Find a Football Team

The Chelsea forward is a unique talent and showed against Austria just how important she could be in this tournament

I would always want my former teammate Fran Kirby in my England team. Who wouldn’t? It did not look like it would be a possibility in the months leading up to the Euros because of fatigue issues but in the 63 minutes Kirby played of the opening-game victory over Austria she showed how important she is to this England side.

It might not have been the 5-0 or 6-0 victory the 68,871 inside Old Trafford wanted but it is the perfect platform to build on, especially after all the pressure on the hosts coming into the Euros. Tournament football is all about momentum and three points against Austria puts England in a good position going into their second match with Norway. I have had my concerns about England’s goalscoring and this was shown at Old Trafford but when it mattered Kirby made the difference.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Robyn Cowen and Ceylon Andi Hickman as England open the Women’s Euros with a victory

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today: England start the Women’s Euros with a 1-0 win over Austria. Some 68,000 fans were in Old Trafford to see what felt like a monumental moment for the sport.

In the second part of an exclusive investigation, the Guardian can reveal that multiple organizations and institutions tasked with the welfare and protection of athletes failed to consider, investigate or address repeated allegations of sexual misconduct against Toledo soccer coach Brad Evans

• ‘It shattered my world’: an Ohio soccer coach, sexual misconduct and the system that has protected him

The Universty of Toledo knew in 2015 about an allegation of sexual misconduct by Brad Evans, coach of its women’s soccer team, but sidelined the claims to allow the coach to eventually resign citing “inappropriate relationships”. The university was also aware of concerns raised by players and families about his behavior since 2012.

The university took five years to acknowledge the sexual misconduct allegation – only after the current coach of the University of Toledo women’s team filed a report to the school’s Title IX office in 2020. The reported victim of the alleged sexual misconduct was Candice Fabry, a former student, athlete and assistant coach at the university, as exclusively reported by the Guardian.

UToledo did conduct an investigation following a report by a student-athlete in January 2015 of verbal harassment by Brad Evans, who was at the time the Head Coach of the women’s soccer team. The investigation did find that Mr. Evans’ conduct toward student-athletes may have violated the University’s Standards of Conduct policy, however, the case was not referred for possible disciplinary action because by the conclusion of the investigation in March 2015, Mr. Evans had already resigned his position effective Feb. 23, 2015.

• Barcelona midfielder deferred payments to help club financially
• United confident of De Jong deal and close to finalising Eriksen

Frenkie de Jong’s proposed transfer to Manchester United is being held up by about £17m the midfielder is owed in deferred salary payments by Barcelona.

The Guardian understands that United and the Catalan club are working to resolve the issue because it is a major barrier to De Jong being signed for an agreed €65m (£56.2m) plus add-ons fee.

• Former midfielder steps up to replace Spaniard
• Terriers lost Championship playoff final to Forest

Carlos Corberán has resigned as Huddersfield’s head coach. The Spaniard, who guided the club to the playoff final last season, met the head of football operations, Leigh Bromby, on Wednesday night before quitting. His assistant Jorge Alarcón has also left.

The club have acted quickly to replace Corberán by announcing Danny Schofield as the new head coach. The former Huddersfield midfielder spent 10 years at the club as a player and returned in 2020 to coach the their under-19 team. He will be assisted by Narcis Pèlach.

• Chelsea aim to finalise fee of about £45m with Manchester City
• Sterling has been told by Tuchel he will be key player at club

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Raheem Sterling after agreeing personal terms with the Manchester City forward.

Sterling has told City it is the right time for him to leave and he is expected to become the first marquee signing under the new ownership at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are aiming to finalise a fee of about £45m in the next 24 hours and they hope the England international will join the squad when they fly on Saturday to the US for their pre-season tour.

Today’s tittle-tattle has a heavy heart

There’s been plenty of idle gossip about Bayern Munich players this summer and Serge Gnabry is the latest to have Premier League clubs a-tusslin’. Arsenal are the freshest club to be linked with the winger, who began his career at the Emirates. Manchester City and United are also interested, and Bayern could demand as much as £50m for a player about to enter the final year of his contract.

Another Bayern player who could be England-bound is Omar Richards. The English left-back, who moved to the Allianz Arena from Reading a year ago, is on the radar of Nottingham Forest, who’ve been busy as they prepare for their first Premier League campaign this century. Steve Cooper’s side are also confident of sealing a deal for Liverpool’s Neco Williams by the weekend for a fee of about £16m plus add-ons.

