Manchester United’s head coach Ruben Amorim continues to receive strong backing from both the club’s management, despite the team’s precarious position in the Premier League standings. With the Red Devils poorstart to the season, the decision to retain Amorim has raised eyebrows among fans and pundits alike. Sources close to the club confirm that there are no immediate plans to replace the 40-year-old Portuguese manager, even as Manchester United languish in the lower half of the table. This stance comes despite Amorim’s troubling record, which includes a win rate of just 27% in the Premier League, the lowest in the club’s history, and more losses (19) than wins (18) since taking the helm. Amorim himself has expressed a steadfast resolve, stating in a recent interview, “I am never concerned about my job. I am not that kind of guy. It is not my decision.” His comments reflect a belief in his vision for the team, even as results have failed to materialize. The management’s decision to stick with Amorim is underpinned by a belief that the current squad needs time to adapt to his tactical approach. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly among those who feel it is only fair to judge Amorim on a full season with the right team in place. This sentiment is echoed by the squad, with players largely backing their head coach despite the mounting pressure. However, the situation at Old Trafford remains tense. The team’s recent form, including an embarrassing defeat to Brentford and a lack of European football, has intensified scrutiny on Amorim’s tenure. Former England manager Gareth Southgate, who has been linked with the role in the past, is not expected to be considered if a change is made, according to reports from NBC Sports Soccer. As Manchester United fail to get their win rates up despite their summer signings, the decision to back Amorim could be a gamble with high stakes. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether this faith in the young manager pays off or if the Red Devils will need to reconsider their options. For now, Amorim remains at the helm, with the hope that results will improve and justify the confidence placed in him by the club and its players.

Barcelona have suffered their first defeat of the season in all competitions thanks to a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to European champions Paris Saint-Germain in Matchday 2 of the League Phase of this season’s Champions League at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night. After a sensational start that gave them the lead after 20 brilliant minutes of football, Barça slowly but surely fell victim to Luis Enrique’s side who took complete control, dominated the second half, and scored a 90th minute winner to claim all three points in the Catalan capital in what was a pretty big reality check for Hansi Flick and his troops. The opening 25 minutes belonged to the home team as Barça took control of the ball and moved it well between the lines to create spaces, and they were brilliant with their pressing to force PSG into mistakes. Lamine Yamal was sensational to start the game and was involved in every good Barça move, and his outrageous trivela pass to Ferran Torres almost resulted in a goal as Ferran dribbled past the goalkeeper and had a certain goal denied by a miraculous clearance from Illia Zabarnyi. Barça’s press caused serious trouble for the visitors who lost the ball multiple times early on, and one of those mistakes led to the opening goal: Yamal jumped to steal a bad pass from Vitinha inside PSG’s own half and started a counter-attack, which ended with a glorious assist by Marcus Rashford and a smart finish by Ferran to put Barça ahead. The final 20 minutes belonged to PSG: the visitors stopped making mistakes in their buildup and did a better job dealing with Barça’s press, while their own pressing scheme started to force errors by the Blaugrana, who lost a bit of composure and started to concede spaces and chances to PSG. Nuno Mendes became a real attacking threat for Paris, and it was his run with the ball after an ill-timed press by Jules Kounde that broke down the entire Barça defense and allowed Senny Mayulu to find himself all alone with Wojciech Szczesny and score the equalizer. PSG had a huge chance to take the lead before the break when Bradley Barcola beat Gerard Martín for pace and ran all the way into the box, but his shot went over the crossbar. The halftime whistle came to end a very intense and competitive opening frame with one period of dominance and one goal for each team, and the game was wide open heading into the second half. PSG picked it up right where they left off the start the second half, easily passing the ball through Barça’s high press and finding plenty of space in behind the Blaugrana defense. Szczesny made a strong save to deny Barcola, Eric Garcia made at least two hugely important interventions inside the box, and the visitors remained the better side as we reached the hour mark. Barça finally responded and showed some signs of life, and began to offer an attacking threat for the first time in the second half. Dani Olmo had the Catalans’ best chance when a cross from Ferran was deflected perfectly onto his path, but Achraf Hakimi made a tremendous block to stop the ball from crossing the line. That turned out to be Barça’s only real chance of the half, as PSG completely dominated the final 20 minutes against a Barça side that struggled to keep the ball and made poor mistakes against the French side’s press, and in the 90th minute came the heartbreak: Alejandro Balde forgot to track the run of Hakimi and the right-back had all the time and space to pick out Gonçalo Ramos, who came off the bench to fire the ball into the bottom corner and complete the PSG comeback. Barça couldn’t get the ball back to try and push for a late equalizer, and PSG simply ran out the clock until the final whistle came to give them all three points on the night. This was a painful but deserved defeat as Barça dominated the first 25 minutes but were outclassed in every way for the rest of the game, and even a weakened PSG side did whatever they wanted in the second half. It’s a tough wake-up call for Hansi Flick and his team, who now know there’s still a lot to do to get to PSG’s level, even a PSG team missing four of their best players. Source: msn

