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“If you don’t improve I’m selling you.” A young Jess Carter is sat in the middle of a white-walled room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, a tactics board behind her, a fleet of analysts and fitness staff, all armed with laptops, positioned on the outside, quietly looking in. Carter is chewing gum and looks bored, frustrated to have been hauled aside to hear the same old message. Facing her is Emma Hayes. “I want you to show every f***ing day that you give a f*** about yourself,” Hayes says. “It’s up to you to decide your future.” Four years later, it is clear what future Carter decided to choose. Now 26, the Chelsea defender is an established England international, having just played a key role in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final this summer. When Carter first arrived at Chelsea, Hayes found a player who struggled to keep herself fit or follow a regimented diet. Chelsea’s fitness staff were exasperated and Carter’s confidence was on the floor: she did not think she was good enough to play for her country, but Hayes saw and believed in her potential and, crucially, how it could be brought out. What followed won’t be included on Hayes’s list of honours or medals when the manager leaves Chelsea at the end of the season. “Highly decorated” does not even begin to cover what Hayes has achieved at Chelsea, or the legacy she will leave behind after the shock news that this season will be her last at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow, with the glamour of the USA job calling. Under Hayes, the days of triumph and glory Chelsea have celebrated since her appointment in 2012 have been unrivalled, stretched across an unprecedented decade of dominance. Yet if the dynasty Hayes built can be measured in titles, its foundations are in success stories like Carter’s – and the manager who set the environment where she could become the player she is today. “If you sleepwalk your way through life, you won’t survive,” Hayes goes on to say in the DAZN documentary One Team, One Dream. Certainly, it reveals some insights into the ruthless trophy-winning machine that has dominated women’s football in England over the last decade, claiming six Women’s Super Leagues, five Women’s FA Cups and two League Cups, and which in recent years has barely given anyone else a sniff. That could change now Hayes will be leaving the WSL, heading towards a position that is outside club football altogether. The 47-year-old will take up the vacancy at the United States women’s national team, with the four-time World Cup winners appointing her as successor to Vlatko Andonovski after their disastrous last-16 exit from this year’s tournament. Hayes was said to be US Soccer’s first choice for the job and reports in the US suggest she will receive an equal salary to the men’s head coach Gregg Berhalter, at £1.3m per year – making her the highest-paid women’s football coach in the world. Given Hayes’s record in women’s football, such an offer from US Soccer should only be considered the minimum. The English manager is the outstanding club coach in the women’s game and the only area that Chelsea have fallen short in has been in their pursuit of a first Champions League title, after reaching the final in 2021 and the semi-finals last season. It would be fair to include this as a criticism, given how Hayes has been backed by Chelsea and the resources available to the club. After all, it was that support that led to Chelsea signing Sam Kerr, the striker who took Hayes’s side to another level and whose taste for the big moments came to mirror their own sense of inevitability. But in dominating the domestic scene, Hayes created a culture where the values of graft and grind were placed on a pedestal. Over the years, much of their trophy procession felt self-fulfilling. It came from the top, where Hayes reinforced the message and stamped out complacency at the start of every season, sustaining Chelsea’s superiority in a league that was so often decided by fine margins. If the history of team sports shows there are often natural, unavoidable drop-offs in performance and motivation following periods of success, there has been little hint of that at Chelsea in recent years. Which is what makes Hayes’s move to the USA so fascinating. “Arrogance” and “complacency” were the very words used to describe how the USA ceded their position as the dominant force in international women’s football, as illustrated by their disastrous defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. Their performances up to and including that last-16 defeat to Sweden highlighted a squad that was long past its best, and a system where players had the power and were picked based on their reputations. Naturally, many of the issues that Hayes inherits will lie below the surface and could take years to resolve, primarily how the US has fallen behind Europe in the production of young talent. Hayes’s previous experience before arriving at Chelsea is set to be beneficial, given she started her coaching career in the US college system in the early 2000s and landed her first professional managerial position with the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League. As Hayes will remain with Chelsea until the end of the season, there is time to assess what is required ahead of what would be her primary goal of recapturing the World Cup in 2027. But it is in the dressing room where Hayes’s immediate targets and her strictest standards will be made clear – just like she told Carter all those years ago. “Get better or I’ll get someone else.” Perhaps the USA have not heard enough of that in recent years. Now a team in need of a reset will be charged with the ultimate cultural makeover. Before then, though, there are more trophies with Chelsea to win. Read More Emma Hayes: Winning Champions League would be fairytale end to time at Chelsea The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Chelsea defeat Everton in WSL as Manchester City slip up against Brighton Emma Hayes says ‘time is right’ to move on from Chelsea after 12 years Emma Hayes to take charge of USA after final season at Chelsea Candidates to take over as Chelsea boss after Emma Hayes decides to move on

