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• Former Wolves manager in frame for summer overhaul
• Pursuit of Rúben Amorim may stall on €15m buyout clause

West Ham have held productive talks with the former Wolves manager, Julen Lopetegui, over replacing David Moyes this summer.

Lopetegui, who has been out of work since last summer, has been on the London Stadium club’s radar for several months and made a strong impression during discussions over the job. A final decision has not been made and there are alternative options to the 57-year-old Spaniard, who has spoken to Milan about replacing Stefano Pioli.

Chelsea’s mega-splurge bought a lot of deeply room-temperature footballers – against Arsenal they were dismal

Wait. Is this a twist? Is this a sting, a surge, a volte-face? Or is it just how it feels to play Chelsea, opponents so poor they seemed at times to be indulging in a kind of protest activity, non-sport, football as an act of extended standing around waiting for it to be over.

It is a measure of Manchester City’s dominance that the last week has brought a peculiar feeling that Arsenal’s season is already over, despite still being top of the table. Here Arsenal went three points clear of Liverpool and four clear of City (who have two games in hand) with a performance that felt, if nothing else, like a kind of liberation.

Departing manager’s strong record against Everton will be tested at Goodison Park with team’s title hopes on the line

Jürgen Klopp will not miss the Merseyside derby when his Liverpool reign is over. To hear him explain why ahead of a final encounter with Everton was further evidence of the Liverpool manager’s need to recharge once one more title race has been run.

Klopp could look favourably on the most played derby in English football, which reaches the 244th edition on Wednesday with the local rivals both in desperate need of victory but for very different reasons. He has lost only one of 18 Merseyside derbies, and that was behind closed doors during the pandemic. He has never lost at Goodison Park and a 10th win over Everton would also be Liverpool’s 100th in the fixture’s history. Beyond the release of victory, however, it is not an occasion that Klopp has ever truly enjoyed.

Plus: players injured warming up on touchline, points-per-game differentials of long-serving players and more

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“Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title win has broken Kingsley Coman’s remarkable run of winning the league in each of the last 11 seasons (with PSG, Juventus and Bayern). Can any player in world football ever boast of a longer run of consecutive league titles?” asks Richard Forsythe.

“It’s worth bearing in mind that Coman technically won 12 league titles in 11 seasons,” writes Sean DeLoughry, who gets the ball rolling as we spin off from this 2022 question and answer. “He played once for Juventus in Serie A at the start of the 2015-16 season before joining Bayern.

It has not always been the way in the past few months but it was hard to wipe the smile off the face of Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, the Leicester chairman, as Abdul Fatawu completed his hat-trick, capping the scoring in a rout of Southampton on a night that left an instant return to the Premier League seemingly all but a formality.

After the heavy financial losses, the legal action against the English Football League after being placed under a transfer embargo, the angst among supporters and the surrender of what looked an unassailable lead at the summit – they were 17 points clear of now second-placed Leeds at the beginning of the year – the prize of promotion is finally in plain sight.

• Dutchman hits out at claims that FA Cup win was ‘embarrassing’
• Manager also defends Antony over ear-cupping celebration

Erik ten Hag has called negative media comments regarding Manchester United’s brittle victory over Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final “a disgrace” and insisted that his side will have over-performed if they lift the trophy.

United were 3-0 ahead against the Championship side going into the 71st minute only for Coventry to force extra time, with their third goal ­coming in the 95th minute. While United ultimately progressed to the final by winning 4-2 in a ­penalty shootout, they received criticism for the manner of their triumph. Before Sheffield United’s visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday, Ten Hag was asked if he could understand this ­reaction and made clear his feelings on the  matter.

• Alrubie on trial over alleged threats to Marina Granovskaia
• Super-agent relieved of his watch at a restaurant, jury hears

One of the Premier League’s best known football agents was confronted by about 12 debt collectors at his office – and separately relieved of his expensive watch at a ­restaurant – as part of an effort to put pressure on him into repaying money, Southwark crown court has heard.

Kia Joorabchian – whose clients have included Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Philippe Coutinho – was “accosted” by associates of another agent, Saif Alrubie, as part of efforts to “intimidate him into handing over bundles of cash”, the jury was told.

• MPs vote in favour of progressing the Football Governance Bill
• Calls for regulator to have scope to amend parachute payments

MPs have called for the ­Independent Regulator for Football to have the scope to reintroduce replays to the FA Cup, amend the parachute ­payment system and to enforce an effective financial settlement between the Premier League and the EFL, as they voted in favour of progressing the Football Governance Bill.

The second reading of the bill was approved without a vote after a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday. MPs from all sides of the house spoke in favour of the bill, including Conservative MPs who said they had previously been opposed to regulation. A number of politicians, ­however, called on the government to go ­further in granting the regulator power to achieve financial stability for the football pyramid.

• Bayern Munich, Barcelona among those monitoring Spaniard
• Emery now under contract at Villa Park until summer of 2027

Aston Villa have triggered the one-year option in Unai Emery’s contract to extend his stay until at least 2027, in the face of interest from Bayern Munich.

