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Jacob Steinberg
“This week we saw the clearest evidence yet of Tuchel’s transformation into staunch international football enthusiast, as the 52-year-old beamed for the cameras and spoke excitedly about extending his contract until Euro 2028. What changed? Was it just how bonds were tightened as England sealed World Cup qualification with a series of strong, unified performances between September and November? Perhaps, but it is also worth considering what else is out there. Tuchel is not English. Unlike Gareth Southgate he is not on some deep, emotional quest to heal society. He is doing a job and, taking a pragmatic view, has realised that another two years with England is a better career choice than returning to the volatility of club management…”
And shortly after England announced Tuchel’s extention, they found out who they will be facing in the Nations League later this year. The Three Lions were drawn in Group A3 along with Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Group A3:
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Spain
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Croatia
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England
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Czech Republic
This week also saw Thomas Tuchel extend his contract with England, keeping him as head coach until 2028.
He said: “I am very happy and proud to extend my time with England. It is no secret to anyone that I have loved every minute so far of working with my players and coaches, and I cannot wait to lead them to the World Cup. It is an incredible opportunity and we are going to do our very best to make the country proud.
“I have had so much support from Mark [Bullingham, CEO], all my colleagues at the FA and from fans wherever I go that I did not hesitate when asked to continue in this dream job. EURO 2028 will be a very special tournament and as a coach there is nothing more you want than to compete with the very best on the biggest possible stage.”
Bruno Guimarães out for eight weeks
Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães has reportedly been ruled out for up to eight weeks due to a hamstring injury.
The Brazilian suffered the injury against Tottenham on Tuesday. He had a scan on Wednesday which revealed a hamstring tear. He could now miss at least 10 matches.
Dave Estherby has messaged in with his thoughts on the departures of Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche…
“I think the answer to both questions is yes, but not for the right reasons.
“It’s clear that both Frank and Dyche were sacked by the players and the fans as much as their respective boards. Being a top manager these days means being an expert in ego-massaging as much as anything else; good old finished rollickings don’t wash anymore, sadly.”
Nottingham Forest also made the decision to sack their head coach this week, with Sean Dyche dismissed in the early hours of Thursday morning – shortly after the club’s 0-0 draw with Wolves.
Vítor Pereira is now set to be announced as Forest’s new head coach – and their fourth of the season.
Speaking of Spurs, they have agreed to appoint Igor Tudor on an interim basis until the end of the season. The move opens the door for ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino – who is currently head coach of the US men’s national team – to make a return to the club.
As just mentioned, Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham on Wednesday following a 2-1 loss to Newcastle which left the club 16th in the Premier League table.
Here’s what Barney Ronay has to say about the topic…
Feel free to email in at [email protected] with any thoughts, feelings or predictions ahead of today’s fixtures. Did Spurs make the right decision by sacking Thomas Frank? Did Nottingham Forest make the right decision by sacking Sean Dyche? More on those shortly…
It looks like Igor Tudor is Tottenham-bound, but Forest fans, who do you want to see take over at the City Ground?
Let me know!
From Arsenal’s midfield conundrum to Newcastle’s misfiring attack, here are 10 things to look out for in the FA Cup this weekend.
Paris St Germain’s Ligue 1 title hopes suffered a blow with a 3-1 defeat by managerless Rennes at Roazhon Park. Luis Enrique’s side moved back into top spot ahead of Lens last weekend with a 5-0 hammering of Marseille, their seventh success in a row in the league, but they were swiftly brought back down to earth in Brittany.
Mousa Al-Tamari gave Rennes a half-time lead and, although Ousmane Dembele pulled one back straight after Esteban Lepaul had made it two midway through the second half, it was the home side who found another goal through Breel Embolo. It was a dream first outing as interim head coach for Sebastien Tambouret, who was given the reins after Habib Beye was sacked on Monday following a run of four defeats in a row.
Monaco boosted their hopes of European football with a 3-1 victory over struggling Nantes. All Monaco’s goals came in five first-half minutes, with Simon Adingra scoring twice and Denis Zakaria once. Fabien Centonze pulled one back for Nantes just before the break but they could not make a second-half breakthrough despite Aleksandr Golovin’s red card.