• ‘We go out for every game with belief we can win it,’ says captain
• Northern Ireland make major tournament debut against Norway

Marissa Callaghan has insisted Northern Ireland are not at Euro 2022 to “make up the numbers” as she prepares to lead her country into their first major tournament. The captain has declared herself fit and ready for Thursday evening’s historic clash with Norway in Southampton after making a rapid recovery from a broken bone in her foot.

Northern Ireland are the lowest-ranked team in the 16-nation tournament and underdogs to progress from a group also containing Austria and England. Yet, on the eve of the biggest game of her career, Callaghan dismissed suggestions that an early exit is inevitable.

• Palace had led race for midfielder Swansea rate at £12m
• Moyes wants midfielder after Lille reject £20m Onana bid

West Ham are confident of beating Crystal Palace to the signing of the Swansea City midfielder Flynn Downes. Palace had been leading the race to sign the 23-year-old, but West Ham are making encouraging progress in negotiations after acting on their interest.

Swansea have been looking to receive a fee of £12m for Downes, who joined Russell Martin’s side from Ipswich Town last year. With Palace yet to reach an agreement with the Welsh club, West Ham have moved in and are expected to make a suitable offer for Downes.

• Nigeria international Aribo to cost £6m plus add-ons
• Midfielder Lavia sign from Manchester City for initial £12m

Southampton are close to a deal to buy Joe Aribo from Rangers for £6m plus add-ons and have announced the signing of Roméo Lavia from Manchester City. The fee for Lavia is an initial £12m and City have a £40m buyback clause.

Aribo, a Nigeria international, has been with Rangers since 2019 and previously played in League One for Charlton. The 25-year-old appeared in all 15 of Rangers’ games in the Europa League last season, starting 13, and scored in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Old Trafford was a bracing, stunning sight before kick-off amid the belief this could genuinely be the start of something

Trailblazers. Pioneers. Game-changers. History-makers. Yes: England scored a first‑half goal and began a major tournament without looking flustered or getting booed off the pitch at full-time. It was comfortable rather than easy, composed rather than fluent. But as England completed their lap of honour in front of 69,000 chilly but cheering fans, the sense was of a team that were simply relieved to be off and running, determined to ride this wave of noise all the way to the end.

For all England’s busyness, their 15 shots on goal, perhaps the moment that best encapsulated them came just seconds from the end. Deep into the 90 minutes Leah Williamson received the ball in defence, with Austrian shirts flooding forward in an attempt to hunt her down. If ever there was a time for getting rid, it was here. Instead Williamson looked up and pinged a precise 40-yard pass all along the ground to Georgia Stanway. On a night of peak pressure and peak expectation England kept their heads, and somehow this felt like the most crucial victory of all.

• Manager happy with 1-0 win but admits Lionesses were ‘sloppy’
• ‘We have to be a little calmer in the final stages’

Sarina Wiegman acknowledged that England “can do better” after her side’s narrow victory against Austria in the Euro 2022 curtain raiser at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

“Overall I’m happy and not frustrated,” the Lionesses’ manager said after Beth Mead’s fine early finish secured a 1-0 Group A win in front of a Women’s European Championship record attendance of almost 69,000 at Manchester United’s home.

Fran Kirby was England’s standout performer while Millie Bright showed growing poise under pressure in defence

Mary Earps A special night for the Manchester United goalkeeper who reacted superbly to keep Barbara Dunst’s shot out. A great, and vital, save. 7

Get to know every single squad member at the tournament. Click on the circular player pictures for a full profile

• Support our women’s football coverage from £2 a month

All of the summer’s Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A deals and a club-by-club guide

• Women’s transfer interactive – all the summer’s deals

The summer transfer window 2022 promises to be as busy as ever. We have already had some big transfers with Erling Haaland joining Manchester City the biggest one so far.

But Sadio Mané has indicated he wants to leave Liverpool and likewise Robert Lewandowski could be on the move from Bayern Munich with Barcelona a reported destination.

All deals from the WSL, Serie A femminile, Primera División, Division 1 Féminine and Frauen-Bundesliga plus club-by-club guides

• Men’s transfer interactive – all the summer’s deals
• Sign up for our free women’s football newsletter

The women’s summer transfer window is expected to be a busy one. In England, Manchester City will have to rebuild after losing Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Caroline Weir.

Elsewhere in the WSL, Chelsea are unlikely to remain quiet while Vivianne Miedema has told Arsenal to invest in the squad after signing a new contract.

• Adams has played under Jesse Marsch at New York and Leipzig
• Colombia winger Sinisterra is a likely replacement for Raphinha

Leeds have signed the USA midfielder Tyler Adams from RB Leipzig on a five-year deal for a fee that could reach £20m with add-ons and followed that by buying the Colombia winger Luís Sinisterra from Feyenoord.

