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      Premier League season could start a MONTH late to make way for controversial new competition

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      THE PREMIER LEAGUE may have to start a month later in 2025 due to the rebranded Club World Cup competition.According to Sky News, the new tournament will be spread across 29 days by Fifa in two years, which means it will finish around a month before the new Prem season.
      Manchester City will be in the rebranded Club World Cup in 2025Credit: AP
      Chelsea will also be in the competition that may force the Premier League to start a month laterCredit: Rex
      The football world governing body has discussed June 15 to July 13, 2025 for the inaugural edition of a 32-club men’s tournament in the United States.
      Under those dates, the Premier League could be starting just four weeks after the Club World Cup Final.
      However, the global players’ union FIFPRO has told Fifa that footballers need a mandatory 28-day off-season break.
      That means the new competition would pose challenges for the Premier League over what to do regarding teams reaching the Club World Cup Final.
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      That is because those teams would need to start the new domestic season about 28 days later when pre-season training usually takes place.
      But there would be a further headache as two teams will also required to play in the 2025 Community Shield, which takes place a week before the Premier League starts.
      Therefore, Prem chiefs may have no other choice but to push the start of the campaign, which usually kicks off in August, a month later due to the players’ welfare.
      But there would still be issues due to the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to start in June and players will be jetting off to the US, Canada as well as Mexico.
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      Players will be required to join their respective national teams on May 25, 2026, which is just a few days after the Premier League is scheduled to end in the 2025-2026 season.
      The Club World Cup dates will be presented in a meeting of the Fifa Council on Sunday in Saudi Arabia where all the details could be finalised.
      The new competition will have 12 representatives from Europe, with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City already added as recent Champions League winners. More

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      Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham tells Ange Postecoglou to beat Arsenal to top transfer target in January

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      TOTTENHAM legend Teddy Sheringham has urged Spurs to beat Arsenal to the signing of Ivan Toney in January.Spurs have found success since moving Heung Min Son to a No9 role but have struggled to blow teams away despite creating numerous chances.
      Sheringham has urged Spurs to move for a strikerCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      He thinks Ivan Toney would be the perfect fitCredit: PA
      Although they’ve scored in every game they’ve played this season, Spurs have only scored more than two goals in a game twice this season – against Burnley and Newcastle.
      And former striker Sheringham believes that Brentford’s Toney would be the perfect solution for them to become a free-scoring side.
      Toney is currently suspended for a gambling ban but will be free to play again on January 17.
      Brentford want £100million for the striker who is also being courted by Arsenal and Chelsea.
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      On bringing Toney to the club, he told Gambling Zone: “Everyone is talking about Arsenal getting Ivan Toney in January.
      “He seems to be the only player in the centre forward position that might be available in the next window. I would love to see Tottenham nick him off of Brentford and get there before Arsenal do.
      “Toney has got something about him. He carries himself well and can take on the mantle of being the main man at a club.
      “Everyone is suggesting that he could be the icing on the cake for Arsenal, but I think he could be a big, big player for Tottenham at this moment in time.
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      “He could spearhead Tottenham’s attack. Sonny isn’t really a centre forward. He loves to run in behind, but he doesn’t play like a centre forward – you need a focal point in your team.
      “You need that man that brings it all together. A player that can lead the line, stretch defences, hold the ball up and bring others into play. I see Ivan Toney as a player that is more than capable of doing that.”
      Sheringham also said that he’s delighted with the job Ange Postecoglou has done since taking over, but said he needs more squad depth if he is to fulfil his ambitions at Spurs.
      Sheringham said: “The future looks bright under Ange. He has Romero back now, Van de Ven will be back in the New Year and both of those players give you defensive stability.
      “A great season would see Tottenham get into a Champions League spot and win the FA Cup. That would be a great season. You can’t ask for more than that.
      “Winning the FA Cup on its own would be a great season, but the club will be looking at the financial rewards qualifying for the Champions League brings, which allows you to bring in better players.
      “For Tottenham to keep moving in the right direction and to give the club the best possible chance of qualifying for the Champions League, they need more quality. Without a doubt.”
      Spurs travel to Nottingham Forest tonight at 8pm.
      A victory move level on points with Manchester City in fourth but remain behind them due to City’s superior goal difference. More

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      Premier League teams face anxious wait over fifth Champions League place after Man Utd and Newcastle nightmare

