Botman injury blow for Newcastle, Slot on ‘really lucky’ Liverpool and more: football – live

Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou has been picking over the bones of his team’s dismal performance in defeat in the first leg of their Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar last night.

““I don’t think last night was a matter of individuals,” he said. “I thought as a collective, we just weren’t anywhere near the levels we had to be. It’s tough playing away in Europe, we knew that. The crowd create a really good atmosphere for the home side, they got the goal which gave them some momentum.

“Last night was not about individuals. It’s about the collective, we were nowhere near the level we had to be.”

Spurs host Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon and while his team has little or nothing to play for in the league, Postecoglou feels his team need another match before the return leg against their Dutch opponents next Thursday.

“We definitely need another game to get the squad to get to where we need it to get to,” he said. “Giving us the opportunity to get more game time to certain guys. Last night’s disappointment, the best way to sort of put that to one side is to perform at the weekend.

“Our league form hasn’t been too bad over the last recent period and we want to continue that. The Europa League is massive emphasis for us. We still have a massive desire to move up the table and we get that opportunity on Sunday.”

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Everton: David Moyes’ side play Wolves at Molineux tomorrow in a match that kicks off at 8pm. Like many others, the Scot is of a mind that Saturday night kick-off times are not everyone’s cup of tea or bottle of Rioja.

“I’m normally a bottle of red wine down by that time on a Saturday!” he said. “If you’re a traditionalist then you probably don’t see 8pm on a Saturday night as a good kick-off time but it’s the way it’s going and I think football clubs are signing up to it due to the money that is coming in from the broadcasters. We have to go with it even if it will ruin some people’s Saturday night out.”

Everton are unbeaten on the road since Moyes replaced Sean Dyche and he was asked about their away form. “Maybe the secret is that we’ve had more home games than away games,” he said. “I have to say that our run of games – we’ve had quite a few home games and Goodison at the moment is special.

“I have to say that we’ve been away to Brighton, Crystal Palace and Brentford and the players have done a really good job. We have to try and keep it going, keep improving and making progress. The players have done a remarkable job in the last five or six weeks but I’m not thinking we’re safe, that’s for sure. We have to keep getting points.”

Slot: Liverpool ‘really lucky’ at PSG

Newcastle United: As well as revealing that Sven Botman is facing an extended spell on the sidelines, Eddie Howe explained why Newcastle did not appeal against the red card that Anthony Gordon was shown for shoving Brighton defender Jean Paul van Hecke in the back of the head towards the end of last weekend’s FA Cup defeat at the hands of Brighton.

The winger’’s impetuousness means he will miss Newcastle’s next three games, including the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley next weekend. In short, Howe said he didn’t think there was any point in lodging an appeal as the club felt it would almost certainly be unsuccessful.

“It’s always a discussion point and we discussed it with the respective people we needed to discuss it with – lawyers etc – and we felt there wasn’t sufficient grounds to do that,” he said. “There was no intention from Anthony. He didn’t mean to hurt anybody. But, you have to look at it and ask if there is any chance of being successful and if there is no chance then what is the point of appealing and Anthony understands that.”

Liverpool: Following their midweek Champions League smash-and-grab against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool take on Southampton tomorrow in a match where Arne Slot is expected to rotate his squad in order to keep his heavy artillery fresh for the visit of PSG next week. Unsurprisingly, it was a subject that was discussed at the Dutchman’s press conference.

“For me the one against Southampton is by far the most important, not only because it’s the first one we play but it is a very important one for us,” he said. “If I make the choice to play other players that is because I think that’s the biggest chance to win the game tomorrow and not because I want to rest them for the game against PSG.”

Hmmm …

Brighton: Fabian Hurzeler’s side have won five games in a row in all competitions, with three of those victories coming in the top flight. They host Fulham tomorrow and in the build-up to the game, the German was asked about his side’s chances of qualifying for a place in next season’s Champions League. Brighton currently sit three points off fifth place, with Fulham just a point behind them.