The deal for Sinisterra is worth €25m (£22.3m) plus add-ons and has taken Leeds’s summer spend to more than £90m, although £45m was recouped this week through the sale of Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City.

• Di María poised to sign one-year deal after leaving PSG
• Pogba due in Turin on Saturday to complete his return

Ángel Di María has agreed to join Juventus on a one-year deal after his contract ended at Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old forward is expected in Italy this week and is poised to be the club’s second eye-catching free signing of the summer.

The deal with Di María follows one settled last month with Paul Pogba, who is due in Turin on Saturday to complete his return to the club after leaving Manchester United.

Plus: Bon Jovi, Scorpions and Michael Jackson playing back-to-back at Besiktas and Rangers’ 394-day season

• Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU

“Brentford have just appointed former England and Fiji Rugby 7s coach Ben Ryan as their director of elite performance,” mails James Doherty. “He appeared on a commemorative 50 cent coin to mark Fiji’s first ever Olympic medal, gold in the 7s at Rio 2016. Have any other footballers, coaches or senior figures ever appeared on currency in celebration of their achievements?”

They certainly have, James, and John McDougall takes us to Australia for the first example. “Fifteen of the 2006 Socceroos World Cup squad were minted on $2 coins,” he writes, making us wonder which players in the 23-man squad were cruelly cut by the Royal Australian Mint. Hopefully Scott Chipperfield made the grade.

• Oliver Kahn says Ronaldo does not fit club’s ‘philosophy’
• Manchester United may listen to offers for 37-year-old

Bayern Munich have ruled out signing Cristiano Ronaldo after the chief executive, Oliver Kahn, stated the Manchester United forward does not match the German champions’ “philosophy”.

Ronaldo has informed United he wishes to leave, with the 37-year-old believed to want Champions League football next season. United are in the Europa League and the club’s official position is that Ronaldo, who has a year left on a £490,000-a-week contract, is not for sale. Privately, United may listen to offers but Bayern will not be a suitor.

• Allegations involving different woman relate to 2021
• Player arrested on bail to date in August, police say

A leading Premier League footballer arrested on suspicion of rape has been further arrested on suspicion of two incidents of rape against a different woman.

The player has been released on bail until August by the Metropolitan police after questioning and inquiries are ongoing.

• Galtier left Nice to take job after spells at Lille and St-Etienne
• Pochettino led PSG to title last season but fell short in Europe

Paris Saint-Germain have sacked Mauricio Pochettino as their manager and confirmed Christophe Galtier as his replacement.

Pochettino has departed after 18 months, during which he won his first trophies as a manager: the Ligue 1 title last season and, before that, the 2020-21 Coupe de France and 2020 Trophée des Champions.

• Body aims to move ownership into new subsidiary
• Women’s Championship also part of the plan

The Football Association is aiming to move ownership of the Women’s Super League and Championship into its own company in January and has rebuffed any advances from private equity firms looking to buy the leagues.

Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA director of women’s football, said: “We’re working with the clubs to create a company which will be an FA subsidiary and the FA will still be there as a shareholder.

Ajax’s scout John Steen Olsen retired this month but the 79-year-old played a huge role in shaping the midfielder’s career

It was during the first days of January 2020 when Christian Eriksen received a call from John Steen Olsen, Ajax’s celebrated Scandinavian scout who first watched the Denmark midfielder when Eriksen was a 13-year-old. “I called him and said: ‘You know that Ajax is always there for you,’” Steen Olsen told the club’s website. “He said he would like to but only when he is a little older.”

In the week that Steen Olsen, described by Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his “real father”, retired after 25 years’ service at Ajax, Eriksen has decided to become part of Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United rebuild. Ten Hag is a former Ajax manager and, like many of his predecessors, worked closely with Steen Olsen, a former Denmark forward who was appointed by Morten Olsen in 1997 and signed a lifetime contract with the Dutch club in 2015.

As the European calendar officially shifts to preseason, we take one final look at the best American and Canadian men’s players abroad over the past year

As the European calendar officially shifts to preseason for the 2022-23 season (and well into the never-ending transfer season, at times the best season), let’s take one last look at the 2021-22 campaign for Americans and Canadians abroad.

Here’s a Best XI of Americans and Canadians in Europe from the 2021-22 campaign.

Erik ten Hag could not have accommodated an ageing forward whose decision to leave should aid a huge rebuilding job

Ralf Rangnick had been Manchester United manager for two days when he observed to a colleague that he couldn’t play with Cristiano Ronaldo, but he certainly couldn’t play without him – and that is the dilemma any manager of United will have.