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      PREM sides may not know until April if they will have a fifth Champions League place next season.And the finger of blame is directed at Euro flops Manchester United and Newcastle.
      Man Utd’s exit from the Champions League has dented England’s Uefa coefficientCredit: PA
      With Newcastle also knocked out, England now rank third in the standingsCredit: AP
      The current Uefa coefficient standings
      Uefa changes to coincide with the competition’s extension to a 36-team league format allow an extra place for the two best-performing nations in the previous campaign.
      That is calculated by averaging the “coefficient points” accrued by each club for wins, draws and qualification for future rounds, by the number of competing sides.   
      England finished in the top two in six of the last seven seasons, with the exception of the Covid-hit campaign of 2019-20.
      But United’s nightmare efforts and Newcastle’s last gasp heartbreak, which saw both finish bottom of their group to miss out on even the consolation of a Europa League place in the New Year, mean England stand just outside the top two places at the end of the group phase.
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      While English clubs have collected more coefficient points than any other nation so far – a total of 109 – it is divided by eight because West Ham earned an extra Europa League place through their Conference League triumph last season.
      That gives England a “country coefficient” of 13.625pts, only good enough for third place.
      Italy, whose three Champions League sides all earned the extra five bonus points for reaching the last 16, lead the way with an average of 14pts.
      Germany, down to six clubs remaining after Union Berlin also finished last in their Champions League group, stand second on 13.642, with Spain, who have also lost two of their eight clubs, fourth on 12.687pts.
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      Had either Newcastle or United made the knockout stage, England would have been in top spot, while wins for either Liverpool or Aston Villa on Thursday night would have been enough for a top two spot.
      With expectations that the six remaining Prem sides can all go deep into the business end of the three competitions, that fifth Champions League spot is very much within the grasp of English clubs.
      But the margins between the top four are so tight it is unlikely that there will be confirmation that England are one if the two beneficiaries until the semi-final stages are reached in the spring. More

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      Ex-Man Utd transfer target Frenkie de Jong’s agent slams ‘nonsense’ claims star faked illness to miss Barcelona clash

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      BARCELONA star Frenkie de Jong’s agent slammed “total fake news” suggesting his client faked an illness to miss Wednesday’s Champions League game.Barca lost 3-2 to Royal Antwerp at the Bosuilstadion in their final match in the group stage which didn’t cost them as they still finished top of the table.
      Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong’s agent slammed rumours suggesting he faked an illnessCredit: Rex
      Barcelona star De Jong has repeatedly been linked with a move to Man UtdCredit: Rex
      However, De Jong couldn’t travel with the rest of Xavi’s side due to an illness.
      A report from RAC1 claimed the Blaugrana’s sporting director Deco spoke with the midfielder on the phone and doubted the legitimacy of the player’s excuse.
      However, the Netherlands international’s representative Ali Dursun lambasted those “nonsense” rumours and insisted his client is a “model professional”.
      Dursun told  De Telegraaf: “Total fake news.
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      “It is the biggest nonsense that has been released around Frenkie in a long time.
      “The player is just sick. He has symptoms of fever and has been unable to travel and play.
      “This boy is a professional through and through. Just a model professional.
      “Just don’t touch Frenkie’s reputation, because he always delivers.
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      “There was no shouting over the phone as claimed, no question marks.
      “Things are being created now in a false way. The relationship with Deco is simply good and stable.”
      De Jong had been repeatedly linked with a move to Manchester United.
      United attempted to sign the 26-year-old in a £70million transfer last year in the summer, but Barcelona refused to let him go. More

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      With just two English clubs making Champions League knockouts, can the Premier League still claim to be the best?

