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Premier League and Carabao Cup final buildup: weekend football countdown – as it happened

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Fri 22 Feb 2019 11.29 ESTFirst published on Fri 22 Feb 2019 04.07 EST
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola’s jumper game: strong. Photograph: Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Man City via Getty Images
Pep Guardiola’s jumper game: strong. Photograph: Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Man City via Getty Images

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And with that I shall bid you all farewell. Thank you for your company, as ever, and enjoy the weekend football. Adios.

Martin Dubravka has been having a bit of a difficult time for Newcastle of late with errors at Wolves and Tottenham which, if we were being particularly harsh and binary, have cost his side three points. The Slovakian is unlikely to be dropped for tomorrow’s game against Huddersfield, though, and has Rafa Benítez in his corner, as the manager explains ...

After the Tottenham game, I was in contact with him and I was supporting him 100 per cent. After, still it’s the same idea.

He’s a great keeper, he’s a very good professional, and then every player in every position – like every manager – can make mistakes and it’s how we react, the key.

He is training harder, if it’s possible, and he is fine.

Martin Dubravka during warm-weather training in Spain. Photograph: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has an update on the fitness of Callum Wilson and David Brooks, and it’s not wholly positive.

Wilson has been absent for the last month with a knee problem, while Brooks has missed the last two games due to an ankle injury; 16 goals and nine assists between them.

The Cherries have lost their last two games and host Wolves tomorrow at the Vitality Stadium.

They’re improving quickly. But this game has come too quickly for them, it’s very difficult to know when they will return. We haven’t seen them in training yet or on the grass yet so they’re still a way away.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. Photograph: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images

The intended Claudio Ranieri bump hasn’t really happened for Fulham, and although his record in the Premier League – W3 D3 L8 – is marginally better than his predecessor Slavisa Jokanovic – W1 D2 L9 – in terms of win percentage across all competitions, it’s exactly the same (20%). The Fulham fans are starting to turn a bit on the loveable Italian which means these quotes may not be viewed as good news, in terms of looking ahead to what increasingly appears a return to the Championship ...

Look this question was a long time ago and I said if the chairman is happy, I am happy to stay. I used to work also in the Championship. I won the Championship in Italy, in France. I am ready to fight with the club, I love this club because it is a very, very good club. I am here if the owner wants me, I am ready.

Neymar isn’t a happy boy. Not because he remains out injured for Paris Saint-Germain but because he was surprisingly omitted from the top 10 of a Brasil ESPN poll to find the best Brazilian footballer post-Pele.

“This business of naming the best Brazilian player post-Pele makes no sense to me,” Neymar told DAZN.

Here was the top 10, with 160,000 votes cast. Some fairly decent players in there:

1. Ronaldo
2. Ronaldinho
3. Romário
4. Zico
5. Rivaldo
6. Sócrates
7. Kaká
8. Cafu/Bebeto/Roberto Carlos
9. Falcão
10. Careca

Proof that Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl is firmly into the swing of things in terms of English football culture. His target for survival? That magic 40 points! With no FA Cup, Saints have spent the last week or so in Tenerife. They play Arsenal on Sunday.

We have taken a lot of points until now but it’s the same amount of points we need until the end of the season because we will maybe need 40 points this year to stay in the league. We all know 24 is not enough.

Therefore it was important (for the players) to get a reminder and speak about things we have improved in our game and things that can be better in the future for all the different challenges we will face over the next few weeks against top teams or teams in our zone.

We have shown we can take points against the big teams but also lose points against the small teams. It’s important for the end of the season we have a plan for every game and that’s what we tried to prepare in this week.

Warming to his methods: Southampton players with Hasenhüttl (second from right) in Tenerife. Photograph: Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images

Some previous Pep Guardiola jumper/knitwear highlights. He wears them well ...

Stripy Photograph: Sky Sports
Festive Photograph: Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Man City via Getty Images
Milk Tray Photograph: Matthias Schrader/AP
Loose fit Photograph: Oldham/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
Tortured Photograph: Plumb Images/Leicester City via Getty Images
Labelled Photograph: Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Man City via Getty Images

And just on that game below, as mentioned, Roy Hodgson will overtake Sir Bobby Robson to become the Premier League’s oldest manager, at the age of 71 years and 199 days old. His inspiration? Why, Sir David Attenborough, of course.

When you watch Sir David Attenborough working and see his documentaries on TV, you’d have to be a very strange person to start saying ‘I don’t think it’s very good because he’s old’.

Most of us think he’s very, very good, whatever age he happens to be. He was good when he first started doing them and he’s still good today. That gives me the encouragement in football; why should it be any different to TV broadcasting, or documentary-making?

Even people like Sir Bobby and Sir Alex, who started relatively young, were a little bit older than me when they started their careers. But it’s an achievement I can be happy about - if you call getting old and still being in a job an achievement.

I still very much enjoy this work, my day-to-day life - I’m always looking forward to the next game - so it’s nice to still be in a job like this at this high level.

Still managing, Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/JMP/REX/Shutterstock

In case you didn’t know, and I didn’t until this copy dropped on the newswires, Mohamed Salah is one goal away from scoring 49 in the league for Liverpool. Sunday will be his 63rd appearance in the top-flight for the club, meaning he has nine games to beat Fernando Torres’ record of reaching 50 league goals for the Reds.

Fernando Torres (2009) – 72 matches
Sam Raybould (1902) – 80 matches
Albert Stubbins (1949) – 80 matches
Roger Hunt (1961) – 81 matches
Jack Parkinson (1909) – 83 matches
John Aldridge (1989) – 83 matches

Damn, he was good: Fernando Torres in 2007. Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images

Time for me to say goodbye. Not to worry, though - James Piercy is on hand to take you through to the end of the day. Bye!