Emery is on course to lead Villa into the Champions League and, after reaching the Europa ­Conference League semi-finals, he could deliver the club’s first major trophy since 1996. Villa host Olympiakos in the first leg of the Conference League semi-finals next month. After victory over Bournemouth on Sunday, Emery underlined his commitment to the club. “I am focused here, 100%,” he said.

Newcastle’s manager a long-term admirer of the Swede who is now back to full fitness to spearhead European qualification

Alexander Isak was back on the pitch at St James’ Park last week, posing languidly alongside a Formula E car as cameras whirred and a commercial film shoot began. Isak does languid very well, but that was not why Saudia, the national airline of Saudi Arabia and a key sponsor of both Newcastle United and Formula E, decided the club’s Sweden striker was the right choice to drape his rangy limbs over a cutting edge, all electric, racing car.

After becoming the first Newcastle forward since Alan Shearer in 2003-04 to score more than 20 goals in all competitions in a top-flight campaign, the 24-year-old is hot property. Earlier this month, Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven arrived on Tyneside trailing a reputation as the Premier League’s quickest defender but the talented Dutchman was twice left on his backside as Isak demonstrated startling powers of acceleration from standing starts.

• Uefa agrees to increase squad size from initially-intended 23
• Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor to referee at tournament

All teams will be allowed to select 26 players for this summer’s European ­Championship finals after Uefa agreed to an increase in the size of squads.

A vote taken by the influential national competitions committee on Monday is understood to have approved a motion to maintain the 26-player limit introduced as an emergency measure for the Covid-disrupted tournament of 2021. Numbers were to be reduced to the traditional 23 for this summer in Germany but were resisted by a number of national coaches, including England’s Gareth Southgate. The proposal must now be signed off by Uefa’s executive, with the process possibly completed as early as this week.

All that Arsenal can do is win, turn up the heat, ask the question of Manchester City, the defending Premier League champions, who retain control of their destiny in terms of this season’s thrilling title race. But how Mikel Arteta’s team won here and its message could not have been clearer. If City are to slip, Arsenal will be there to capitalise.

One of the images of the evening was provided by a young Chelsea fan, who held up a cardboard sign towards the end. “I don’t want your shirt. I want you to fight for ours,” it read. That stung. Then again, Chelsea’s players had stunk out the stadium.

Having reached their first playoff semi-final, the eastern Indian club are looking to make the most of their untapped potential

It was an unforgettable weekend for Raj Athwal. On Friday night, the only British chief executive of an Indian Super League (ISL) club, Odisha FC, watched them beat Kerala Blasters 2-1 to reach the last four of the Championship playoffs in the most dramatic fashion. On Sunday, he then saw his beloved Coventry City, where he worked for over a decade, lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals in the narrowest fashion.

Wembley outdid Kalinga Stadium in the drama and excitement stakes, but not by much. With three minutes remaining, Odisha were a goal down and a fine season was coming to an end.

Hashtag United’s Emma Samways was stunned to receive a £9,200 bill after suffering an ACL injury in a cup match

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For any player, the prospect of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is incredibly daunting. The Arsenal winger Beth Mead described her experience as “mentally and physically gruelling,” while the England captain, Leah Williamson, doubted she would return from her own setback.

Suffering an ACL injury means a prolonged period on the sidelines, usually between nine and 12 months. Professional players receive the best treatment to ensure they can return as soon as possible and without financial strain. But that isn’t the case for every player in England, especially female footballers playing outside the Women’s Super League and Championship. The Hashtag United winger Emma Samways, who plays in the third tier of English football, ruptured her ACL during a National League Cup semi-final against Halifax. It was an incident that put her life on pause.

• Slot led Feyenoord to Dutch title and plays attractive football
• Amorim and De Zerbi also under consideration to replace Klopp

Liverpool are interested in appointing Feyenoord’s Arne Slot as their new manager this summer.

Slot has emerged as a strong ­candidate to succeed Jürgen Klopp in the recruitment process being led by Michael Edwards, the new chief executive officer of football for ­Fenway Sports Group, and incoming sporting director Richard Hughes.

Legislation will bring seismic change to the industry and aims to stamp out money laundering

Not for the first time in the history of the European parliament, it all started in Belgium. An investigation into alleged bribery, money-laundering, forged transfer contracts and the involvement of organised crime at the highest levels of professional football that began in 2018 eventually implicated almost 60 agents, administrators, referees and coaches.

Known as Operation Clean Hands, the level of alleged corruption it uncovered not only led to the establishment of new strict financial regulations for clubs in Belgium but also opened eyes in the corridors of power in Brussels. In 2019, football was added to the European Union’s watchlist of money-laundering risks, with a United Nations report estimating that around $140bn is laundered through the game every year. Yet while many leagues already have strict financial regulations aimed at preventing fraud, the French MEP, Damien Carême, believes the concern has been more focused on complying with financial fair play regulations than stopping corruption.