There remained at times something vaguely glorious about Ronaldo last season. He was still capable of narrative-shifting late goals. He still looked the same, a little slower perhaps, but his body was evidence of a lifetime’s dedication. Though much had been lost, much abided; it was still at times possible to believe that some noble work could yet be done.

Women’s game’s growth since Euro 2017 has been remarkable, and England offers the perfect stage to showcase that progress

If a tree falls in the woods but no one is there to see or hear it, does it make a sound?

For so long women’s football has been that tree, struggling to be seen or heard. There was so little coverage and attendances were so low that you could be forgiven for wondering if matches had even taken place. Now, all eyes are on the tree. There are journalists camped in the woods, laptops at the ready, a crowd has gathered around it and specialists wait nearby. The world has woken up to the existence of the women’s game in recent years and is now hungry for more.

There are reasons to be positive but the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community show there is still endemic homophobia in the game

Last week two Watford supporters’ groups successfully campaigned to have their side’s friendly with Qatar called off. Women of Watford and the LGBTQ+ supporters’ group Proud Hornets tweeted their disdain after the fixture was announced. They discussed their concerns and Watford pulled out. “The game was never finalised and it became abundantly clear this was a game not to play; as such, the schedule was revised,” a club spokesperson said.

Qatar’s Football Association said it had received a number of offers to play friendly matches. “We selected some friendly matches with various European teams and Watford was not among these matches that the team will play.”

The introduction of a domestic transfer system could make Australia relevant in the global market, but opponents to the idea say young talent could be priced out of the cash-strapped professional game

It has been 12 years since Mat Ryan was given his first chance at senior professional football when, as an 18-year-old, he left Blacktown City and signed with the Central Coast Mariners. It was an opportunity which opened the door to Club Brugge, Valencia, Brighton and Real Sociedad. It was also an opportunity he believes might not have occurred under current rules.

“When you are taking your first step into professional football, clubs have to take a chance on you,” Ryan says. “If there was a big fee on my head the Mariners might have looked elsewhere and thought the risk was too high.”

After being postponed for a year due to Covid-19, the Women's European Championship in England starts this week, with the opening game set to be played in front of a sold-out Old Trafford on 6 July.

Guardian football writer Suzanne Wrack breaks down the teams and players to look out for – and gives her verdict on England's chances. 

• Record crowds, star players, prime-time coverage: Women’s Euro 2022 expects to win big
  

Speaking to the media on the eve of England's Euro 2022 opener against Austria at Old Trafford, the head coach, Sarina Wiegman, said her team were 'ready to go'. All tickets have been sold for the game amid great expectation that the hosts will perform well. England's captain, Leah Williamson, said the players will enjoy the tournament, adding that 'pressure is a privilege'.

• Move over Wimbledon, the real jewel of the British sporting summer is here
• Wiegman tasked with handling storm clouds of expectation over England
• There will be nerves, admits England captain Leah Williamson

Paris St-Germain announced Christophe Galtier as their new manager shortly after the Ligue 1 champions parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino. Galtier joins PSG on a two-year contract after leaving Nice last month, having guided them to a runners-up finish in the French Cup and fifth place in Ligue 1 last season. Of his appointment, the Frenchman said 'I appreciate the responsibility that I have so that PSG can have a great season. I have been getting ready for it. If I have accepted this job, it is because I am capable of it.' At PSG, Galtier will be re-united with Luis Campos, the club's newly-appointed football advisor, with the pair having worked together at Lille.

• PSG appoint Galtier as manager after sacking Pochettino

Alessandro Canale, known as 'Sandro', impresses fans on his Instagram account with videos of his football skills, often demonstrated on a skateboard. He can frequently be seen riding along with the ball bouncing off his legs, feet and the board itself. Even without the skateboard he has talent to display, with his honed footwork giving him control of any ball.

US women's national team forward Megan Rapinoe described the supreme court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade as "sad and cruel". The Supreme Court has ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States, upending the landmark Roe v Wade case from nearly 50 years ago. 

'It will completely exacerbate so many of the existing inequalities that we have in our country. It doesn't keep not one single person safer,' she said

• US supreme court overturns abortion rights, upending Roe v Wade
  
• ‘It’s important to fight’: US cities erupt in protest as Roe v Wade falls
  
• The supreme court just overturned Roe v Wade – what happens next?
  