Newcastle defeated Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels, with a penalty double from Anthony Gordon and goals from Nick Woltemade and Harvey Barnes giving the Magpies their biggest ever victory in the competition. It was a timely win for Howe’s side, who returned to European action off the back of a “painful” late Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. “That was exactly what we would have wanted, especially after the Arsenal ending,” Howe told a post-match press conference. “That was a big response from the players, because that was a painful way to lose that game. “The players had to look deep within themselves and come out fighting again. That’s what we do best.” The Arsenal match was Newcastle’s sixth in the Premier League this season, of which they have still won only one. Goals have been a particular issue, but there were signs on Wednesday of confidence returning to Howe’s attackers. Woltemade has three goals in four starts and became the first Newcastle player to net on both his first Premier League start and first Champions League start for the club. Meanwhile, Gordon, who scored in the prior defeat to Barcelona, became just the third Newcastle player to net in consecutive Champions League matches. The England winger has three goals from four shots in Europe compared to no goals from 17 shots in domestic action, but Howe hopes all of his players will benefit from the big win ahead of Sunday’s clash with Nottingham Forest. “Hopefully it helps us when we return to the Premier League, because we’ve been waiting for a performance like that really,” Howe said. “We looked like we could score at any moment. “It wasn’t a perfect performance, there’s things we could improve, but it was a big step in the right direction. “It’s an important stage as well in the Champions League, because we have to start well. These competitions are so high, the demands are so big on us, that if we’re slow starters, we could leave ourselves too much to do. “I certainly leave in a much healthier, positive frame of mind and looking forward to the next game.” Union SG coach Sebastien Pocognli told UEFA: “I’m proud of my team. They fought and even at 3-0 down they didn’t give up. Newcastle were just on another level.” Source: beinsports

FIFA is expected to allow up to three Premier League clubs to take part in the Club World Cup in 2029, rather than the current maximum of two, The Times reports. FIFA chiefs were frustrated that this summer’s 32-team competition in the US went ahead without domestic champions Liverpool, Barcelona or Napoli, which put its credibility as a ‘world’s best’ event in doubt. Raising the cap to three clubs per country would help avoid a repeat of that scenario in four years. UEFA will not oppose the change, although it remains firmly against the idea of expanding the tournament beyond 32 teams or staging it more frequently than every four years. Discussions are set to continue at Thursday’s FIFA Council meeting, though no final decision is likely to be made yet. Source: tribuna

Barcelona are weighing up a major decision on the European Super League. According to Abdellah Boulma, president Joan Laporta is considering withdrawing the club from the project. The move aims to normalize relations with UEFA, after years of tension surrounding Barça’s support of the breakaway idea. Talks are expected in the coming weeks, with the club evaluating the political and financial implications. Real Madrid remains the other major backer of the project, while most clubs have distanced themselves. A withdrawal would mark a significant shift in Barcelona’s European strategy. Source: tribuna

Jude Bellingham has been crowned the 2024-25 England Men’s Senior Player of the Year as voted by supporters, marking a historic milestone for the Real Madrid midfielder. The 22-year-old edged out Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane to claim the prestigious award, becoming only the second player to win it while playing for a non-English club, following Owen Hargreaves’ triumph with Bayern in 2006. Bellingham’s standout performances for the Three Lions last season underscored his growing influence on the international stage. Featuring in eight matches, he played a pivotal role in England’s promotion in the UEFA Nations League under interim boss Lee Carsley last autumn and their strong start to the FIFA 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers under new head coach Thomas Tuchel in March and June. His impact was undeniable, scoring in a 3-1 victory over Greece at Wembley in October and earning Player of the Match honors in a 5-0 rout of the Republic of Ireland in November. The Real Madrid star’s creativity shone brightly, with a memorable assist for Myles Lewis-Skelly’s first England goal against Albania in March and two additional assists in the Ireland clash. Source: Tribuna.com

