs-White, Wharton the major names omitted.
England, 26-man squad named
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
The production includes some England fans. “They better win as I’ve used up all my life savings,” says one of them. They’re all going to North America. Theo and Danny have made different selections from each other. They have clearly not been listening to the news leaking through in the last 18 hours. Theo’s selected Cole Palmer….
Finally got the England app launched – that’s where the squad is being announced. Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge are the panellists. Walcott was the surprise call-up in 2006, and a shock omission in 2010. He missed 2014, where Sturridge was a starter, with a knee injury.
Will Salah be in Liverpool’s team; they really need a result against Brentford: “I never say anything about team selection so it won’t surprise you I’m not going to do that now.”
Samuel Dodson gets in touch: “On the surface, this squad looks like Tuchel has taken a lead out of the mad hatters book and demanded everyone change places as he tries to shake things up. It’s true of course there have been questions hanging over certain England mainstays like Maguire for some time; but one thing that hasn’t seemed in doubt is that those players have formed a core bond of camaraderie which is seemingly the hardest thing to build in international football. If you look at some successful teams over the years, what stands out about the likes of, say, Germany was how consistent their squad selections were. Was it the case that Muller et al were always the most on form German players on the planet? Or was it that their managers recognised familiarity among the squad had greater benefits?
“The instinctive reaction is to feel that such a number of seemingly random call ups (is Spence really the best English player in that position even on form right now?); is to feel it will lead to broken, unbalanced football with players unfamiliar with one another. But then very few of us commentating are Champions League-winning elite-level managers, so I’ve gotta trust Tuchel on this! Hats off to him and would we all like some tea?”
More Slot on Salah: “Mo was really happy with the style we played last season when we won the league. We both want Liverpool to compete for trophies.”
Ouch.
Slot on Salah and social media: “I don’t think it is that important what I feel about it.
“What it is important is that we qualify for the Champions League on Sunday, and I prepare Mo and the rest of the team to be ready for the game in the best possible way. That is what matters.
“I was very disappointed after our loss against Aston Villa, because a win would have given us qualification for the Champions League – which we didn’t do. Now there is one game to go and it’s a vital one for us as a club.”
Arne Slot is doing his final Liverpool press conference – of the season, not forever, despite social media speculation – and congratulated the champions, Arsenal: ““Let me congratulate Arsenal on winning the league. Winning it here in England is never easy and they have done a tremendous job. 40% of their goals have come from set-pieces. Football has changed and evolved.”
Joshua Keeling gets in touch: “This squad is just bizarre. Spence, Toney, no Maguire, no Palmer, no Gibbs-White. I already thought we’d struggle at this World Cup, but I’m even more convinced now. Rubbish.”
Krishna gets in touch: “Modern football is brutal. And to be the manager of English national team is akin to having a root canal without anesthesia. Every thing is measured by the results. No one would care for the process. Gareth Southgate endured it for so long and it is now Tuchel’s turn. By July, Tuchel’s stint with Chelsea will appear a rose-tinted garden in hindsight. Reach Semis or beyond ,
Remember him? If you follow the A-League, you still know all about him.
There is a time in your career where you start getting older and sometimes it takes more effort to get up in the morning, to go to training, and after last season in Sydney – I enjoyed very much the league, the lifestyle and everything but I didn’t play so much – I was thinking what I wanted to do with my life. But Melbourne Victory appeared and again I fell in love with football.
Barney Ronay on social media makes a pertinent point: “Harry Maguire: anatomy of how NOT to make a case for being the perfect 7-week back-up squad member. No need for Tuchel to explain now. We all save five mins.”
Spence gets the England call
Jacob Steinberg
The final man in the 26 is Djed Spence, the Tottenham full back. He can play on both flanks so offers versatility. There is no Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England squad.
Ivan Toney’s selection for England, should it come to pass, is the wild card. The sense is that, as a player in Saudi Arabia, he’s used to great heat. Plus, he’s a whizz at penalties.
Sholto Maud gets in touch to express what seems a popular sentiment: “Flabbergasted is a word that comes to mind, John.”