• Lamine Yamal’s strike in 3-2 loss on Sunday not given by VAR
• Barça believe ball crossed the line and could demand replay

Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, has threatened legal action and could demand a replay after his side were denied a goal against Real Madrid at the weekend.

Lamine Yamal thought he had scored in the 28th minute of Sunday’s 3-2 clásico loss at the Bernabéu but the on-pitch officials did not rule the ball had crossed the line, and after a lengthy VAR check, their decision stood. La Liga does not use goalline technology.

Football Australia imposes interim suspension after Torres arrested over alleged incident in March

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The Central Coast Mariners’ star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault.

Torres, 24, was arrested at a property in Terrigal on Monday in relation to an alleged sexual assault of a woman on 24 March.

It is no longer in their hands but Leeds retain real hope of securing automatic promotion after reclaiming second place in the Championship following a timely return to form on Teesside.

Given that Michael Carrick’s much improved Middlesbrough are nobody’s pushover these days, Daniel Farke’s side needed to rediscover the ruthlessness that had deserted them in recent weeks. To the relief of the travelling fans, Crysencio Summerville, Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto obliged with potentially vital goals in a thrillingly compelling game that showcased the second tier’s often underrated appeal.

• Club believe three Ashley Young incidents merited penalties
• Premier League said ‘it is never appropriate’ to question officials

Nottingham Forest have called on the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) to release the audio of conversations between the match officials during their defeat by Everton on Sunday, while the Premier League has said it is “extremely disappointed” by the club’s complaint that the video assistant referee (VAR) was a supporter of relegation rivals Luton.

Forest believe they should have been awarded three penalties during the match. Ashley Young was at the centre of three incidents which Forest felt merited a penalty. There were two alleged fouls and a handball that the on-field referee, Anthony Taylor, did not deem worthy of an offence and which the VAR, Stuart Attwell, did not intervene to overturn as Everton won 2-0 to leave Forest in 17th, one point and one place above Luton with four games remaining in the season.

Our cartoonist on the scrapping of replays, fixture congestion, drama at Wembley and that Nottingham Forest statement

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For the teams at the bottom of the food chain, England’s top flight has come to resemble an abusive relationship

And you may ask yourself: how do I work this?

And you may ask yourself: what happened to that three-man midfield?

Simone Inzaghi’s thrilling tactics have seen Nerazzurri pull clear of their city rivals – and the rest of the Italian top flight

How else could it end but like this: tempers boiling over and the red card being shown to one player after another as Inter sealed their 20th league title with a win over neighbours Milan? Denzel Dumfries and Théo Hernández were first to be sent off after squaring up in midfield at the start of injury time. Milan’s Davide Calabria followed moments later for throwing a forearm into the face of Davide Frattesi at a corner.

And then the final whistle went, transforming a ruck into revelry as the rest of Inter’s players and staff rushed from the dugout to join their colleagues on San Siro’s pitch. They carried giant Scudetto shields displaying the No 20 against the colours of the Italian flag. The two Milan clubs began this season tied on 19 league titles apiece. Now Inter will be the first to affix a second gold star to their club badge.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack for an interview with Fifpro representatives, Sarah Gregorius and Alex Culvin, plus Dutch international, Merel van Dongen, to discuss how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule. Also, Sophie Downey rounds up the weekend action in the Champion’s League and WSL

Today’s pod features an exclusive interview with representatives from the global players’ union, Fifpro, who, alongside the Netherlands defender Merel van Dongen, share their views on how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule.

The panel also discuss Chelsea's inspired Champions League win against Barcelona, Manchester City retaking the WSL lead, Arsenal securing European football, Palace's Championship title charge and relegation for Lewes …

Head coach has been hampered by injuries but has not established a discernible playing style – while Thomas Tuchel will be available

With Erik ten Hag’s job at Manchester United safe until the summer, the focus turns to whether or not the club will, and indeed should, keep the Dutchman in the long term. While Sir Jim Ratcliffe controls United’s football policy, the final decision on Ten Hag’s future may well be influenced by the judgment of Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada, the incoming technical director and chief executive respectively. (Presuming compensation is not agreed with Newcastle that would allow Dan Ashworth to begin his role as head of football at Old Trafford before the summer.) We assess the case for and against those in power sticking with the current manager beyond the current campaign.

