been shown respect<\/a> and that there were \u201ccertain etiquettes in football\u201d to observe.<\/p>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s his opinion and obviously we respect everybody,\u201d said Arteta when asked about the incident. \u201cIf at any point one of the staff members went through that, we apologise and that\u2019s it. It\u2019s very common in football, especially with the keepers because they have to keep long balls and all that, so nothing left to comment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior (right) and his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta shake hands but tempers frayed in their Carabao Cup semi-final. Photograph: Kieran McManus\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are still doubtful for the game against Sunderland on Saturday when Arsenal have an opportunity to move nine points clear at the top before second-placed Manchester City face Liverpool 24 hours later.<\/p>\n
Last week, Arteta dismissed suggestions that Pep Guardiola could try to affect his side with \u201cmind games\u201d and he once again insisted it is important not to listen to any outside noise if Arsenal are to achieve their objective.\u00a0\u201cI would engage with the things that, in my opinion,\u00a0are relevant for the team,\u00a0and what is the best for the team and the club,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arteta was booked against Chelsea for contesting a decision by the referee – only the second time he has received a yellow card this season. Asked whether it is important to keep your emotions in check if you are a Premier League manager, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t know. Sometimes it\u2019s difficult because you cannot be aware constantly about everything, and we are human beings, and we react to things, so I think it\u2019s normal. I try to be the right example always, and if that\u2019s the intention, that\u2019s OK.\u201d Ed Aarons<\/p>\n
3. Howe: \u2018My future isn\u2019t relevant\u2019<\/p>\n
Eddie Howe has moved to quell speculation he could walk away at the end of the season following a dispiriting run of results. The Carabao Cup holders\u2019 defence of their first major domestic trophy in 70 years ended on Wednesday night when Manchester City completed a 5-1 aggregate semi-final victory over Newcastle, and they head into Saturday\u2019s Premier League fixture with Brentford sitting in 11th place in the table.<\/p>\n
However, after social media went into overdrive in the wake of a disappointing first-half performance at the Etihad Stadium to suggest the 48-year-old has taken the club as far as he can, with further speculation that he could replace England manager Thomas Tuchel this summer despite Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson\u2019s claim this week that the two parties remain happy with each other, Howe was in defiant mood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a surprise to me,\u201d Howe said: \u201cI give my best to the football club every single day, to all the players and the staff. I try to be the best version of myself to inspire the team to win games. That\u2019s my only thought. I don\u2019t tend to look too far ahead, but I try to prepare and plan for the club to move forward in every sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy individual future isn\u2019t really relevant. Who knows? I don\u2019t know my length of time here, I\u2019ve got no idea. I just try to do my best every day until told differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eddie Howe and his Newcastle players applaud the away fans after the Carabao Cup defeat at Manchester City. Photograph: Marc Atkins\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
The loss of \u00a3130m striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool during the summer has had a lasting impact, and Howe acknowledges that the \u00a3219m they spent on Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey is yet to pay full dividends.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s too early to make strong conclusions from that transfer window. At this moment in time, I\u2019d probably say let\u2019s see where we are at the end of the season, and then even six months into next season, too. I think you\u2019ll have a clearer idea then because you can look back at Lewis Hall\u2019s transfer and go: \u2018Well that didn\u2019t work initially\u2019, but for me that was always a long-term signing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s also true of various other players we\u2019ve signed through the years \u2013 Anthony Gordon also took time to become the player that he is now. Patience is needed, although it\u2019s a rare commodity these days with transfers. I understand that with the outlay, people will go, \u2018You shouldn\u2019t need patience and understanding\u2019. But I\u2019d say with most transfers these days, I think there has to be an element of that.\u201d PA Media<\/p>\n
4. Iraola says performances not transfers are key<\/p>\n
Andoni Iraola rejected suggestions the club\u2019s January transfer window will have any bearing on his future at Bournemouth with his contract due to expire in the summer. The Cherries lost Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City last month but brought in Alex Toth, Rayan and Ademide Solanke as well as goalkeepers Fraser Forster and Christos Mandas.<\/p>\n
With the club continuing to build a young core, Iraola was asked before Saturday\u2019s match against Aston Villa if they would make it more difficult for him to potentially walk away in the summer. \u201cYou are making it sound like I am like almost testing the club, sign very good players so I can stay,\u201d Iraola said in response.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd from my side, it\u2019s not like this. I think I try to help the club to sign the better players we can. And we\u2019ve tried to do this in the winter market. Some players we haven\u2019t been able to sign, others yes, like in every market. And now the market is not the important thing for me. The important thing is the performances, how we build a team, how we play games, how we can continue getting points. And this is the substantial part.\u201d PA Media<\/p>\n
5. Carrick primed for Frank reunion<\/p>\n
Michael Carrick finds himself up against Thomas Frank just five months on from interviewing the Tottenham manager as Manchester United\u2019s head coach seeks a fourth win on the bounce. The 44-year-old has enjoyed a dream start to his reign for the remainder of the campaign, with wins against Manchester City and Arsenal followed by last Sunday\u2019s thrilling 3-2 victory against Fulham.<\/p>\n
Carrick\u2019s former club Spurs provide the next test on Saturday lunchtime, when the United manager will share the Old Trafford touchline with a coach he interviewed before Frank\u2019s first Champions League game. \u201cYeah, [life] certainly can change,\u201d he said looking back to the Amazon Prime interview in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really enjoyed it, actually. We got on really well. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve met him properly and we had a good chat just about general kind of football things. A little bit on processes and ideas, but he was really accommodating. I enjoyed it, so it will be good to see him again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank joined Spurs last summer after impressing at Brentford but his position came under intense pressure during a poor start to 2026. But there has been a slight uptick in performance of late, with last weekend\u2019s 2-2 draw at home to City part of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey certainly bring a challenge,\u201d Carrick said. \u201cI think you can see especially the way they finished the game the other day. They\u2019ve had players injured and ins and outs, and a lot of changes to the team, which makes things a lot more challenging, a lot more difficult from their perspective. But they\u2019re getting players back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got really good attackers that look to stretch the backline and play forward and attack the box an awful lot. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve certainly got to be aware of. A slightly different game to maybe what we have played over recent weeks in some ways, but we\u2019re looking forward to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in a good place and the boys have worked well again this week. Again, feet on the ground, let\u2019s not get carried away with what has gone on. It\u2019s about what\u2019s next again, so a big challenge ahead but we\u2019re looking forward to it.\u201d PA Media<\/p>\n
6. Watkins in Villa frame for Vitality<\/p>\n
Unai Emery says Ollie Watkins is back available after a hamstring scare as Aston Villa look to get back to winning ways at Bournemouth. The 30-year-old, who has scored eight goals in 33 appearances in all competitions this season, limped off 35 minutes into last Thursday\u2019s Europa League match against RB Salzburg.<\/p>\n
Watkins missed the surprise 1-0 home defeat to his former club Brentford but the England international could lead the line at Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. Asked if the striker would be available at the Vitality Stadium, Villa manager Emery said: \u201cYes. He rested last week because he had a small injury and he was not ready to play. But this week progressively he was joining us, training normally, and today he trained normally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ollie Watkins is substituted off by Unai Emery with an injury against Salzburg but the Villa striker is expect to be fit for Bournemouth. Photograph: Molly Darlington\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Andres Garcia remain absent for Villa, who enter the weekend third in the Premier League, seven points behind the leaders Arsenal. January signing Alysson is not ready to make his debut but Amadou Onana could start having been an unused substitute against Brentford. PA Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1. \u2018Why should I not express what I feel?\u2019 A defiant Pep Guardiola has defended his right to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-277474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}