Serhou Guirassy scored twice as Borussia Dortmund moved within three points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, beating Mainz 4-0. Maximilian Beier also scored for Dortmund, while the fourth was an own goal from Dominik Kohr.
AC Milan needed a late goal from Luka Modric to defeat lowly Pisa 2-1.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek opened the scoring late in the first half but Felipe Loyola equalised with 19 minutes left, while Milan also had Adrien Rabiot sent off. PA
Phil Parkinson wanted to savour the moment after guiding Wrexham into the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in 29 years. Josh Windass scored the winner as the ambitious Welsh side edged a tight contest with Championship promotion rivals Ipswich 1-0 at Stok Cae Ras.
It was another notable victory for the Red Dragons as their rise under the ownership of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac continues.
Manager Parkinson said: “We spoke before the game about our chance to create a bit of history. We’ve done it and I’m so pleased because it was always going to be a tough game against a very good side.
“Every season in football is special and you’ve got to savour it. This season, with the challenge of being in the Championship and now an FA Cup run, we want to enjoy it, and tonight we certainly did.”
This week marked the fifth anniversary of Wrexham’s takeover, which took place when the club were in the National League.
They have been promoted in the past three seasons and, currently sixth in the Championship, they now have a shot at reaching the Premier League.
Parkinson said: “I think it’s great for our owners, to get them into the fifth round. We can really look forward to the draw on Monday night when we’ll be in a hotel in Bristol.
“We’ll savour that but, obviously, it’s the back-burner now for the FA Cup and we’ll concentrate on the league.” PA
In the WSL last night, Manchester City got back to winning ways with a dominant 6-0 victory against Leicester City, who currently sit at the bottom of the table.
Vivianne Miedema scored twice, with Khadija Shaw, Yui Hasegawa, Kerolin and Aoba Fujino also adding to their goal tallies.
Leicester now find themselves struggling in a relegation battle, with rivals Liverpool finding some form.
League Two fixtures (3pm GMT unless stated otherwise)
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Barnet v Cheltenham Town
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Oldham Athletic v Fleetwood Town
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Chesterfield v Harrogate Town
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Crewe Alexandra v Gillingham
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Bromley v Notts County
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Tranmere Rovers v Crawley Town
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Barrow v Colchester United
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Shrewsbury Town v Swindon Town
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MK Dons v Newport County
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Cambridge United v Bristol Rovers
League One fixtures (3pm GMT unless stated otherwise)
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Reading v Wycombe Wanderers
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Stevenage v Huddersfield Town
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Lincoln City v Bolton Wanderers
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Bradford City v Peterborough United
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Barnsley v Wimbledon
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Cardiff City v Luton Town
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Exeter City v Northampton Town
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Blackpool v Plymouth Argyle
Championship fixtures (all 3pm GMT)
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QPR v Blackburn Rovers
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Sheffield Wednesday v Millwall
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Derby County v Swansea City
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Preston North End v Watford
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Portsmouth v Sheffield United
Pedro Neto scored a hat-trick as Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 win over Hull in the FA Cup last night. Elsewhere, Wrexham progressed to the fifth round with a narrow 1-0 victory against Ipswich Town.
Today’s FA Cup fixtures (3pm GMT unless stated otherwise)
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Burton v West Ham (12:15pm)
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Norwich City v West Brom
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Southampton v Leicester City
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Burnley v Mansfield Town
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Manchester City v Salford City
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Aston Villa v Newcastle (5:45pm)
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Liverpool v Brighton (8pm)
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! It’s all happening this weekend, with Championship, League One, League Two and FA Cup fixtures to look forward to.
Manchester City, Burnley, West Ham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton are among the clubs involved in fourth-round action today, with the likes of Millwall, Derby and Preston all featuring in the Championship.
We’ll also be reacting to last night’s FA Cup meetings and discussing the biggest talking points of the week - from the Nations League draw to managerial switch-ups.
I’ll be with you all morning - join me!