Chelsea earn chance to make history, City keep the pressure on at the top and the Holmgaards produce some magic for Everton

“Our team did a lot to limit chances as a whole. You can only do that together and not individually. The team as a whole did that job well today. Everything has to be perfect for you to get close to winning a game of football [against Barcelona],” said Emma Hayes after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final and that, really, was the crux of their success. They defended as a team, attacked as a team, held their shape collectively and achieved perfection when executing the gameplan. Can they do it again in the second leg at Stamford Bridge? It will be difficult to make lightening strike twice, but the belief will be there. Hayes wants to see a sellout crowd at Stamford Bridge because her players “deserve to play in front of a full house to give ourselves the best possible chance.” There is certainly no greater opportunity for a sellout crowd than history beckoning. Suzanne Wrack

Match report: Barcelona 0-1 Chelsea

WSL roundup: Shaw double helps City move top

Minute-by-minute report: Manchester Utd 2-2 Tottenham

Minute-by-minute report: Arsenal 3-0 Leicester

Mauricio Pochettino refused to blame his players for Chelsea's record defeat to Arsenal but lamented the inconsistency of his team. The Blues manager said: 'Our standard doesn’t sustain the bad days. When we have bad days, you know, we are so bad. And then when we are good, we are capable of everything.' Pochettino's comments come after Arsenal defeated his side 5-0.

Erik ten Hag has called media coverage of Manchester United's win over Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final a 'disgrace'. Having a 3-0 lead at Wembley with 20 minutes to go and then won on penalties, United were criticised by pundits and fans. Asked if he understood the response, Ten Hag said: 'No, absolutely not ... is it [the result] embarrassing? No, the reaction from you [the media] was embarrassing ... For me as a manager, four cup finals in four years. The comments are a disgrace.'

• Ten Hag calls reaction to Manchester United’s win over Coventry a ‘disgrace’

A 2-1 win against Milan clinched the Serie A title for Inter. The two Milan clubs began this season tied on 19 league titles each but now Inter will be the first to add a second gold star to their club badge for a 20th Scudetto. Not even the rain could dampen the spirits of the Nerazzurri and their fans: flares and fireworks were set off in the city centre as fans sang and danced through the night.

• Inter could not have imagined a more satisfying way to win 20th Scudetto

• Inter seal historic 20th Serie A title with derby victory over Milan

Mark Robins, the Coventry City manager, was full of praise for his side after they fought back from three goals down to almost knock Manchester Untied out of the FA Cup. Coventry narrowly missed out on a place in the FA Cup final after losing on penalties following a dramatic game. Robins' side thought they had won right at the end of extra time when Victor Torp had put them 4-3 up but his goal was disallowed for a marginal offside against Haji Wright, sending the game to penalties. Despite walking away as victors, Ten Hag insisted that United 'got away with it' and have a lot to learn.

• Manchester Utd survive epic Coventry comeback to reach FA Cup final

• Erik ten Hag bemoans Manchester United’s ‘very low levels’ in FA Cup scare

• Victor Torp’s torment: the greatest ever FA Cup moment that wasn’t

Manchester City came from behind in their quarter-final second leg at the ­Etihad Stadium, after Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute strike cancelled out Rodrygo’s opener early in the first half. Despite the holders dominating ­possession, Real held on until the end of extra-time and eventually prevailed following a penalty shootout. 'We did everything, I don't have any regrets with what we have done,' said Guardiola.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal 'lacked that magic moment' after losing to Bayern Munich and missing out on a first Champions League semi-final since 2009. Joshua Kimmich’s second-half goal was enough to secure a 3-2 aggregate win. 'I thought we had the capacity and the quality to win the semi-finals because the margins have been very small,' Arteta said. 'But those margins are coming from something else that maybe we don't have yet and we have to learn it.'

• ‘Small margins’: Arteta says Arsenal have plenty to learn after Bayern defeat

• Arsenal knocked out by Bayern after Kimmich header secures last-four spot

• Hardened Bayern show true colours and hand Arteta biggest challenge

The Adelaide United sensation has started taking German lessons but is happy to let his football do most of the talking for now

His head is mostly bowed. In front of the TV cameras he sways with nerves, sometimes even giggles. The shy demeanour of Australian prodigy Nestory Irankunda off the field stands in juxtaposition to his powerful, decisive presence on it.

Three months away from his eagerly anticipated move to German giants Bayern Munich from Adelaide, the 18-year-old was, on Tuesday, one of the first players named for the A-League All Stars’ clash against Newcastle United in Melbourne on 24 May.

A big European win and a disappointing domestic draw this week sums up Dortmund, who remain in an identity crisis

On a night like Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park really is every bit as special as they say, maybe even more so. It is a formidable tidal wave of unfettered emotion, impossible to fairly explain if you aren’t in it and futile to resist if you are.

After the drunken revelry of that Champions League win over Atlético Madrid a reality check might have been needed, and my goodness this was it. True, they came close to being the first team to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season, but Josip Stanisic’s header in the seventh minute of stoppage time salvaged a draw for the newly crowned champions, with Xabi Alonso releasing his inner Mourinho to charge down the touchline and join the bundle in front of the celebrating away fans.

English midfielder ended ‘goal drought’ with impeccable timing, in a season that could hardly have gone better

Jude Victor William Bellingham, this is your league. The title opened with him and effectively closed with him too, told the way it had to be, an inevitability to it all. In the beginning he had stood arms wide in front of 48,927 people at San Mamés, the ground so revered they call it the Cathedral, having scored his first Real Madrid goal on his debut. In the end, he stood arms wide in front of 77,981 at his new home, having just scored his 21st, 17 of them in La Liga. From August to April, Bilbao to the Bernabéu, via Almería and Vigo, Cádiz and Seville, Braga and Naples, more than 800,000 people have seen a celebration that may not be new but which became his and is now the mark of the champions; symbol of this season.