“If you don’t improve I’m selling you.” A young Jess Carter is sat in the middle of a white-walled room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, a tactics board behind her, a fleet of analysts and fitness staff, all armed with laptops, positioned on the outside, quietly looking in. Carter is chewing gum and looks bored, frustrated to have been hauled aside to hear the same old message. Facing her is Emma Hayes. “I want you to show every f***ing day that you give a f*** about yourself,” Hayes says. “It’s up to you to decide your future.” Four years later, it is clear what future Carter decided to choose. Now 26, the Chelsea defender is an established England international, having just played a key role in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final this summer. When Carter first arrived at Chelsea, Hayes found a player who struggled to keep herself fit or follow a regimented diet. Chelsea’s fitness staff were exasperated and Carter’s confidence was on the floor: she did not think she was good enough to play for her country, but Hayes saw and believed in her potential and, crucially, how it could be brought out. What followed won’t be included on Hayes’s list of honours or medals when the manager leaves Chelsea at the end of the season. “Highly decorated” does not even begin to cover what Hayes has achieved at Chelsea, or the legacy she will leave behind following Saturday’s shock news that this season will be her last at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow. Under Hayes, the days of triumph and glory Chelsea have celebrated since her appointment in 2012 have been unrivalled, stretched across an unprecedented decade of dominance. Yet if the dynasty Hayes built can be measured in titles, its foundations are in success stories like Carter’s – and the manager who set the environment where she could become the player she is today. “If you sleepwalk your way through life, you won’t survive,” Hayes goes on to say in the DAZN documentary One Team, One Dream. Certainly, it reveals some insights into the ruthless trophy-winning machine that has dominated women’s football in England over the last decade, claiming six Women’s Super Leagues, five Women’s FA Cups and two League Cups, and which in recent years has barely given anyone else a sniff. That could change now Hayes will be leaving the WSL, heading towards a position that is outside club football altogether. The 47-year-old is expected to take up the vacancy at the United States women’s national team, with the four-time World Cup winners yet to appoint a permanent successor to Vlatko Andonovski after their disastrous last-16 exit from this year’s tournament. Hayes is said to be US Soccer’s first choice for the job and reports in the US suggest she is set to be offered an equal salary to the men’s head coach Gregg Berhalter, at £1.3m per year. Given Hayes’s record in women’s football, such an offer from US Soccer should only be considered the minimum. The English manager is the outstanding club coach in the women’s game and the only area that Chelsea have fallen short in has been in their pursuit of a first Champions League title, after reaching the final in 2021 and the semi-finals last season. It would be fair to include this as a criticism, given how Hayes has been backed by Chelsea and the resources available to the club. After all, it was that support that led to Chelsea signing Sam Kerr, the striker who took Hayes’s side to another level and whose taste for the big moments came to mirror their own sense of inevitability. But in dominating the domestic scene, Hayes created a culture where the values of graft and grind were placed on a pedestal. Over the years, much of their trophy procession felt self-fulfilling. It came from the top, where Hayes reinforced the message and stamped out complacency at the start of every season, sustaining Chelsea’s superiority in a league that was so often decided by fine margins. If the history of team sports shows there are often natural, unavoidable drop-offs in performance and motivation following periods of success, there has been little hint of that at Chelsea in recent years. Which is what makes Hayes’s potential move to the USA so fascinating. “Arrogance” and “complacency” were the very words used to describe how the USA ceded their position as the dominant force in international women’s football, as illustrated by their disastrous defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. Their performances up to and including that last-16 defeat to Sweden highlighted a squad that was long past its best, and a system where players had the power and were picked based on their reputations. Naturally, many of the issues that Hayes may inherit will lie below the surface and could take years to resolve, primarily in how the US has fallen behind Europe in the production of young talent. Hayes’s previous experience before arriving at Chelsea is set to be beneficial, given she started her coaching career in the US college system in the early 2000s and landed her first professional managerial position with the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League. As Hayes will remain with Chelsea until the end of the season, which would surely be too late to be considered available to lead the US at the Paris Olympics next summer, there will be time to assess what is required ahead of what would be her primary goal of recapturing the World Cup in 2027. But it is in the dressing room where Hayes’s immediate targets and her strictest standards will be made clear – just like she told Carter all those years ago. “Get better or I’ll get someone else.” Perhaps the USA have not heard enough of that in recent years. Now a team in need of a reset will be charged with the ultimate cultural makeover. Before then, though, there are more trophies with Chelsea to win.