Another farewell: Andy Robertson and Liverpool, expected to arrive at Tottenham, relegation dependent.
“We were on the most amazing journey ever, all together,” he reflects. “When we started out Mo Salah didn’t sign as the best player in the world or the best winger in the world. Virgil van Dijk had the potential to be but wasn’t the best centre-back in the world. Alisson wasn’t the best goalkeeper in the world. Trent [Alexander-Arnold] wasn’t the best right-back in the world. Hendo [Jordan Henderson] was still trying to find his feet as captain. We were all just on this journey from the bottom to the very top together and climbing that mountain was the best feeling ever.”
One last spin for 10 things to look out for:
Farewell Pep, thanks for coming. What a decade it has been at Manchester City, where their head coach has changed the course of English football for ever. Kids are desperate to play out from the back and technique, for a long period, was favoured over physique. Like when Jürgen Klopp left Liverpool, it will be a sad day for the Premier League, not that opposition fans will admit it. Nor will they be too bothered that Bernardo Silva is on his merry way too, having distinguished himself as one of the smartest operators to have graced the league, while being incredibly consistent over nine years. The Portuguese bows out with John Stones, who at his best is one of the finest defenders in world football, but has been held back by injuries during his career. City fans will miss all three but it feels like everyone should take a moment to acknowledge their achievements. Will Unwin
Probable 26-man England squad
David Hytner and Jacob Steinberg have done their analysis and made their predictions on the final 26.
Here’s their probable squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford Everton, Dean Henderson Crystal Palace, James Trafford Manchester City
Defenders: Reece James Chelsea, Tino Livramento Newcastle, John Stones Manchester City, Marc Guéhi Manchester City, Ezri Konsa Aston Villa, Dan Burn Newcastle, Jarell Quansah Bayer Leverkusen, Nico O’Reilly Manchester City, Djed Spence, Tottenham
Midfielders: Jordan Henderson Brentford, Elliot Anderson Nottingham Forest, Declan Rice Arsenal, Kobbie Mainoo Manchester United,
James GarnerEverton, Jude Bellingham Real Madrid, Morgan Rogers Aston VillaForwards: Bukayo Saka Arsenal, Noni Madueke Arsenal, Eberechi Eze Arsenal, Marcus Rashford Barcelona, Anthony Gordon Newcastle, Harry Kane Bayern Munich, Ollie Watkins Aston Villa, Ivan Toney Al-Ahli
The latest England squad news, via David Ornstein and a number of other reporters, is that Trent Alexander-Arnold has been omitted, and Djed Spence is in; Spence is also reported to have broken his jaw after a collision with Liam Delap of Chelsea on Tuesday.
Here’s what we know so far on Thomas Tuchel’s England squad:
Maguire was the first to go public about being left out, with the defender taking to social media to express disappointment over failing to make the cut, but the most eye- catching omissions came in the attacking areas. Foden and Palmer have had underwhelming seasons for Manchester City and Chelsea respectively and their struggles meant they fell behind the other No 10s at Tuchel’s disposal. Morgan Gibbs-White, who has enjoyed a strong end to the season with Nottingham Forest, is also likely to miss out.
Tuchel has been bold with his selections and nothing is more striking than his decision to turn to Toney for the first time in 12 months. The former Brentford striker, who now plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, was part of England’s squad at Euro 2024 but has not made an international appearance since coming on as a substitute in the friendly defeat by Senegal last June.
It had been unclear whether Tuchel would decide to pick a conventional striker to provide cover for Harry Kane. In the event he is expected to have three strikers on the plane when England head to Florida for their pre-tournament training game on Monday week, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins expected to compete with Toney for minutes behind Kane. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke and Danny Welbeck have not done enough.
Preamble
Good morning, football. World Cup fever is here, and it’s been a feverish night of news on who *isn’t* in the England squad. And further news has been broken overnight, of which more later. The big announcement comes at 9.45am UK time.
Not only that, there’s a the Premier League’s final day, and the Championship playoff final – Hull v Middlesbrough, to confirm – is on Saturday, too.
A huge day of news. Join me.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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