It had been seen after every goal except one but, it turned out, even that was right somehow, as if Bellingham knew. In his first clásico, the game he had watched growing up, he scored the equaliser at Montjuïc. He didn’t go all Christ the Redeemer then but did when he got the winner Madrid-style: after the stadium clocks had stopped, 92 minutes in, an early taste of the epic. Now, six months on, he only went and did it again, a 91st-minute goal carrying Madrid to another clásico victory, 3-2, and towards the league title, nodding as he welcomed the Bernabéu into his arms. With six games left, they lead Barcelona by 11 points. “He arrived at the right time,” Carlo Ancelotti said. “It had been a while since he scored.”

San Jose have goalkeeping problems, the Whitecaps are defending in a unique way and Miami are given a helping hand

Welcome back to the Guardian’s MLS Power Rankings, where I have a beef with your specific team and your specific team alone.

MLS roster rules might be changing in the middle of the season, but as for this column? It’s following the same format as it has all season. We’re still ranking teams from worst to first. But along with the rankings, we’re diving deep into a handful of teams from around the league who are doing particularly interesting things.

• Australia held to goalless draw by Qatar in final qualifying game
• Men’s team will not join Matildas at Paris Games this year

Australia’s Olympic football hopes will rest solely with the Matildas after the men’s team failed to qualify. The Olyroos were held to a goalless draw by hosts Qatar in their final group match in the Asian Under-23 Cup, which serves as the Olympic qualifying tournament, leaving them with two points and no goals from their three matches.

Australia pressed for much of the match and created a series of chances, but as in their previous matches, were unable to make those chances count. As it happened, it would not have mattered if they had. For Australia to qualify they not only needed to win but for Indonesia to lose. Instead Indonesia, who had beaten Australia 1-0, won 4-1 against Jordan.

• Dutch club relegated in wake of Guardian and TBIJ investigation
• Documents appeared to show financial ties to Abramovich

The Dutch football association has deducted 18 points from Vitesse Arnhem, officially confirming the club’s relegation, in the wake of an investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) that uncovered apparent financial ties between the club and the Russian oligarch and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

The KNVB, the governing body of Dutch football, said it had imposed the record sanction because the club, formally known as SBV Vitesse, failed to meet the requirements of its licensing regulations.

Captain of national men’s team among those posting apparently coordinated social media messages

Leading players in Georgia’s national men’s football team have backed mass protests sparked by a “foreign influence” bill criticised for mirroring a repressive Russian law.

Riot police have clashed in recent nights with large rallies of people protesting outside the parliament building in Tbilisi against the bill, which is viewed in Brussels as a threat to future EU membership.

Leverkusen won first Bundesliga because of their brilliance – under their coach now only victory feels inevitable

In other contexts, it might have been seen as tempting fate, daring to anger the football gods. Leverkusen was set for a day of celebration like never before. Approximately 10,000 people lined the streets to greet the team bus leading up to the Bay-Arena with Bismarckstrasse renamed Xabi-Alonso-Allee for the day with its new moniker plastered on street signs.

Yet Bayer Leverkusen weren’t just expectant. They were ready. Unlike Borussia Dortmund, who had stumbled agonisingly on the final day last season when their chance to dethrone Bayern Munich arose, they never felt like dropping the ball. On Sunday, they only needed to beat Werder Bremen to make mathematically sure of the title.

Europe’s balance of power has shifted and Malmö are among the clubs with a vision to return Nordic football to the top

The rain has let up in time for training and Malmö FF Women are going through their paces. Their session takes place at the club’s old ground but, on Saturday, their Elitettan campaign will begin yards away on the main Eleda Stadion pitch. It will be a special occasion: their first match in Sweden’s second tier after promotion, with about 2,000 fans looking on. They will face opponents who were once no strangers to a spot of glamour. Earlier this century few in Europe could rival Umeå IK, who won the Uefa Women’s Cup twice and were runners-up three times. Football has changed since their last final in 2008 and it would be a tremendous feat for any Swedish side, let alone Umeå, to hit those heights again.

While the players train, Håkan Wifvesson is wrapping up an intense day of discussion. “We, the Nordic countries, have been the strongest in the world,” says Wifvesson, chairman of Malmö’s city rivals and multiple top-flight title winners Rosengård, to a packed room inside the modern stadium. “I think we have to make a new plan for how we’re going to get back to that position.”