Chelsea begin their final Women’s Champions League campaign under Emma Hayes with a blockbuster trip to Real Madrid in Group D. The Blues reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season but lost to eventual winners Barcelona, who also defeated them in the 2021 final. Hayes has won every domestic trophy with Chelsea but the Champions League has eluded them. The English manager has confirmed that she will be leaving the club at the end of the season and it has now been revealed that she will manage the USA national women’s team. Chelsea and Real Madrid were also in the same Champions League group last season, with the English champions progressing to the quarter-finals as the Spanish side were knocked out after finishing third behind Paris Saint-Germain. But Real Madrid will be hopeful of qualifying for the last eight this season, with Paris FC and Swedish side Hacken joining them in Group D. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Real Madrid vs Chelsea? The match will kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 15 November. How can I watch it? All group stage games will be available to stream for free in the UK. Fans will be able to watch the UWCL group stage up to and including Matchday 4 on DAZN’s YouTube channel, with coverage then moving to the DAZN app and platforms. You can watch Real Madrid vs Chelsea for free, here: TNT Sports will also be showing Real Madrid vs Chelsea. Read More How to watch the Women’s Champions League for free this season The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Man City post record annual income for English club after treble season

Manchester City have announced the biggest annual income ever recorded by an English club by bringing in £712.8m in their treble-winning season. The club made a profit of £80.4m for the 2022-23 financial year, nearly double the previous year’s total of £41.7m, as they topped the previous highest income by a Premier League club – the £648m recently declared by neighbours Manchester United. However, they would still have made a loss without a £121m profit on player sales, including Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Their costs included a wage bill of £368m although it was increased by bonuses for winning three competitions. City reported a rise in each of their commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue for a year when Pep Guardiola’s side secured the Premier League, the FA Cup and the club’s maiden Champions League. City’s broadcast revenue went up by more than £50m to £299.4m, principally due to income from Uefa for their successful Champions League campaign. Their commercial revenue was up by more than 10 percent to £341.4m while matchday income went up by £17.4m to £71.9m. But City also referenced the 115 charges the Premier League levelled for allegedly breaching financial regulations. Potential punishments if found guilty include points deductions or even relegation but City maintain there is “irrefutable” proof of their innocence. The club said: “On 6 February 2023, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4. “In February 2023, in response to the charges, the club issued a public statement that it welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.” Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, concentrating on the on-field results and the financial report, said: “In short, last season saw Manchester City achieve the greatest football and commercial year of its storied history.” CEO Ferran Soriano added: “Winning the treble – the Champions League (for the first time), the Premier League (the third title in a row) and the FA Cup. Achieving record revenues and record profits. Winning the Ballon d’Or for best men’s club of the year and being named the most valuable football club brand in the world. We can certainly say that the 2022-23 season was the best in the history of Manchester City.” City noted that, after the end of the 2022-23 financial year, they made a number of transfers which will add a net expenditure of £84m. That involved buying Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku while selling Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, James Trafford, Shea Charles and Cole Palmer. Read More England new-boy Cole Palmer: My decision to go to Chelsea is paying off Anything is possible – Eric Dier on Tottenham’s Premier League title challenge Virgil van Dijk backs Liverpool to challenge Manchester City for Premier League title

Conor Gallagher is accustomed to finding himself the odd man out in hugely expensive midfields, the everyman among the extravagant purchases. He is often part of a £222m trio at Chelsea, a number made all the more remarkable by the reality that the Londoner cost nothing. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, however, commanded prices in excess of £100m and if Chelsea were the trailblazers, taking the cost of midfielders into previously uncharted territory, Gallagher could prove the sidekick to four men with nine-figure transfer fees. “Training and playing alongside midfielders worth £100-plus million pounds is good,” he said, with an element of understatement. Arguably, no one else has more experience of it. While Jude Bellingham has withdrawn from the England squad to face Malta and North Macedonia, the sum Real Madrid paid to buy him could reach £114m. Declan Rice cost £105m. Such is Gallagher’s swift improvement that a player who has spent some of this season captaining Chelsea could be their regular partner in Euro 2024. Certainly, with Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia and Kalvin Phillips on the bench at Manchester City, Gallagher is presenting a more compelling case at club level. Wednesday marks a year to the day since he boarded the plane to Qatar. With disarming honesty, Gallagher had admitted during the World Cup that he wasn’t quite sure why he was in the squad. “I wasn’t playing much