Sadio Mané said he did not 'have to think twice' before deciding to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich from Liverpool. Mané completed a €40m move on a three-year contract which he signed on a rooftop in the Bavarian city. Mané called Bayern 'the team for me' as he spoke of their style and tactics, and said he hopes they can 'achieve things together'

• Portugal 1-1 Australia (Encarnacao 87; Ibini-Isei 73)
• Goalkeeper Lydia Williams makes two key late saves

The Matildas bounced back from their 7-0 drubbing by Spain at the weekend by claiming a 1-1 draw against Portugal in Estoril, but the improved result still left coach Tony Gustavsson “very disappointed”.

Princess Ibini-Isei came of the bench to put the visitors into the lead on 73 minutes with her first international goal, punishing some earlier profligacy from Portugal. But Gustavsson’s side were denied victory by a late equaliser from Telma Encarnacao as time ran out at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

• ‘We expect him to be a top, top player for us,’ says co-president
• Length of Bale’s contract not discussed by John Thorrington

Los Angeles FC are hoping their signing of Gareth Bale will prove a “long-term partnership”.

Wales international Bale revealed on Saturday he had agreed to join the Major League Soccer club following his release by Real Madrid. The 32-year-old had been looking for a new club to maintain his fitness ahead of the World Cup later this year.

• US win 3-0 in Utah despite missing two penalties
• Megan Rapinoe had spoken out against Roe v Wade decision
• USWNT’s home unbeaten streak stretches to 68 games

Sophia Smith scored twice in the second half and the US women’s national team beat Colombia 3-0 on Saturday night to extend their home unbeaten streak to 68 games, but many of the players had a seismic legal ruling on their minds.

Smith scored her first in the 54th minute off a pass from Rose Lavelle when Colombian goalkeeper Catalina Perez came out of her goal. She added her second in the 60th minute. Smith, who plays for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League, has six international goals.

Defendants named in judge’s report include football star’s three doctors, a psychiatrist and two nurses

Eight people who took care of the Argentinian football superstar Diego Maradona will be tried for homicide, according to a ruling released on Wednesday following an investigation into his death from cardiac arrest.

In the 236-page document seen by Reuters, the judge in charge of the case questioned “the behaviours – active or by omission – of each of the accused which led to and contributed to the realisation of the harmful result”.

• Football federation rule for youth, futsal and amateur game
• It applies to transgender, intersex and non-binary players

German football is bucking the recent trend of banning transgender women from women’s competition by allowing transgender, intersex and non-binary players to decide whether to play in men’s or women’s teams.

The German football federation passed a regulation for gender-nonconforming players with the civil status “diverse” or “unspecified” on Thursday.

Michael Noone went to Africa looking for a change and now has an academy for boys and girls in one of Tanzania’s poorest areas

When Michael Noone set off on his solo walk from Old Trafford to Wembley stadium on Boxing Day to raise money for his football academy in Tanzania, it wasn’t the first time he had taken a journey into the unknown. A youth coach with experience of working in schools in Manchester, the United States and Canada, the 37-year-old was “looking for a change in my life” when he arrived in east Africa in March 2020.

“I just kind of stumbled across it,” he says. “I came over with just a backpack and had nothing organised so I sort of just wandered around. I started volunteering in this orphanage, joined in a few games and found the football culture unbelievable. I’ve been coaching for many years and I’d played with some guys from east Africa before and they told me that there was so much hugely untapped talent here. So I came almost out of curiosity more than anything I guess …”

• Five players fled before match against Uganda on 2 November
• More than 60 footballers have escaped Isaias Afwerki’s regime

Five members of Eritrea’s Under-20 women’s team who escaped after playing in a tournament in Uganda last year remain in hiding, the Guardian understands.

According to sources close to the players, the five – Luwam Solomon, Yordanos Abraham, Shamat Futsum, Rahel Michael and Trhas Habate, who are aged between 16 and 19 – are “safe and well” after fleeing hours before their game against the hosts in the Cecafa Women’s Under-20 Championship on 2 November. It is estimated that more than 60 players have used their status as internationals to escape the oppressive regime of the Eritrean president, Isaias Afwerki, since 2009, although this is the first case involving female players.

Turmoil at India’s FA could lead to ban and the national coach, Igor Stimac, has warned those in charge to ‘wake up’

If Estonia had not conceded five goals to Lionel Messi this month, India’s legendary striker Sunil Chhetri would be second behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the highest active international goalscorers’ list. The 37-year-old has 84, two behind the Argentinian, after scoring four in the just-finished third round of qualification for the 2023 Asian Cup.

That haul helped India win all three games and stroll to a second successive appearance at the continent’s biggest event. Chhetri is a little concerned, however, that he may not be able to participate in the tournament – and not because there is currently no host after China relinquished those duties last month. The worry is that India may be hit with a Fifa ban.