Erling Haaland has been voted the best player in the world for 2023 by our 218-strong panel, with Jude Bellingham finishing second

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• Meet the judges | Best female footballers to launch in January

Aitana Bonmatí, Sam Kerr and Salma Paralluelo top the list of female footballers in the world in 2023 according to our judges

• Putellas tops 2022 list | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | Meet the judges
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The Norwegian is only 23 but his devastating goal record has seen him voted as the No 1 player in the world by the Guardian’s expert panel

When Pep Guardiola tearfully claimed Manchester City could not replace the departing Sergio Agüero in May 2021, he didn’t just create a meme. Guardiola was soft-launching a global audition for his team’s new attacking talisman. An unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Kane in the summer of 2021 came between two title-winning seasons where Ilkay Gündogan (13) and Kevin De Bruyne (15) were the club’s top league goalscorers. Guardiola’s slick creative machine needed a new front man, and they found him in Erling Haaland.

Like Agüero before him – and in contrast to many of City’s most successful Pep-era signings – Haaland arrived as a bona fide superstar, a plug-and-play addition to an already stellar lineup. Whether he was a bargain is another question. The release clause paid was €60m (£51.2m), but some reports suggest Haaland’s five-year deal could cost the club in the region of £300m. And while there was an ominous logic to the move for City’s rivals, questions remained.

Aitana Bonmatí the clear winner of the Guardian’s best 100 female footballers in the world with 15 Spaniards on the list

• The 100 best female footballers in the world 2023

After Alexia Putellas reigned in 2021 and 2022, her Barcelona and Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí has been crowned the top female footballer of 2023 by the Guardian’s panel of 112 experts. The World Cup winner triumphed by a clear margin, finishing more than 500 points ahead of second-placed Sam Kerr.

Injuries and a World Cup meant there was a definite changing of the guard feel to this year’s list, sadly emphasised by the fact last year’s top two – Putellas and Beth Mead – missed a large chunk of our 12-month voting period with ACL injuries.

Times writer probably closest thing football journalism had to a celebrity but the game, and how we consume it, has changed

For more than three decades, English football media was a Winter wonderland. An eternal Winter. Winter extending an icy grip over the landscape. But even Winter, it seems, can end up being frozen out. Given the cold shoulder. It’s time to wrap up for Winter, now this particular Winter’s tale has reached its final chapter.

That, with apologies, was the opening paragraph to a column about Henry Winter’s dismissal by the Times, written in the style of Henry Winter for the Times. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible you haven’t the faintest idea what, or who, I’m talking about. Which to an oblique and probably self-defeating extent is actually the point.

Slovakia has just elected a president who, like the country’s prime minister, opposes military aid to Ukraine and is seen as pro-Moscow

It is easy to forget that in June 2021 the Ukrainian Football Association was ordered to remove the words “Glory to the Heroes” from its European Championship shirt after Russia – yes, that Russia – had complained it found the slogan to be upsettingly aggressive and militaristic in tone.

Eight months later the same Russia, no doubt still averting its nose from all things militaristic, would invade Ukraine’s eastern border and start a war that has killed at least 11,000 Ukrainian civilians and tens of thousands of its own soldiers. They did at least get the slogan changed, so there’s that.

Although fans thought the shared success would never end, the DFB can use the new Nike deal money to benefit the grassroots

The partnership between Adidas and German football has been a commercial and sporting success for both sides for decades. It is a shared history of advancement. In 1954, the country recognised itself in the national team, and in Adidas too. Back then, Adolf “Adi” Dassler was the equipment manager; his screw-in studs were innovative and gave Fritz Walter, Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn a foothold in the rain of Berne.

Later, Dassler built up a world-class company. Today, clubs such as Arsenal and Ajax regularly take up residence in a small town that doesn’t even have a railway station. The national team will also be preparing for the European Championship in Herzogenaurach. Dassler is the German version of rags to riches.

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If there’s one thing West Ham fans probably wish more than anything else, it’s that people unconnected with their club would stop telling them to be careful what they wish for. These put-upon C0ckneys have, in recent months, heard why a Moyes in the hand is better than any number of Rúben Amorims, Julen Lopeteguis or turtleneck-wearing young Germans they’ve never heard of in the bush because … well, they should be careful what they wish for. The implication is clear – that having seen their team win Tin Pot and to still be in with a slim chance of qualifying for it again this time – West Ham fans have been spoilt and should be grateful for their lot in life. Never mind that it involves paying through the nose to sit in a soulless athletics stadium, near a soulless shopping mall, watching an often soulless team dotted with some outlandishly talented players surrender 80% of possession to rivals, many of whom are their significant inferiors. Just be careful what you wish for.

Re: Pep Guardiola on players kept in fridges (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I’m sure I’m one of 1,057 readers who would agree with our former prime minister that, at times of stress, the best place to be is in a fridge. Perhaps Pep should try it himself, it might cool him down” – Giordy Salvi (and no others).

It’s great fun to support a Championship team and be able to celebrate a goal, given by a referee. What a shame the top six in the Premier League didn’t get their breakaway. We could have had the remaining 14 with the top 10 from the Championship, on Football League rules” – Steve Roberts.