for Chelsea and we were going through a tough period, so that’s why I said that in an interview,” he reflected. A bit-part role at Stamford Bridge gave him imposter syndrome on international duty. “Last season, it was not really knowing if I was starting or not, not really sure what was going on, what team we were going for,” he said. He could have been collateral damage of the spending spree and arrivals of expensive midfielders. He feared for his place. “Of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said. “When top players come in your position, you think you have less of a chance of playing as much as I’d like.” But if confusion has seemed to envelop Chelsea for much of the subsequent year, for now Gallagher is a beneficiary of the chaos. As a homegrown player, he assumed a particular value to Todd Boehly: he would count as pure profit in the books if sold. There were Financial Fair Play reasons to cash in on Gallagher. Mauricio Pochettino saw footballing grounds to keep him. Tottenham and West Ham were among those to express an interest. Even as late as deadline day, his own future appeared uncertain. “It was a crazy period in terms of ins and outs at Chelsea and I had conversations with the manager and he expressed that he liked me as a player and I was in his plans and I was really happy with that,” Gallagher said. Pochettino has ways of illustrating Gallagher’s importance. He has started every league game; whereas Fernandez and Caicedo, the £100m men, were both substituted in Sunday’s frenetic 4-4 draw against Manchester City, Gallagher completed the match. He has spent much of the season as stand-in skipper, a Chelsea supporter leading his boyhood club when Reece James and Ben Chilwell are absent. “I love it when I get to wear the armband,” he said. It means he gets to captain the great Thiago Silva, to follow in the footsteps of John Terry and Frank Lampard, both inspirations to him. “More so Frank, because he was my manager last season and he helped me a lot,” Gallagher said. Lampard had longevity at Stamford Bridge. Gallagher has been on Chelsea’s books for 15 years. It remains to be seen if his association with them will last for much longer. He is in the final two years of his contract; Chelsea may yet look to cash in, though Gallagher is optimistic he will sign a new deal. “I’m sure that will get sorted out,” he said. “Everyone knows Chelsea is my club and I love playing for them.” If he is learning from the World Cup winner Fernandez and the biggest ever Premier League buy Caicedo, he has been shaped by non-league midfielders as well. His own career has involved spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace before breaking through at Chelsea. His brothers – Dan, Jake and Josh – are more accustomed to turning out for Dorking, Welling, Leatherhead, Aylesbury and Maidstone. “They have a great understanding of the game even though they’re playing at a lower standard,” the more successful sibling said. “They are all midfielders so there’s parts of their games I’ve taken off them and put in mine.” That said, there was a harsh start to the learning process. “They chucked me in goal,” Gallagher recalled. “They gave me the goalie gloves and just battered balls me at me.” He is not the only England call-up in the family: Jake attracted attention from the England C team, representing the non-league game. The levels may be different but the aims can be the same. “Hopefully I can start to play more for England,” said Conor. It isn’t quite the same as teaming up with Caicedo and Fernandez, Bellingham and Rice, but it could be a breakthrough season for Gallagher with country as well as club. Read More England head to Indonesia inspired by Under-17 World Cup winner Phil Foden Mauricio Pochettino will not take risks with Chelsea captain Reece James Man City post record annual income although potential breaches hang over club

Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill will play no part in England’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, becoming the latest pair to withdraw from Gareth Southgate’s squad. Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and Chelsea defender Colwill were both ruled out of action over the weekend due to shoulder injuries and have returned to their clubs for further assessment. It comes after James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk withdrew from England duty due to injuries on Monday, with the trio replaced by Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa. This time Southgate has not called up any new faces, leaving the England manager with a 23-player squad for the matches against Malta at Wembley on Friday and the trip to North Macedonia on Monday. In a further update, both Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips will meet up with the England squad later this week. An England statement said this was due to “personal matters”. England are already assured of their place at next summer’s Euro 2024 finals in Germany after last month’s win over Italy secured qualification. However Southgate will be targeting victories in both games to make sure England are one of the top seeds when the Euro 2024 is made in Germany next month. Updated England squad for Malta and North Macedonia fixtures Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) Defenders: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayi Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City) Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Barcelona are favourites to defend their Women’s Champions League title as the group stages of the tournament kick off this week. The Spanish side came from two goals down to defeat Wolsfburg in a thrilling final last season in Eindhoven. There have already been several big upsets before the start of the group stage, with Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus all knocked out in qualifying. But the likes of Chelsea, Lyon, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will be out to stop Barcelona from winning a third title in four seasons. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the start of the new Women’s Champions League season. How can I watch it? All group stage games will be available to stream for free in the UK. Fans will be able to watch the UWCL group stage up to and including Matchday 4 on DAZN’s YouTube channel, with coverage then moving to the DAZN app and platforms. TNT Sports will also be showing one Champions League group match a week, before showing the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. What matches are on this week? (All times GMT) Tuesday 14 November Barcelona vs Benfica (KO 8.00) Rosengard vs Eintracht Frankfurt (KO 5.45) Slavia Prague vs Lyon (KO 8.00) St Polten vs Brann (KO 5.45) Wednesday 15 November Ajax vs PSG (KO 8.00) Bayern Munich vs Roma (KO 5.45) Paris FC vs Hacken (KO 5.45) Real Madrid vs Chelsea (KO 8.00) What are the Women’s Champions League groups? Group A Barcelona Benfica Rosengard Eintracht Frankfurt Group B Lyon Slavia Prague St Polten Brann Group C Bayern Munich Paris Saint-Germain Ajax Roma Group D Chelsea Real Madrid Paris FC Hacken Read More The ‘crazy’ debate once again at the heart of the Women’s Champions League Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea LaLiga president says Jude Bellingham ‘like he’s from a different planet’

Emma Hayes is the last manager of an English club left standing in the Women’s Champions League, which, given the group stages are only just kicking off this week, makes difficult reading for Jonas Eidevall and Marc Skinner. While Chelsea and Hayes go again in their quest to win a first European honour, in what is their final season together, Arsenal, last year’s semi-finalists, are already out. As are Manchester United, Chelsea’s closest challengers last season. Yet Arsenal and United were not even the biggest casualties of the Women’s Champions League’s notoriously tricky qualifying process. Last season’s beaten finalists Wolfsburg, the German giants and two-time European champions, are already out as well. Paris FC were responsible for the exits of both Arsenal and Wolfsburg, who played each other in last season’s semi-finals but this year fell victims to the dreaded ‘league path’, criticism of which has reignited the debate around the tournament’s format. Skinner was particularly angry. His United side finished runner-up to Chelsea in both the Women’s Super League and FA Cup but their season was a success as they celebrated their first-ever Champions League qualification. Yet, in qualifying, United were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, perennial contenders in the knockout stages but also runners-up in France, and were beaten over two legs. United’s European adventure lasted two games but Skinner insisted they “deserved” a longer run. “There are teams going through [to the group stage] that are not good enough,” he said after United’s 3-1 defeat by PSG at the Parc des Princes. “Our standard is better than that standard, and it’s crazy that we have to play PSG at this qualifying round, crazy. It needs to be something that’s addressed.” Perhaps Skinner had a point. There is an argument that this season’s Champions League would be stronger if Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus, who were another big name to fall in qualifying, were among the 16 teams in the group stages. As major clubs with large fan bases and talented squads, they have the potential to drive the growth of the competition, as Arsenal showed when they hosted Wolfsburg in front of a sold-out Emirates in last season’s semi-finals. But the Manchester United manager was also accused of being disrespectful after suggesting clubs who won their domestic leagues did not deserve to be in the Champions League. It is particularly harsh on those sides like Brann from Norway and FC Rosengard from Sweden, not to mention Ajax of the Netherlands, Portugal’s Benfica, the Czech Republic’s Slavia Prague and Austria’s St Polten, who all did what Manchester United could not do and become league champions. Their spaces within the Champions League and route into it should be protected. As a 16-team tournament, one of the key differences between the Women’s Champions League and the 32-team men’s tournament is the greater proportional spread of countries within the competition. While the teams in this year’s Women’s Champions League represent 11 different European countries, the men’s Champions League features just 15 – despite having a field that is twice the size. That in itself should be one of the selling points of the Women’s Champions League, and is something many will say the men’s competition has lost. Through that, it has created an environment where only a small handful of teams from three or four countries have a chance of winning the competition and has widened the financial inequalities between leagues and clubs across the continent. Though some would argue that the Women’s Champions League has already reached that point. In the past two seasons since the introduction of a group stage, the eight quarter-finalists have been made up of teams from Spain, England, Germany, France and Italy. Those sides from elsewhere have not been close to qualifying from the group phase in that time, either. But that is also an argument for the Women’s Champions League continuing to offer domestic title winners a separate route into the competition, even with the potential exclusion of runners-up like Wolfsburg and Manchester United. Such representation can have a positive effect within those domestic competitions, which would be increased across the continent if a proportional spread remains when the Champions League does eventually expand in size. Yet for stakeholders like streaming platform Dazn, who hold the exclusive rights for the Women’s Champions League, the