The manager discusses the pressure of his job, Neymar’s future and turning down approaches from Real Madrid and PSG

With a few months to the World Cup how are you? How are you managing your anxiety? How am I? I’m expectant but focused. We reached the World Cup; now it’s time to reach the final and be champions. This is the truth. At the last World Cup I was the manager because of other circumstances [Dunga was fired in 2016 and Tite took over]. Now I have had the opportunity to do the full four-year cycle. Expectations are high but the focus is on work.

I have staff with great values and credentials. And an extraordinary family. If I didn’t have my wife [Rosi], I wouldn’t be where I am. I lose my temper, I hit the roof, I don’t sleep at night, just like everyone else. But I have a partner who supports me, a family that supports me. I draw strength from my family, work and spirituality.

Outside the elite, eventually the best players move on and even with money to spend fresh recruits remain gambles

The good news for Leeds is that last season’s injury crisis means they have had plenty of practice playing without their stars. The bad news is that this time it’s permanent. Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha are both on their way and so Leeds, suddenly but not unpredictably, are cast in the familiar position of a club on the rise seeing their greatest assets are stripped away and needing to rebuild. The inevitability of the pattern is one of the great sadnesses of the financial structures of modern football.

Phillips is 26. He was born in Leeds. He is a Leeds fan. He joined the academy when he was 14. He has played more than 200 league games for the club. But not even the most blinkered Leeds fan could realistically blame him for accepting an offer from Manchester City. He will make far more money, play under one of the greatest coaches ever and be in contention for the most prestigious prizes. Leeds, in fact, may think themselves lucky they were able to keep him for so long.

All you need to know about the 10 Women’s Euro 2022 stadiums, including history and geography lessons on the home venues

Opened: 2011

England v Norway, 11 July, 8pm

Austria v Norway, 15 July, 8pm

Quarter-final, 20 July, 8pm

Squad’s talent is clear but fallout from club tensions and doubts over coach Corinne Diacre have dampened expectations

Welcome to Moving the Goalposts, the Guardian’s new (and free) women’s football newsletter. Here’s an extract from this week’s edition. To receive the full version once a week, just pop your email in below:

France have one of the best squads at the women’s Euros, yet few expect them to win it. Why? For years they have been dogged by controversies, infighting and intrigue – and the issues refuse to go away.

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

For the first time in ages the Euros are back in England. Yes, last year’s Wembley-bothering visits don’t count. Spreading a tournament around Europe like cheap marmalade was not for us, Clive. International tournaments should be hosted in one country and (take note Fifa suits) in the summer months! Simple, eh? So praise be for Euro 2022, which kicks off with England v Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. We’ve got a proper buzz on about this one, chiefly because we know loads about it. Unlike in 2005, when the Women’s Euros were also hosted by England, this tournament is getting a lorry-load of love and some cracking coverage.

Today’s fluff has a restricted-view ticket

Paul Pogba is close to joining Romelu Lukaku on the Premier League-Serie A Groundhog Day merry-go-round by agreeing to hotfoot it back to Juventus on a four-year deal. The France midfielder, who left Manchester United for a second time when his contract expired last month, is reportedly due to have a medical in Turin on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool apparently want to boost their already formidable attack with Marco Asensio. The Spain international has only a year remaining on his contract at Real Madrid and is valued at a relatively knockdown £25.7m. The Express reports that Jürgen Klopp has “requested” his Anfield overlords line up the readies to sign the player.

See if you can top the leaderboard by taking on these 10 teasers about footballers who can’t wait to get on the golf course

This was not just a unique goal but the uniquest goal; a goal more unique than all other goals that are also unique

In September 1994, Leeds United beat Manchester United – the first time they had done so since February 1981 – with David Wetherall and Brian Deane their scorers in a 2-1 win. Which is a strange place to begin a piece about a Roberto Carlos goal, but please bear with me: the seamless segue will soon reveal itself.

A couple of days later, I returned from school to find a letter addressed to me – a rarity, given I was 15 – so ripped open the envelope in characteristically clumsy manner to discover what can only be described as hate mail. Accompanying newspaper cuttings of the aforementioned game was a letter extolling the virtues of Phil Ma-sing-ahhhh, along with general vitriol aimed at Manchester United in general and Alex Ferguson in particular.

From a first Paris meeting to a bizarre Covid spectacle via some big nights at Anfield, here are half a dozen memorable matches

For clubs with such rich history in Europe it seems strange now that this was the first time they met. Preparation for the Paris final wasn’t the best, with wrangling over shirt advertising affecting the buildup and, remarkably, both sides having to contend with a dreadful Parc des Princes pitch that had been torn up by a rugby match two weeks beforehand.