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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Troy Townsend and John Brewin as Coventry go so close to one of the greatest FA Cup comebacks ever

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On the podcast today; total agony for Coventry, inches away from a winner in injury time that would have seen them complete the most unlikely of turnarounds to beat Manchester United 4-3 and reach the FA Cup final.

Manchester United snatch chaos from jaws of serenity, Nicolas Jackson misfires and Liverpool stay in hunt

Jammy, jammy Man United. To be fair, they did find a new way to be hopeless. Instead of the usual mayhem, they were in total control for 70 minutes, barely letting Coventry have a shot. But then, somehow, they snatched chaos from the jaws of serenity. ITV, and all their teatime viewers, couldn’t believe their luck as a cakewalk turned into a classic. United threw away a 3-0 lead, and for a minute, right at the end of extra time, they were 4-3 down – only for the VAR to come to their rescue, after he had failed to when they conceded a penalty. We were witnessing history, comedy, tragedy, the lot. Casemiro took the first penalty and missed. Destiny was surely calling to Coventry, but André Onana rose to the occasion, flying to his right to paw away one penalty, craftily engineering a miss from another, and saving Erik ten Hag’s job. For now, anyway. Tim de Lisle

Match report: Coventry 3-3 Manchester United (2-4 pens)

Match report: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea

Match report: Fulham 1-3 Liverpool

Match report: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

Match report: Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Sheffield United 1-4 Burnley

Match report: Aston Villa 3-1 Bournemouth

Plus: winning a title from way behind, even further-apart country clashes in the Euro and long-throw fatigue

• Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

“Chris Wood is having a pretty good season,” begins Iain Cargill. “Being from New Zealand, whose Fifa ranking is 104, which Premier League players come from countries with lower Fifa rankings?”

“If we discount players at clubs who have yet to make their first league appearance then Wood is the player from the second lowest-ranked country currently represented in the Premier League,” writes Tom Reed. “Marvelous Nakamba at Luton comes from 122nd-ranked Zimbabwe (all rankings measured from the current list).

Gunnar Nielsen Manchester City 2009-10, ranked 125th with Faroe Islands

Gaël Bigirimana Newcastle 2012-13, ranked 135th with Burundi

Stéphane Sessègnon Sunderland 2011-12, ranked 136th with Benin

Florent Hadergjonaj Huddersfield 2018-19, ranked 141st with Kosovo

Helder Costa Wolves 2018-19, ranked 142nd with Angola in January 2019

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing Cardiff 2018-19, ranked 149th with Guatemala

El Hadji Ba - Sunderland 2013-14, ranked 159th with Mauritania

Alex Nimely Manchester City 2009-10, ranked 161st with Liberia

Dexter Blackstock Southampton 2004-05, ranked 163rd with Antigua and Barbuda

Al Bangura and Albert Jarrett Watford 2006-07, ranked 165th with Sierra Leone

Bobby Bowry Crystal Palace 1994-95, ranked 176th with St Kitts and Nevis

Jason Roberts Blackburn 2007-08, ranked 176th with Grenada

Zesh Rehman Fulham 2004-05, ranked 178th with Pakistan

Emerson Boyce Wigan 2012-13, ranked 178th with Barbados

Modou Barrow Swansea 2016-16, ranked 179th with Gambia

Onel Hernández Norwich 2019-20, ranked 179th with Cuba

Vurnon Anita Newcastle 2013-14, ranked 183rd with Curaçao

Kyle Lightbourne Coventry 1997-98, ranked 184th with Bermuda

Mesca Fulham 2013-14, ranked 184th with Guinea-Bissau

Neil Danns Blackburn 2003-04, ranked 185th with Guyana

Jordi Amat Swansea 2016-17, ranked 191st with Indonesia

Frédéric Nimani Burnley 2009-10, ranked 202nd with Central African Republic

Ruel Fox Spurs 1998-99, ranked 202nd with Montserrat

Our cartoonist looks back on a dramatic weekend in which Pep Guardiola’s machine powered back up to the summit

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Organisers around the UK work with venues to ensure parties are free to attend, LGBTQ+ inclusive and accessible

On a Wednesday night in late March, the inside of Stamford Bridge’s Tea Bar is decked out by Baller FC, a collective which hosts women’s football watch parties. The group’s DIY decor taps right into women’s football fandom. There is a cardboard cutout of Chelsea’s Emma Hayes. “In Sarina we trust,” reads a flag with an illustration of the Lionesses’ manager. Posters commemorate the seven grassroots teams invited here to celebrate their achievements. This evening’s party culminates in Chelsea’s Champions League fixture against Ajax at Stamford Bridge, with tonight’s guests given free tickets.

It’s the second time Baller FC has teamed up with Chelsea – Fran Kirby popped by at the last event – and is indicative of the collective’s success since being set up by a group of friends in 2022. As women’s football fans, they were tired of scouring the capital trying to find a pub that would put on games. For the Women’s Euros in 2022 they took over a pub in east London, hosting watch parties for every one of the tournament’s 31 games. Crucially, they wanted the women’s football to be the main focus and not shunted to the sidelines for, say, a clashing men’s sports fixture.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack, Robyn Cowen and Chris Paouros to discuss the FA Cup semi-finals and preview the upcoming last-four ties in the Champions League

On today’s pod: the panel discuss the FA Cup semi-finals, as Manchester United make the final for the second successive season and Tottenham create history by reaching their first.