early exits of Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Juventus would have been a blow to their viewership figures. There is a chance that the group stages are a procession for defending champions Barcelona and Lyon, while Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s draw looks a little tougher. Barcelona are the team to beat, and the Spanish champions will hope their title defence is less dramatic than last season’s final, when they had to come from two goals down to defeat Wolfsburg. They remain the outstanding team in the competition, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati its best player and her fellow Spain star Salma Paralluelo expected to take another step up this season after her breakout campaign last year. As for Chelsea, the Champions League has been the only trophy to elude the club under Hayes. For all the debate around the Women’s Champions League format, there is no debate that there could not be a better way for the 47-year-old to sign off as Chelsea manager than the Blues becoming the first English team to win a European title since Arsenal in 2007. Read More The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince William among mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral Man Utd suffer double injury blow with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen updates The two key elements Mauricio Pochettino has brought to revive goal-shy Chelsea Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince William among mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral Man Utd suffer double injury blow with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen updates

Sir Alex Ferguson was among the mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s memorial service on Monday, alongside a raft of Manchester United players both past and present in the 1,000 invited guests. Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, and the England manager Gareth Southgate were both in attendance in Manchester to pay tribute to one of English football’s greatest players. Invited United stars included David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Bryan Robson and Sir Bobby’s teammate Alex Stepney. The club’s unpopular owners, the Glazer family, did not attend, because it is understood they did not want to become a distraction. The manager, Erik ten Hag, was also absent due to personal commitments in his native Netherlands. Some of the current players were unable to attend after flying to join up with their national teams for upcoming international fixtures. Charlton died last month aged 86, five days after a fall at his care home. The Ashington-born midfielder made 758 appearances and scored 249 goals for United in a glittering 17-year playing career. He survived the Munich Air Disaster in 1958 to help rebuild United, and went on to lift the European Cup in 1968, two years after playing a starring role as England won the World Cup. The funeral cortege began at Old Trafford, where Charlton is celebrated alongside Denis Law and George Best in the “United Trinity” statue, and passed through streets lined with thousands of fans before reaching Manchester Cathedral. The ceremony, which was not filmed or broadcast, included eulogies and tributes from former club chief executive David Gill, former Manchester United Foundation chief executive John Shiels and a personal tribute from the Charlton family. Hymns included “Abide With Me”, which is traditionally sung before the FA Cup final, “Jerusalem” and a rendition of “How Great Thou Art” by opera singer Russell Watson. The family requested donations in lieu of flowers to a series of charities close to Sir Bobby’s heart, the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust, the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s UK. Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Jonny Evans were among the current United players at the funeral. Liverpool’s appearance record holder Ian Callaghan and Manchester City great Mike Summerbee also attended, along with City director Ferran Soriano, and Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno.

The Glazer family are set to miss the funeral of Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton with the club’s owners understood to be wary of becoming a distraction. World Cup winner Charlton passed away last month, with a funeral procession set to be held through the streets of Manchester today. The funeral cortège will pass Old Trafford, the ground Charlton called home between 1956 and 1973, before reaching Manchester Cathedral, where up to 1,000 people will gather to bid farewell. The Glazer brothers, Avram and Joel, will not be among them, though. The American family have owned Manchester United for almost two decades after patriarch Malcolm took a majority stake in the club in 2005, but their premiership has proved increasingly unpopular, with protests commonplace at Old Trafford since an era of sustained and significant success came to an end. British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to soon complete a £1.3b deal that will see the Ineos owner take 25% ownership of the club, which remains one of sport’s biggest brands. According to the Daily Star, the Glazer family held talks with club officials about attending Charlton’s funeral service but decided that the risk of receiving abuse might overshadow and detract from the event. The family dealt regularly with the former midfielder in his role as a director of the club. Charlton was a regular in the Old Trafford stands until being diagnosed with dementia in November 2020. He died three years on from the diagnosis after an accidental fall at the nursing home at which he was receiving care. Read More Rasmus Hojlund says ‘a matter of time’ until Erik ten Hag improves Man United Sir Bobby Charlton died after fall at care home, inquest hears Sir Bobby Charlton funeral announced for November 13