Hasty was one of football’s most remarkable and overlooked players – who then fell victim to a malignant arc of history

In October 1960 Jim Malone, the chairman of Dundalk football club, told the board he had discovered an exciting talent, a centre-forward who was scoring goal after goal for Newry Town, just across the border in Northern Ireland. He was tall and strong, had preternatural balance and was lethal in the air. Dundalk should sign him immediately, said Malone. The player’s name was Jimmy Hasty.

Another board member piped up. He had heard of Hasty, heard something fanciful – that the fellow had only one arm. Malone conceded this was true. Hasty had only one arm. But Dundalk should sign him, he said.

The best players, most gripping games and finest signings – plus the biggest flops and greatest gripes

Nick Ames Because he deserves the recognition: Son Heung-min. This was not Harry Kane’s finest season, despite a big uptick in its second half, but Son’s brilliance ensured that ultimately mattered little. Mohamed Salah had looked nailed on for this until the last couple of months and still needs mentioning, as does Kevin De Bruyne; his performance at Wolves, which I was fortunate to report on, was mindblowing and an already supreme Manchester City are transformed when he is at his best.

Before the season began we predicted where all 20 clubs would finish. We were right about two of them – which beats last year

What we said before the season: “The signing of Jack Grealish has made Manchester City look even more formidable and Harry Kane could yet jump on the juggernaut. Pep Guardiola’s vision for the season is for domestic domination to roll on and for City to claim a first European Cup.”

Who was sacked? Who made the difference? Who had to go?

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s player of the season – and invite you to have your say

In curling his first goal of the season beyond the outstretched arm of the Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul, Salah became the first player to score in the opening game of five consecutive Premier League campaigns. At the time he could have had no idea that, on the final day of the campaign, Liverpool would have already won two domestic cups, booked their place in the Champions League final and still be in contention for the title.

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s flop of the season – and invite you to have your say

It is difficult writing lists that point out individual failings, so it is quite pleasing how bad Manchester United have been across the board. On the player front Fred, Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea escape with their reputations relatively intact. The summer recruits Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane have struggled to fit in, which is quite difficult in such a poor team. Ole Gunnar Solskjær could not get much of a tune out of the squad and Ralf Rangnick has arguably been worse. England’s Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have endured a miserable time. Maguire has looked off the pace and was dropped for the April defeat by Arsenal. Rashford has come off the bench more times than he has started in the league, resulting in four goals in 25 appearances. Even the catering at Old Trafford is not up to scratch. The BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey tweeted a photo of his offering – scrambled egg and mash potato – to rightful derision. Good luck, Mr Ten Hag.

Our photo editor selects his favourite frames – including epic celebrations, crunching tackles and a bizarre banner featuring the ‘Moyesiah’

This season we’ve received more than 800,000 Premier League pictures from staff, agency and freelance photographers. Here are some of the most emotive, arresting and creative images which capture the narrative of another memorable top-flight campaign.

***

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s goal of the season – and invite you to have your say

We expect the ridiculous from Salah, but when he picked up possession outside the box, wide on the right, back to goal, and with João Cancelo feeling his collar, there looked nothing on. So Salah spun his man then, while absorbing a shove from Phil Foden, rolled studs over the ball to take him outside the next. Bernardo Silva was later found in lost property. Even then only a cross looked on, so Salah swayed inside, enticing Aymeric Laporte to follow, before dipping outside to snap an expert’s finish into his favourite far-post side-netting. It was a goal that only he could score, the skill, speed and composure an act of audacious impossibility, like painting a fresco on a rollercoaster.

Bending the Covid rules, drug use in the stands and social media disgraces all stuck in the craw this season

An argument for cryptocurrencies, the blockchain and non-fungible tokens is that they may one day democratise finance, and place wealth in the hands of those who previously had little access to resources. An alternative argument is that it’s all a Ponzi scheme where all but a select few will lose their shirt. Recent crashes in the crypto market suggest the latter is the more likely. Still, there’s money to be made in the interim, and football’s unrelenting lust for get-rich-quick schemes makes it an ideal breeding ground for crypto-wibble. It’s become ubiquitous. VAR in Serie A is sponsored by a crypto exchange, Manchester City signed up and then hurriedly binned a crypto partner that had no digital footprint, Paul Pogba flogged “dragon eggs” and then John Terry got in a bit of lumber for shilling NFTs that included official logos he didn’t have permission to use.