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      THE greatest league in the world? You’re having a laugh.After just two English clubs reached Monday’s draw for the Champions League knockout stage, can the Premier League really claim to be the strongest on the planet?
      Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday nightCredit: Reuters
      Especially when all four Spanish sides topped their groups in Europe’s elite club competition, with Germany and Italy both boasting three teams through to the last 16.
      The failures of Manchester United and Newcastle to progress – and to crash out of Europe altogether after finishing bottom of their groups – has led to England’s lowest representation in the knock-out competition for 11 years.
      With Uefa revamping the Champions League next season – and offering two extra places to the nations with the best ‘coefficient’ rankings in a baffling new 36-team ‘Swiss model’ format – Premier League clubs were expecting to receive five entries to the top table next term.
      But with both Uniteds flopping, that is now extremely unlikely, as both the Bundesliga and Serie A are ahead of England’s top flight in those rankings.
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      Erik Ten Hag and Eddie Howe might have hoped that a fifth-place Premier League spot would be enough for Champions League qualification but in all likelihood, they have shot themselves in the foot for next season as well.
      Their best hope is that the remaining English teams in Europe thrive, while German and Italian clubs struggle.
      That means Manchester United will be quietly urging their bitter rivals Manchester City and Liverpool to live up to their billing as favourites to win the Champions League and Europa League respectively.
      The nature of Uefa’s coefficients mean that England’s remaining European teams – City and Arsenal in the Champions League, Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham in the Europa and Aston Villa in the Conference League – must perform significantly better than their Italian and German counterparts to turn it around from here.
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      Copenhagen progressed from United’s Champions League groupCredit: Getty
      But while the performance of English clubs in Europe isn’t matching our league’s indisputable financial dominance, are standards really dropping?
      It is unlikely, especially given that City and West Ham collected two of the three European pots this May.
      Newcastle were Champions League rookies, with a lengthy injury list and the toughest of all groups, alongside Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.
      Yet they still came within half an hour of qualifying before Milan’s comeback at St James’ Park scuppered their hopes on Wednesday.
      The Red Devils are a shambles – and it is almost unprecedented for an English club to make the top four one season, then nosedive so spectacularly the next.
      Danish champions FC Copenhagen qualified in front of them, despite operating on around five per cent of United’s playing budget.
      But the great counter-argument to the idea of a Premier League decline, is that the English top flight is so competitive, possessing so much strength in depth, that it saps the physical and mental energy of its top teams like no other.
      Howe referenced player ‘fatigue’ before the defeat by Milan and it is difficult to argue with that excuse, as there is no let-up in the Premier League.
      Newcastle were also dumped out of Europe this weekCredit: Getty
      Mid-table sides in England certainly have greater quality and resources than corresponding clubs in Spain, Germany, Italy or France.
      England boss Gareth Southgate – certainly no mindless tub-thumper for the Premier League – has consistently stated his belief that English players operating in Europe’s other major leagues are not being tested consistently to the same level as those on home soil.
      Clubs from Spain, Germany and Italy are more likely to rest players for a domestic league fixture in the build-up to a crunch Champions League fixture than any English clubs.
      They can also be afforded greater rest periods than Premier League sides, with a Friday night fixture often thrown in before a Champions League game the following midweek.
      English arrogance about the almighty status of our league has to be tempered by Man Utd and Newcastle performing so poorly.
      Read more on The Sun
      But there’s little wonder that the old ‘Big Six’ were so keen to join a breakaway Super League.
      Because, in all likelihood, some English clubs are merely becoming victims of the Premier League’s wider success. More

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      How race for 5th Champions League spot looks with Premier League at risk of missing out after Man Utd and Newcastle woes

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      THE Champions League is set for a major revamp that will see two major European nations be handed an extra spot in the competition from next season.As it stands, the Premier League would miss out on gaining a fifth place.
      Manchester United finished bottom of their Champions League groupCredit: Alamy
      Newcastle crashed out of Europe by losing to AC MilanCredit: Getty
      The Champions League has long featured 32 teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two advancing out of each.
      From next year it will be moving to the Swiss Model.
      This will instead see 36 teams admitted into one big league table with the top eight qualifying automatically for the round of 16 and positions 9-24 contesting a play-off.
      To determine fixtures teams will be split into four pots of nine.
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      Each club will be drawn to face two teams from each pot, including their own.
      No teams will drop into the Europa League following the conclusion of the group stage.
      With the number of teams admitted into the Champions League growing from 32 to 36, four extra spots will be up for grabs.
      Two of these spots will go to the leagues whose clubs perform best in European competitions, including the Europa League and Europa Conference League, this season.
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      While the further two will go to the team that comes third in the Uefa nation ranked fifth in coefficient, and the other going to the champions’ qualifying path.
      The best performing leagues will be determined by the average coefficient of clubs participating in Europe.
      Every win by a club from a nation is worth two points, a draw one and a defeat none.
      Bonus points are then accrued by progressing through various stages of each competition.
      Playing in the Champions League group stage is worth four points, with five dished out for qualifying for the round of 16 and one each for the quarter-finals, semis and final.
      Winning a Europa League group, as Liverpool already have done, is worth four points, while two are given to runners up.
      Bonus points are then handed out for reaching the round of 16, quarters, semis and final.
      Winning your group in the Europa Conference League, as Aston Villa could, is worth two points, while qualifying as runner-up is worth one.
      Bonus points are given for reaching the semis or final.
      All points earned by clubs from each country are added up before being divided by the number of teams from that nation in Europe, eight in the Premier League’s case.
      Manchester United and Newcastle’s failure to progress, even into the Europa League, has seen the Premier League’s coefficient drop to third as it stands.
      The English top flight would have been awarded the extra Champions League spot in four of the last five seasons, the exception being 2019-20.
      Currently its coefficient number, 12.13, is behind those of Germany, 13.36, and Italy, 13.14.
      With Man Utd and Newcastle both out already, the Prem will be heavily reliant on its other clubs to have deep runs in order to accumulate enough points to climb into the top two.
      Holders Manchester City have won their Champions League group, while Arsenal have too.
      Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham have all progressed in the Europa League, and Aston Villa have qualified for the Europa Conference League knockout rounds.
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      As it stands, the Bundesliga and Serie A would be handed the extra Champions League places.
      Should a team from one of the two nations with the highest coefficient win the Europa League without finishing in the top five of their own division, that country could have six teams in the Champions League.
      The Bundesliga are leading the coefficient raceCredit: Getty
      Serie A would grab the second bonus spot as it standsCredit: Rex More

