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AT HALF: Spurs, Burnley, Bournemouth lead; Leicester-Everton level

By Nicholas MendolaOct 6, 2018, 10:52 AM EDT
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The Premier League started without an early kickoff on Saturday, but there’s plenty to discuss from a quintet of 10 a.m. ET kickoffs on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Cardiff City [STREAM]

A rare Eric Dier goal has Spurs up front, though Hugo Lloris has not looked confident between the sticks for the favored hosts.

Burnley 1-0 Huddersfield Town [STREAM]

Johann Berg Gudmundsson sent a cross to Sam Vokes, and the big Welshman thumped it past Jonas Lossl.

Crystal Palace 0-0 Wolves [STREAM]

Chances at both ends and plenty to like in terms of style of plays, but nothing on the board yet.

Watford 0-3 Bournemouth [STREAM]

David Brooks and Joshua King have scored for the Cherries, King’s first of two coming from the spot after a second yellow card to Christian Kabasele. This one’s not quite put to bed, but the bedtime stories are being perused at Vicarage Road.

Leicester City 1-1 Everton [STREAM]

Rebounds that fall to Richarlison tend to wind up in one place: The back of the net. But if Leicester is celebrated for doing one thing, it’s countering, and Ricardo Pereira beat Jordan Pickford to restore the deadlock before half.

Newcastle focused on extending Bentiez despite interest from others

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By Kyle BonnApr 23, 2019, 11:59 AM EDT
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According to a report by the Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle United is desperately trying to lock down manager Rafa Benitez before the expiration of his contract at the end of June, and is rejecting any and all contact from interested parties in a show of good faith to the club’s current boss.

The report states that the latest interested party to have intermediaries make contact has been former United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, but the club has to this point turned down his advances while it continues to push towards an extension with Benitez. The report by the Newcastle Chronicle followed up an earlier report by France Football stating the same.

Sporting director Lee Charnley has been attempting to sign Benitez to an extension for nearly two years, but the Spaniard has reportedly turned down all advances to this point. However with Newcastle United over the 40-point threshold usually required for safety, talks have restarted. Benitez has been reportedly asking for more control over the club’s transfer and recruitment process and wants assurances on financial backing in that department.

Still, should talks break down and Benitez moves on, a number of individuals including Klinsmann have made their interest known. Also linked with the position are David Wagner, Bruno Genesio, and Jorge Jesus.

The relationship between Benitez and the front office has not always been rosy, and Mike Ashley’s stinginess has repeatedly been a point of contention for the Spaniard. Still, Benitez is rightly seen as one of Newcastle’s most valuable assets, and if they can convince him to stick with the club through a season in the Championship, they can certainly figure out a way to keep him aboard as they target a top-half finish in the future.

How will Man City and Man United line up for critical derby?

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By Kyle BonnApr 23, 2019, 10:33 AM EDT
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There is as much on the line in Wednesday’s Manchester derby than anyone could have hoped for, and the enormous stakes will only feed the excitement on the pitch.

Whereas these big matches often end in cagey draws in the first half of the season with little incentive for the teams to do anything other than avoid losing, a draw won’t do for either side this time around, and there could be goals on the cards. So with everything on the line, how will these teams line up on the field?

[ MORE: Hudson-Odoi injury renews contract talks ]

There are injuries to consider on both sides. Pep Guardiola confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne will not be available tomorrow for Manchester City after his injury against Tottenham left the rest of his season in doubt. Manchester United, meanwhile, will reportedly be without defender Phil Jones after he was withdrawn in the heavy defeat to Everton last time out. Other than that, both squads are fully healthy minus the long-term injury to City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

The biggest question for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be how to deploy his back line against the vicious Manchester City attack – particularly on the flanks. He left Ashley Young on the bench each of the last two matches, with natural center-backs Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo deputizing at full-back, but that experiment could come to an end with Luke Shaw returning from suspension. In Jones’ absence, Rojo or Lindelof could be moved back to the middle, or Solskjaer could bring Eric Bailly back into the fold after failling to see the field in the last two months. The midfield has also been a conglomeration, with the third spot up in the air next to Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic. Fred and Juan Mata have both seen time, but Ander Herrera will be reportedly returning from his injury and could see the field.

[ MORE: Solskjaer hoping for turnaround ]

For Manchester City, Guardiola’s headache will be constructing his midfield without De Bruyne. He has had Fernandinho in and out of the lineup over the last few weeks due to nagging injuries, and it remains to be seen if he utilizes the defensive midfielder to anchor the formation. Ilkay Gundogan has played deeper when Fernandinho has been absent, and he’s played well in that spot, but at times they still seem to be missing a natural anchor, and it was Fernandinho who came in to replace De Bruyne after his injury.