From Roy Keane’s rants to Clinton Morrison’s wardrobe the pundits have been busy creating and dividing opinion again

Welcome to the Guardian’s review of the 2021-22 Premier League season. We have nominated some contenders for this category to get the discussion going

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s match of the season – and invite you to have your say

“It was a wild ride,” said Jürgen Klopp after a pulsating draw. He wasn’t wrong. Liverpool had their feathers ruffled and more, going behind in the 27th minute as Ethan Pinnock finished a smart move involving Ivan Toney. The futuristic little Community Stadium almost rattled out of its foundations and didn’t stop shaking. A few moments later Diogo Jota headed home to make it 1-1. When Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead with his 100th goal for the club the expectation was that Klopp’s side would gain control. Brentford had other ideas, throwing caution to the wind and bombarding Liverpool’s penalty area until, finally, Vitaly Janelt equalised. It felt like a cup tie. A deflected Curtis Jones strike sent the away fans into raptures in the 67th minute and, when Salah went clean through 10 minutes later, a 4-2 victory looked inevitable only for the Egyptian to loft over wastefully. On came Yoane Wissa to seal a famous draw with a feather-toed finish over Alisson.

We select a few contenders for the Premier League’s young player of the season – and invite you to have your say

These days, it’s a bad day to be a left-back when Arsenal come to town. Whether you view the Gunners’ season as a failure or one of improvement, there is no doubt that this has been the one where Saka, despite his tender age, has become the club’s talisman. There are few players in the league, perhaps the world, with the Ealing-born winger’s poise and balance, and the beauty of his dribbling off the right flank is that he is just as happy to drive to the byline on his right foot as he is keen to cut inside on his left. Saka is intelligent on the pitch, eloquent off it, and Arsenal are lucky to have someone so fiercely loyal to the club. What is frightening is how much better he could become, especially if Arsenal invest in a proper striker and a right-back capable of overlapping and creating more space for Saka.

For all his goal scoring ability, Pep Guardiola cannot trust his forward to deliver at clutch moments in the biggest games

Raheem Sterling made a dart in behind Vincent Kompany to receive an angled pass from Luis Suárez. His first touch, with the outside of his right foot, took him outside the line of the right-hand post, some 12 yards from goal, with Kompany and Joe Hart between him and the net. He turned back inside, opening an angle to curl a left-footed finish between Hart and Pablo Zabaleta into the bottom corner. Hart shuffled and Kompany closed in, only for Sterling to jink back and roll the ball through an implausibly large gap into the right side of the goal.

That was the opener in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Manchester City in April 2014 but what makes it memorable was not just that it was a vital goal in the title race, rather the way Sterling conjured space where none had seemed to exist. It was that goal, more than anything, that led to the inflated expectations on Sterling going into the World Cup.

The first-time qualifiers will be underdogs in Group A but Kenny Shiels’ side have already overcome the odds to get there

This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s Euro 2022 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who have qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 6 July.

The story of a player who went to Milan full of hope and departed in the grip of depression is told in a compelling film

If Martin Bengtsson feels stressed he kicks a football around on his own and, almost immediately, the tension begins to ebb away. “Nowadays I play for meditation,” he says. “I have a very natural and close relationship with the ball; we still have a good rapport.”

Bengtsson is 36 but, 20 years ago, his first touch was so seamlessly adhesive that opponents could have been forgiven for believing he and footballs were inseparable. The then Sweden youth international was such a gifted midfielder that he was swiftly snapped up by Internazionale’s academy; which is where everything went wrong.

PSG forward is reportedly set for an automatic contract extension to 2027 on 1 July, a new twist on the modern game

“We no longer want flashy, bling-bling. It’s the end of sequins.” No, not the sequins. How about diamanté? What is the official position, Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain, on the embroidered epaulette?

In an interview with Le Parisien this week, Khelaifi took the chance to outline his vision of a new utilitarian PSG: a PSG staffed by hungry, flat-faced hair-shirt men who look like David May with toothache.

From ‘the next Alphonso Davies’ to Dortmund’s Moukoko, we pick 60 of the most talented players born in 2004. Check the progress of class of 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

• Support our journalism from as little as £2 a month

We pick the best youngsters at each club born between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005*, an age band known as first-year scholars. Check the progress of class of 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

• Support our journalism from as little as £2 a month

With the Next Generation 2021 picks out this week we look at the final updates for the class of 2016. How did they fare?

There was a time when going abroad wasn’t cool. It was a time when British footballers stayed at home, worried about how they might fare in Europe and beyond.

Gary Lineker helped to break the mould with his switch – and success – at Barcelona in the 1980s but Ian Rush’s struggles at Juventus around the same time seemed to put off many players.