The league table is taking on an eerily familiar look for Liverpool. The identity of the one team above them is typical, the gap a bittersweet reminder of brushes with greatness, of the unique achievement of taking first 97 and then 92 points in Premier League seasons without becoming champions in either. Manchester City are first, Liverpool second. There is one point between them, just as there was in the 2018-19 season and again in the 2021-22 campaign. Liverpool 2.0, Jurgen Klopp’s new-look side, find themselves in the precise position their predecessors twice finished. Perhaps they are fated to forever be on City’s shoulder, the Jan Ullrich to Pep Guardiola’s Lance Armstrong, the closest challengers to the serial champions. But victory at home to Brentford means they have fashioned another top-of-the-table showdown; the Etihad Stadium will host the top two on 25 November. It feels an early-season achievement for a revamped side. Their initial aim was to return to the top four, not title contention; beat City, though, and they will be top. Liverpool may be ahead of schedule. “It’s possible,” Klopp accepted. “I didn’t think about it but it feels good. It is only November. But it’s really important we have the same points as other teams.” In itself, it marks a difference from a year ago. After a dozen games then, Liverpool were 13 points behind City. As they have procured 11 points from losing positions already, there could be a similar gulf now. Klopp has found much to enjoy from a team in transition, the unknown quantity who may assume the recognisable role of City’s major rivals, their powers of recovery offering a metaphor for a broader project. “We have to keep going with all the other teams until maybe March or April and if you are still there, we can start talking,” Klopp reflected. It may be too easy to talk of a title decider, then, but he has proved that his teams can sustain form from winter into spring. “Until then, fight your way through the most difficult league in the world and be ready on Thursday and on Sunday and Thursday.” That readiness has been tested. “We didn’t play perfect football yet, not even close. But we fight our way through in moments and it is all fine,” Klopp said. Liverpool have conceded first in five league games and lost none of them. They have had four red cards, three of which Klopp believes were wrong. They lost their defensive midfield in the summer and had to rebuild an entire department of the team. But their only defeat came from an own goal in the 96th minute for their nine remaining men at Tottenham. Perhaps it was a sign of standards Klopp’s best teams have set that his verdict on Liverpool’s opening 12 games concentrated on the setbacks. “Football is strange,” he said. “If you would have asked me three days [ago, after losing against Toulouse] just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start. A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances, obviously didn’t feel great and I don’t know [about] the other games.” Perhaps they can be divided into two fairly obvious categories: home and away. Liverpool have an extraordinary record at Anfield under Klopp, with one loss in their last 48 home league games and just one in front of a crowd in six-and-a-half years. Now they have six wins from six, albeit with the caveat that only one of this season’s victims are in the top eight. Get as close to the maximum of 57 points at home – and they mustered 53 in 18/19 and 55 in their title-winning campaign of 19/20 – and it would underpin a title tilt. Their fixture list has been tougher on the road – and will get harder again at the Etihad – and dropping nine points indicates such games could prove their undoing. But the fight Klopp referenced and cherishes has been evident away from home. It may be where Liverpool’s most glaring shortcoming has threatened to be exposed: the absence of a specialist nullifier at the base of the midfield. They have the joint best defensive record, but it owes much to Alisson; only eight teams have benefited from more saves. This team is less solid than Klopp’s greatest side. But, as Brentford were dismissed 3-0, Virgil van Dijk again offered signs he is back to his commanding best. In Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have – at least as long as Kevin De Bruyne is sidelined – the outstanding passer in the Premier League. Their attack is sufficiently menacing that no one has had more shots. It is partly a product of Darwin Nunez’s inimitable threat, but also of Mohamed Salah’s continued brilliance. He has 10 goals and four assists already and a generous tribute from an impartial observer, the beaten Brentford manager, suggested the Egyptian could be decisive. “Off the top of my head, he is the best player in the league,” Thomas Frank said. “What a level. He must be one of the best offensive players in the world. Not top 10, top three.” All of which gives Liverpool a chance. So does their record against City: famously, no manager has beaten Guardiola more than Klopp and it seems impossible to dethrone the champions without defeating them at least once. And if the players change in these summit clashes, there will be the same sights on the touchlines. Guardiola and Klopp, separated by a few yards and a solitary point once more. A German thinker of a rather earlier era than Klopp, Karl Marx, argued that history repeated itself first as tragedy and then as farce. For Klopp and Guardiola, however, it may be repeating itself for a third time in an epic duel. Read More From Aguero winner to Keegan dismay, Chelsea-City joins Premier League classics Jurgen Klopp reignites early kick-off row ahead of Man City vs Liverpool clash Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Jurgen Klopp admits Trent Alexander-Arnold may be the middle man Liverpool need Jurgen Klopp reacts to release of Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father: ‘Really happy’ Jurgen Klopp reveals his ‘main issue’ after VAR denies Liverpool in Toulouse