MANCHESTER UNITED

—– De Gea —–

— Dalot — Rojo — Smalling — Shaw —

—- Matic —- Herrera —-

—- Martial —- Pogba —- Rashford —-

—– Lukaku —–

MANCHESTER CITY

—– Ederson —–

— Walker — Stones — Laporte — Zinchenko —

—– Fernandinho —–

—- Gundogan —- Foden —-

— B Silva —- Aguero — Sterling —

Report: Chelsea to renew contract talks with injured Hudson-Odoi

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By Kyle BonnApr 23, 2019, 9:26 AM EDT
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According to a report by Matt Law of The Telegraph, Chelsea is gearing up to offer Callum Hudson-Odoi a new contract after the young English international ruptured his Achilles against Burnley on Monday.

Despite Maurizio Sarri‘s stubbornness this season regarding the young winger, Hudson-Odoi has forced himself into the regular Chelsea lineup as the Blues fight for a Champions League place down the stretch of the season. The 18-year-old had started the last four matches before the injury ended his season early.

Due to his inability to crack the lineup before the last month, Hudson-Odoi had reportedly handed in a transfer request and rejected all contract offers with the hopes of finding a new home where he would be more appreciated on the pitch. There were multiple reports that Bayern Munich was heavily interesed in Hudson-Odoi and that the German giants were preparing to make an enticing offer with the youngster’s current contract set to expire next summer. Now, however, things have turned in Chelsea’s favor in the long-term.

According to the Telegraph report, Bayern’s interest in Hudson-Odoi is likely to cool thanks to the injury that will likely see him miss the summer and the start of the next campaign. With this opportunity, Chelsea could come to Hudson-Odoi with a renewed contract offer that reflects his status as a first-team regular.

Hudson-Odoi’s Achilles tear is a brutal blow to Chelsea this season, with the club entrenched in a brutal battle with Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester United for the Premier League’s final two Champions League places, as all teams sit within three points of each other. Chelsea is also still fighting on another front as well, as the Blues have secured a place in the Europa League semifinals. While Hudson-Odoi only just recently cracked the Blues’ league lineup, he had been a regular in the Europa League rotation, scoring four goals in his nine European appearances this season.

Still, there could be a significant silver lining to his injury. Considering the likely departure of Eden Hazard this summer plus uncertainty around Chelsea’s ability to sign players in the coming transfer window, securing Hudson-Odoi’s future at the club could be an enormous boost long-term, even with the injury leaving him sidelined for a significant amount of time. Christian Pulisic is arriving this summer thanks to an already-completed deal with Borussia Dortmund, but the two players are more natural on opposite sides of the pitch and could potentially play together. In addition, should a transfer ban come down on the Blues, the club may not even be able to register Pulisic for the first half of the season, leaving an even bigger hole in the squad.

Before the injury, it appeared there was no way back for Callum Hudson-Odoi at his boyhood club. Having joined the club in 2007 when he was just six years old, keeping the teen around long-term would be monumentally positive news for Chelsea moving forward, even if the injury is devastating in the short-term.

Solskjaer backs himself to turn Manchester United around

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By Kyle BonnApr 23, 2019, 9:03 AM EDT
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As things continue to turn sour at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is adamant that he can turn Manchester United around.

The Red Devils have lost four of their last five matches across all competitions, with each result proving more and more devastating. The latest loss, a 4-0 drubbing to Everton, cost Manchester United the opportunity to jump into the top four after  Tottenham, Arsenal, and Chelsea all dropped points above them.

With just four league matches remaining, time is running out for Solskjaer to take charge of the situation and secure Champions League play for next season amid a bitter fight with four teams vying for two positions. Still, the Norwegian believes he is the right man for the job now and in the future.

“I’m confident in my team and myself. I’ll be ready to take this challenge on,” Solskjaer said ahead of Wednesday’s enormous Manchester derby that could define their run-in to the end of the season. “I know it’s a big challenge and that’s why, when I came in here, I said I’m going to enjoy every single second. I don’t like losing but it’s a challenge all the managers at this club have had. When you go through bad results, you’ve got to be confident enough to say this is the way we’re going to do it and plan ahead.”

Solskjaer began his tenure in electrifying fashion, winning his first eight games in charge and making it 11 unbeaten, but since he was handed the permanent position at the start of March, things have taken a turn for the worst. The club has lost six of its last eight across all competitions, with elimination from the Champions League and the FA Cup to go along with Premier League losses to Everton, Wolves, and Arsenal. The heavy 4-0 defeat to the Toffees last time out sparked a meeting with the players to help diffuse some tension.

“We had a meeting after the game and all the players were definitely, definitely disappointed but really, really hurt by that performance and the City game is the perfect one,” Solskjaer said about the upcoming game against Manchester City. “There is no hiding place on the pitch and the fans will back you if you give that effort.”

With the all-important derby on Wednesday, Solskjaer sees it as the perfect opportunity to make a statement that the recent slip was a fluke and the team is ready to contend in every match. “We’ve got to be ready for their pressing, so we’ve got to defend well, got to be ready for their aggression, they will snap at your heels and kick you, there will be fouls, absolutely no doubt about it and when you watch those games they commit so many players forward.”

It doesn’t get any easier for United after the derby, with a game against Chelsea at Old Trafford up next in league play before closing out the campaign against Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. The Red Devils sit sixth in the Premier League table on 64 points, two back of Arenal in front of them and three behind Chelsea and Spurs in third and fourth.