“It’s very important we focus on our journey and that we really believe in it,” he told reporters. “Yesterday I received a picture from a mountain. In a mountain you always have new peaks, new peaks you have to climb. That’s the goal for us we have to climb new peaks.”

His appetite for Alpine analogies sated, Hurzeler went on to reveal that Kaoru Mitoma will be fit for tomorrow’s game after recovering from cramp, while he has no other injury concerns.

Sven Botman to miss Carabao Cup final

Ipswich Town: Five points from safety, Kieran McKenna’s side travel to in-form Crystal Palace tomorrow hoping to close the five-point gap between themselves and a Wolves side who have lost Matheus Cunha, their best player, to at least four games through suspension. Despite the very real threat of relegation hanging over his side, Kieran McKenna has said he is not prepared to abandon his principles.

“If you stay consistent in your behaviour, in our processes, driving the culture here, I think that builds a trust between the group,” he said. “Of course the later you get towards the end of the season, because there’s less games ahead, the results feel more important. But the best way we believe to get the points is to focus on performances and to try and perform as well as you can with whatever the game plan is in that particular game.

“There’s no game in the Premier League that is going to be anything less than competitive. If we can do a lot of things well then we’ll make the games competitive and Crystal Palace are a very strong side, they have certainly improved as the season has gone on.”

Southampton: With the teams separated by 52 points, Southampton face a daunting weekend trip to Anfield, where nobody gives the Premier League’s bottom side a snowball’s chance in hell of adding to their tally of nine points against the table-toppers.

While Ivan Juric could be forgiven for whimpering in fear behind the sofa, the Saints boss fronted up at his press conference to declare his side – who have already given Liverpool a decent run for their money on two separate occasions this season – will try to give a good account of themselves.

“It’s never mission impossible,” he told reporters. “We will try to do our best and we will see. Before the match, I’m always optimistic and then after maybe I think differently. But before the match, I always see the possibility of doing something good.

“When you play against Liverpool, sometimes it’s the way you want to die. If you do some things, they will find another way to beat you. If you are low block, they will find a way to beat you. I think we have to be perfect in both things. Sometimes press, sometimes low block. We will see. We have to play well.”

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Nottingham Forest: Nuno Espirito Santo’s side welcome Manchester City for tomorrow’s early kick-off having taken just one point from the last nine available in the Premier League. Forest sit third in the top flight but will be overtaken by City if they fail to beat them. The Forest manager has said he will treat tomorrow’s game against the Premier League champions the same way he would any other game.

“The approach is the same,” Nuno told reporters. “Nothing changes. You have to realise that you’re going to play a very, very good team, a team that has been able to clearly dominate in the last years, a coach that has a big impact on the game and fantastic players.

“But it’s the same approach. It’s realising how hard it’s going to be, but at the same time with the joy of the moment. It’s going to be even more difficult than it was before [at the Etihad, where Forest lost 3-0].”

The Portuguese refused to be drawn on the reasons behind City’s decline this season and insisted Guardiola remains as influential as ever. “Pep is one of the coaches who has had a direct impact on the game,” he said. “His ideas and the way he approaches [his work] and tries to build his teams.

“He has a big impact and he’s contagious to older managers because they see new things and different things. We’ve faced each other many times and it’s always about the players at the end of the day, the ability of the players to make the manager’s ideas work.”

Premier League fixtures

• Nottingham Forest v Man City (Sat 12.30pm GMT)

• Liverpool v Southampton (3pm)

• Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town (3pm)

• Brighton v Fulham (3pm)

• Brentford v Aston Villa (5.30pm)

• Wolves v Everton (8pm)

• Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth (Sunday 2pm)

• Chelsea v Leicester (2pm)

• Manchester United v Arsenal (4.30pm)

• West Ham v Newcastle (Monday 8pm)

• View the Premier League table

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Europa League: An abject display in which Tottenham fell behind to an early Lucas Bergvall own goal means Ange Postecoglou’s chances of maintaining his record of winning a second season trophy at every club he has managed now rest on next week’s second leg. Ed Aarons reports from the AZ Stadion …

Preamble