When you’ve knocked out the “scariest man in the UFC”, what is there left to fear? Some may offer ‘nothing’ as a valid answer. Some may say ‘Jon Jones’, arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all time. Either way, Tom Aspinall, who was so honest about being scared ahead of UFC 295, believes his fear is his “superpower”. So, maybe fear will inspire Aspinall to a career-defining victory over Jones, or maybe the Briton will realise he doesn’t need to fear the icon at all. Days before UFC 295 – days before his date with destiny at combat sports’ Mecca, Madison Square Garden – Aspinall had this to say of his clash with Sergei Pavlovich: “I’m pretty scared. He’s a scary, intimidating guy.” But? “I do my best work scared. Fear is something I have a really good relationship with. It gives me a superpower – the more scared I am, the better I do in the fight.” And with the interim heavyweight title on the line, and just two weeks’ preparation behind him, Aspinall could not have done better than he did on Saturday. Even when the Wigan fighter was caught clean with a left hook in the opening moments of the co-main event, he stayed calm. Perhaps surviving that shot meant Aspinall’s fear dissipated, or perhaps being tagged like that only augmented his fear. The beauty is that, for Aspinall, either outcome keeps him dangerous, and Pavlovich would find out just how dangerous in the seconds that followed. Aspinall was out of range, surely. But in the blink of an eye, he wasn’t. Closing distance with a spitfire one-two – as only he can – Aspinall had Pavlovich shaking and wobbling, before a short left hook and right hand felled the Russian for good. The hammer fists, all three of them, were to make sure of something that was already certain: Aspinall had ascended, as Britain’s third UFC champion. Then he descended, joining Pavlovich on the canvas, burying his head to hide the tears. “I can’t even tell you, it’s been a crazy two-and-a-half weeks,” he said in the cage, moments later. “Oh, my God. I just want to say to everyone at home: Listen, if you ever get the chance to do something, and you’re scared to do it, you should f***ing definitely do it, because there’s a chance it’s gonna pay off. He’s a big, scary guy. I’ve never been as scared in my life as fighting this guy, but I’ve got a lot of power, too. And I believe in myself, I really believe in myself. I’ve worked so hard over the years.” Aspinall’s hard work has yielded results as terrifying as Pavlovich and the Russian’s own statistics. The Briton is now 7-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming as the result of an injury 15 seconds into a fight, and his victories all coming in the first and second rounds. Meanwhile, Pavlovich entered his bout with Aspinall with a 6-1 UFC record and all wins via first-round finish; in other words, Aspinall was right to harbour a little fear. Now, however, Aspinall may just be the most fearsome fighter in the division, especially with Jones absent. Aspinall’s clash with Pavlovich came together on two weeks’ notice when the heavyweight champion suffered an injury that derailed his planned title defence against Stipe Miocic – and which is set to keep the former light-heavyweight king out of the ring for up to a year. Still, the UFC’s plan seems to be to reorganise the bout, despite the facts that: Jones may be 37 by the time he returns, Miocic could be 42 by then, and the latter has not fought since he was brutally knocked out by Francis Ngannou in March 2021. Furthermore, Jones’s heavyweight title win over Ciryl Gane in March marked his first fight in three years. Age and activity are working against the Americans, as is apathy; in the aftermath of UFC 295, fans have expressed disinterest in that ‘legacy’ fight, preferring the prospect of a unification bout between Jones and Aspinall. Naturally. Miocic may be the greatest heavyweight of all time, but few were giving him a chance against Jones. While both men have been inactive and ageing, Miocic is the older and less active of the two, and Jones at least impressed with his rapid submission of Gane this year. But to debate how Jones vs Miocic would play out feels very ‘March 2023’. The greater question is how Jones vs Aspinall would play out, and for all of Jones’s feats and accomplishments over the years, the reality is that he would be facing the quickest heavyweight in the sport, who also hits harder than any of the American’s previous opponents, and who is only approaching his prime at 30 years old. Furthermore, Aspinall has the kind of well-rounded skillset that might just enable him to neutralise Jones – or even get the better of him – in any grappling exchanges. Of course, the situation is further complicated by the fact that Aspinall may not want to sit out until Jones returns, while the UFC will also be keen to keep the Briton active. It may mean that Aspinall has to defend the interim title, a rarity in the UFC. That could make for intriguing an match-up between the 30-year-old and Ciryl Gane, Jailton Almeida or even Curtis Blaydes, who picked up a technical win over Aspinall when the latter sustained his knee injury at UFC London in July 2022. At this point, the hope is that all roads lead to Jones vs Aspinall – one of the biggest fights in the history of British MMA. Aspinall has nothing to fear, but then again: A little fear goes a long way for the interim heavyweight champion. Read More Tom Aspinall ‘wants to fight Jon Jones’ next after claiming UFC interim title Tom Aspinall becomes Britain’s third UFC champion with first-round KO of Pavlovich Tom Aspinall admits he’s ‘scared’ ahead of UFC title fight Tom Aspinall makes UFC 295 vow ahead of Sergei Pavlovich fight UFC 295 LIVE results: Aspinall knocks out Pavlovich before Pereira stops Prochazka When will Conor McGregor return to the UFC?