Manchester United’s only ‘bomb squad’ member, Tyrell Malacia, has been reintegrated into the team. Malacia was one of the players Ruben Amorim hoped to move on in the summer and had been training by himself for the past few months. With no summer move coming to fruition, Malacia has now returned to first-team training, the club has confirmed. Source: tribuna

Alejandro Balde has completed full training with his Barcelona teammates after recovering from injury, per Jijantes FC. The left-back had been sidelined for nearly three weeks with a muscle problem. During that spell, he missed four matches. Balde’s return is a timely boost for coach Hansi Flick ahead of a crucial Champions League clash. He is now expected to feature against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, strengthening Barça’s defensive options. The 21-year-old’s pace and energy down the flank have been sorely missed during his absence. With Balde back, Barcelona gain balance in both defense and attack as they prepare for PSG. Source: Tribuna.com

William Saliba has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal, the club confirmed on Tuesday. Sources have told ESPN the France centre-back’s new deal runs until 2030 and the announcement ends months of speculation over a possible move to Real Madrid. “I feel proud of myself because I first signed in 2019, and now in 2025, I’m still here to extend my contract. I’m so happy,” Saliba said in a statement. “I feel at home. We have a good team, we have a good squad, we have good staff. The coach is perfect for me, so it’s the best place to be. “I enjoy every day when I have the chance to wear this shirt. I try to give everything, and now I’ll give even more to this club and to the fans. “The boss is one of the best coaches in the world. He has helped me a lot, him and his staff, so I’m so happy to have them as a coach. I’m 24 now, and I think I haven’t reached my peak. I have a lot of things to improve, a lot of things to give to this team, and I know that the coach and the staff will help me to become the best, or one of the best, defenders in the world and win trophies.” The 24-year-old had entered the final two years of his previous contract and manager Mikel Arteta strongly hinted last week that the club had addressed Madrid’s interest in direct discussions with the player. Saliba’s decision to stay is a major boost to Arsenal as they seek to win their first Premier League title since 2004. He has formed one of English football’s strongest centre-back partnerships alongside Gabriel Magalhães, who also signed a new contract to 2029 in June. Saliba joined Arsenal in 2019 for £27 million ($36.6m) from Saint-Etienne but there were doubts whether he would make the grade at Emirates Stadium. He spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Saint-Etienne before another loan spell at Nice in 2021. Saliba was again shipped out for the following season to Marseille, where he was named Ligue 1 young player of the year. He has since made 140 appearances for Arsenal. “We’re so happy that William has committed his future to us to be part of what we’re building here,” Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta said. “In the last three seasons, William has become an incredible defender whose composure, intelligence and physical presence make him one of the best in the world. He will continue his development with Arsenal to reach new heights. “His consistency, maturity, and ability to influence matches will continue to be a big asset for us and we’re looking forward to many more great performances from him at the heart of our defence.” Source: ESPN

FIFA has officially deducted three points from South Africa in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The world football governing body confirmed this on Monday. It is punishment for Bafana Bafana fielding Teboho Mokoena, who was ineligible to face Lesotho in March. South Africa have also seen three goals deducted from their tally by FIFA. An official statement read: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for having fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition, thereby breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 M Preliminary Competition Regulations.” “Consequently, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has declared the match in question to have been forfeited by the representative team of South Africa by a score of 3-0. SAFA has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 to FIFA, while Teboho Mokoena has been issued with a warning. “The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The forfeiture decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.” This represents a significant boost for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who still harbour hopes of playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Hugo Broos’ men who were top of Group C with 17 points from eight games, will now drop to second spot behind Benin Republic. Bafana will now take on Zimbabwe and Rwanda to finish off the qualification campaign, while Benin face Rwanda and third-place Nigeria in their final two qualifiers. The Super Eagles will face Lesotho and Benin in October. The latest development has now thrown the group wide open ahead of the final round of qualifiers, with the top four teams standing a chance of picking the ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America. Source: dailypostng