The panel also discuss what this means for Chelsea, as their hopes of a quadruple have now been slashed in half. They now have two competitions to fight for as Emma Hayes’ tenure heads for its conclusion.

The underdogs created the chaos to unsettle Guardiola’s side at Wembley but their finishing was wayward or timid

Manchester City were dragged into a strange, unfamiliar, uncomfortable place at the start of this FA Cup semi-final. It felt chaotic, uncontrolled, almost as if it had been designed for Conor Gallagher, who was stationed on Chelsea’s left as a hard-running, counter-pressing irritant-machine whose main job was to fry Kyle Walker’s mind.

Credit goes to Mauricio Pochettino for a positional flex that flummoxed City for long spells. Pep Guardiola, all flapping gestures and nervous energy on the touchline, would soon be engaged in frantic conversation with John Stones about some minor tactical detail.

The Norwegian reflects on joining her childhood club in 2019, being ignored for individual awards and focusing on what happens on the pitch, not off it

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Arguably one of the most underrated players in women’s football yet one of the most important at Barcelona, Caroline Graham Hansen has won every trophy available with the club of her dreams. The 29-year-old is regarded as one of the best in the world by her teammates, but judges on award panels seem to overlook her when compiling lists of the best footballers.

The Norwegian winger has numbers that most players on those lists never hit. She is leading the Spanish league in goals and assists with 17 and 16 in 19 matches and has five goals and five assists in six Women’s Champions League appearances.

City have not been at their overwhelming best this season, but they remain immune to the typical anxieties of a title run-in

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There are still only two points in it: Manchester City 73, Arsenal 71, Liverpool 71. It’s not over yet. If the three keep pace for the next five games, it will still be the first season since 1971-72 in which three different sides go into their final game of the season with a chance of winning the title. The hope for anybody seeking a dramatic run-in is that this weekend was just the beginning of a final month of twists and turns. But the sense is that the race has taken a decisive shift towards City and a fourth successive title for Pep Guardiola’s team.

It’s not just that City swept Luton aside 5-1. You’d expect that; they beat them 6-2 in the FA Cup in February. Nor was it just the fact that Liverpool lost at home to Crystal Palace, the opponent Jürgen Klopp had beaten more than any other, or that Arsenal lost at home to Aston Villa, managed by their former manager Unai Emery, each detail twisting the knife in a little further. It was the way they lost, coming after the way Arsenal had played in drawing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and the way Liverpool had played in losing to Atalanta in the Europa League.

Manager discusses bravery, his future at Kenilworth Road, and the moment that convinced him his team can survive

When Arsenal went top of the Premier League against Luton last week, it wasn’t their fans who were celebrating. Comfortable in their two-goal lead, the home crowd were slipping out before the end and the stadium was empty soon after the whistle. But not entirely. Clustered in the south-east corner, nearly 3,000 Luton fans stayed to serenade their beloved manager. Oh for someone who looks at you the way a Lutonian looks at Rob Edwards.

It was Luton’s eighth Premier League defeat in 10 games and their 19th of the season. The Bedfordshire side sat 18th in the table, three points adrift of Nottingham Forest. And yet nothing can sour the love. “In this situation, if they turned, it would be really, really tough,” Edwards said after the game. “It gives me a lot of belief, that they’re with us.”

From Warren Zaïre-Emery to Endrick, we select some of the best players born in 2006. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018

• Next Generation 2023: 20 of the best Premier League talents

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2007, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of our classes of 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 … and look at the editions from further back

• Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best talents around the world

Five years ago we picked 80 of the most talented players in the world to follow their progress in a cut-throat business

It is the time of year when we check in on the Next Generation players we picked in 2018 to follow for five years, to assess their progress amid success, setbacks, injuries, trophies won and transfers made.

Next Generation started in 2014 with the aim of showing the difficulties that even the best prospects in the Premier League (we pick one from each club at first-year scholar age) and the rest of the world (we choose 60 born in a specific calendar year) face on their way towards the top.

A defensively minded midfielder who is incredibly strong (he used to be a wrestler) but with an excellent touch to go with his physicality. Made his debut in the Swedish top flight as a 16-year-old last year and captained Sweden as they reached the quarter-finals of the Euro Under-17 tournament in England this summer. Has taken an unusual path to the top. He left the top-flight side IFK Göteborg for sixth division Angered MBIK as a 14-year-old as he felt that he was not getting the right support for his football education. Another Gothenburg club, Häcken, snapped him up in 2017 and he made his senior debut that season. Has signed a new contract with the club from Hisingen until 2021 despite interest from Real Madrid and Benfica and trials at both Manchester clubs.