On Sky Sports News, they’ve just shown footage of some people having a tour of Old Trafford. Good, good.

Rafa Benitez was asked about his Newcastle future before tomorrow’s home game against Huddersfield. “The priority is to stay up and focus on the team. If we have any conversations I’m sure you will get the information. It’s not the priority - the priority is Huddersfield and getting the points to stay up.”

Pep Guardiola says he does not know if John Stones, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus will be fit for the final against Chelsea. City are training tomorrow.

Sweater watch: yellow Stone Island. Pep continues by dismissing a question about Chelsea’s transfer ban. This is gold, people.

And with Pep Guardiola about to be peppered with tedious VAR-related questions, I shall bid farewell and pass you back to Jacob Steinberg. Danke.

And some words from Gordon Taylor, via the Press Association

In the light of recent media interest I wish to clarify the situation with regard to the proposed Independent Review of the PFA.

On November 21st, I, as chief executive, informed my members that we would be recommending to the PFA Board of Trustees and the Management Committee that an independent QC conducts a full and open review into the structure and operation of the PFA as the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.

Since that time there have been numerous meetings to organise the review and finalise the parameters and timeline.

A decision has been made by the Trustees and the Management Committee to appoint Sport Resolutions as the appropriate body to conduct the review. Sport Resolutions are in the process of constituting the panel that will conduct the review and will finalise the Terms of Reference and scope of the review.

Some sort-of news from PFA Towers with Chief Suit Gordon Taylor confirming a review of the organisation will be conducted by Sport Resolutions, whose previous work can be looked at here, and they will report back “as soon as reasonably practicable” (whatever that means).

The review was first announced by Taylor in November following calls from the union’s chairman Ben Purkiss to reform the organisation.

As for Cardiff v Watford, back-to-back wins has the Bluebirds out of the bottom three and looking upwards for the first time this season. Another victory tonight will create some daylight on the bottom three and the good news they take on Watford without Jose Holebas aka the most creative left-back in the Premier League not called Andy Robertson or Lucas Digne. The Hornets have been beaten just once this year (2-1 at Spurs) are in a head-to-head battle with Wolves to finish seventh, which sounds kind of rubbish but really isn’t, especially when you consider the investment made by Everton and West Ham last summer. Javi Gracia has done one hell of a job and they remain the best, least-talked about club in Europe.

Pellegrini has also been talking up Declan Rice who the Chilean now rates as the best English holding midfielder in the country, ahead of Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson. The West Ham manager also compared him to Javier Mascherano

I think we are just starting the development of him as a player, but at this moment his performances are better than every holding midfielder. At least I am taking about the English players. Maybe there are other foreign players in big teams that are also playing well, like Fernandinho, but I repeat we are just starting to see what will be with Declan in the future.

He is improving in a lot of different things in that position. Maybe he must improve more and have a better view of the pitch but he has such good technique that he never misses a pass. He is always keeping his position in the correct moment so as young player he will always be learning more things, but at this moment I think he is a complete player.

It is difficult to compare different players in 20 years of management but Declan is a very good player. I worked with so many young players. I started with Javier Mascherano when he was 17 and he was similar to Declan in his mentality. The mentality when they are 17 or 19... it seemed they had the mentality of a 35-year-old.

Declan Rice (left) and Ryan Fredericks in training this week. Photograph: Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images

David’s not happy so I better oblige

@piercy360 So? WestHamUtd not playing Fulham FC tonight? Not a word or even syllable from you about Fulham's make or break visit to The London Stadium. Or The Hammers' chance to make up lost ground.

— david tachauer (@davethecabby49) February 22, 2019

And, in fairness, there is quite a bit to chew over a game between two teams in pretty poor to diabolical form. It’s clearly far more crucial to Fulham in the context of their season. If they lose, with Cardiff at home to Watford and Newcastle hosting Huddersfield, they could be 11 points from safety by the end of the weekend which then means next weekend’s match against Southampton really is make-or-break.

From a West Ham perspective, the Premier League’s second weirdest team after Leicester do have Manuel Lanzini fit and likely to have some involvement, which is nice to see, and is exactly the sort of player who Manuel Pellegrini loves to work with and often gets the best out of. But the Hammers could really do with a win to get some semblance of energy back into a season that is drifting towards the inevitably of 10th place.

Some good and bad news from Atlético Madrid today with various reports claiming Jan Oblak (aka THE BEST GOALKEEPER IN THE WORLD DON’T @ ME) is poised to sign a new contract until 2022 while simultaneously telling PSG to do one. His prospective buyout clause of €150m, however, surely remains tempting to a few of Europe’s elite.

But one of the great pillars, quite literally, of Diego Simeone’s side is almost certainly leaving at the end of the season with Diego Godin off to Inter. The Uruguayan colossus is out of contract at the end of the season and Inter general manager Beppe Marotta has told Sky Italia he hopes to make the transfer “official” very soon.

Thanks Jacob. Been a busy ol’ news day so far, which means this little nugget from Russia may have escaped attention. The Russian Football Union (RFU) has a new president and for fans of Gazprom! Gazprom! Gazprom! you’ll be delighted to know it’s the chief executive officer of their oil subsidiary Gazprom Neft, Alexander Dyukov.

He also served as Zenit St Petersburg (sponsored by Gazprom, stadium called the Gazprom Stadium) president from 2008-2017 so does know a thing or two about football. Dyukov succeeds Vitaly Mutko, who had a bit of baggage.

The stars align for new RFU president Alexander Dyukov. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

On that note, I’m off to get some lunch. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of James Piercy.

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