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      Xavi ‘fighting for Barcelona job and under maximum pressure’ after back-to-back defeats against Girona and Antwerp

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      XAVI is reportedly fighting for his job at Barcelona following back-to-back defeats.Barcelona have just suffered losses to Girona in LaLiga and Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.
      Xavi’s job at Barcelona is reportedly under threatCredit: Getty
      Barcelona have lost back-to-back gamesCredit: EPA
      The defeat in Europe did not prove costly as the Catalonians still topped Group H.
      However, the loss to LaLiga leaders Girona has left Barcelona seven points off the pace and slumped down in fourth.
      Spanish outlet AS, has claimed that the loss to Antwerp has “stained the club’s image in Europe”.
      The report has suggested that Xavi, 43, has been left in a “weak position” and that he “knows” he has lost the confidence of all six members of the club’s sports commission.
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      The commission is made up of president Joan Laporta, Deco, Rafael Yuste, Joan Soler, Enric Masip and Bojan.
      Deco has recently had a disagreement with Xavi as he denied being consulted about a late call-up to the team.
      He told Movistar Plus: “The call-ups are a matter for the coach. We did not come to a consensus on anything.
      “There was a change of plans regarding travel and we have decided that everyone should travel.
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      “It is an issue that was discussed for management reasons.”
      After the defeat to Antwerp, Xavi admitted that he was “worried”.
      He said: “The feeling is not good. We’ve had misfortune, from a 2-2 draw. We could have gotten more. We’re on a rough patch.
      “I’m worried, it’s normal. The team is not comfortable. We’re on a bad run, we’ve had two negative results.
      “We have to be critical of ourselves. We have to improve. The opposing team generates chances, but it’s hard for us to do so.
      “We have to improve and know that we are not on a good run.”
      Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is Ladbrokes’ favourite to replace Xavi should he be sacked.

      Roberto De Zerbi – 5/1
      Rafael Marquez – 6/1
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      Rio Ferdinand makes bold prediction about Newcastle and Eddie Howe after AC Milan loss but claims ‘They can’t say it’

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      RIO FERDINAND claims that Newcastle will be glad to have been dumped out of Europe entirely.Eddie Howe’s depleted squad finished bottom of their Champions League group after losing 2-1 to AC Milan at St James’ Park.
      Rio Ferdinand discussed Newcastle’s European exitCredit: Rex
      Eddie Howe’s side finished bottom of their Champions League groupCredit: Getty
      The Toon’s European adventure has come to an end, but Ferdinand believes that it could be a blessing in disguise.
      Appearing on TNT Sports, the former Manchester United star said: “Eddie Howe and the players can’t say this but I’m guaranteeing you now but they’ll be delighted to not go into the Europa League.
      “Because the amount of injuries they’ve got, Kieran Trippier just limped past us here, talking about the amount of injuries they’ve got, and a few of them are quite long-term.
      “It makes it very difficult to be battling on many fronts in different competitions when your squad is so threadbare.
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      “They have to get these players back fit, and more and more games would make that more and more unlikely to get players back fit.”
      Jermaine Jenas then pointed out that the Europa League would have provided an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League via a different route, given the intense competition for places in the Prem.
      The former Toon midfielder then added that more European football “would have been good” for his old side, but did concede: “I get Rio’s point.
      “They’re down to their bare bones. Kieran Trippier’s just walked very slowly by us having been taken off. He’s another one that they’re going to have to look at moving forwards.
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      “It’s a tough time for them but he’s going to have to rally them, get them together for the rest of the season.”
      Newcastle are currently without Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Sven Botman, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett due to injuries.
      They were boosted by the return of Dan Burn from a back injury last night, but Sandro Tonali remains suspended.
      After last night’s game, Howe admitted he was “devastated” with his side’s early exit.
      The Toon boss said: “We’ve gone into Champions League games with very few options in terms of team selections and in-game changes. That’s hurt us in a number of games.
      “That’s not an excuse, it’s just reality. Even today, I had to make two changes I didn’t want to make. We’re devastated with the result.”
      Jermaine Jenas had a different point of view to FerdinandCredit: PA
      Kieran Trippier limped past Ferdinand and CoCredit: Getty More