Roberto De Zerbi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Robert De Zerbi reacts to Brighton’s 4-0 win over West Ham #BHAFC

March 5, 2023
Roberto De Zerbi was pleased with Albion’s performance as they eased past West Ham with a 4-0 victory at the Amex. But he believes his side can still improve. De Zerbi said: “The second half was fantastic, very good the first half, but the perfection is not like this. I think we can improve, but we are in the right way. "I am enjoying to work with these players, because they have the same passion as me to improve and work. I think we can achieve our target because we are strong and serious.” Albion can break into the top four if they win all their games in hand on Tottenham Hotspur. However, the Italian is not targeting a specific position in the league. De Zerbi said: “If you see the table, we can fight, it is not right if I speak about one place, but we are playing very well and we can try.” The former Sassuolo manager was absent on the touchline today after he picked up a one match suspension following the defeat to Fulham. The Albion manager admitted he was itching to get back to the bench. De Zerbi said: “Yes very different, I am sad for this. "I want back my place on the bench. The stadium is very nice, my place was fantastic, but I prefer to stay on the pitch.”
Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Mikel Arteta admits win over Bournemouth was madness from start to finish #ARSENALFC

March 5, 2023
Gary O’Neil’s men threatened a major shock, his relegation-threatened side leading 2-0 against the Premier League leaders thanks to goals from Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi. But the Gunners roared back, equalising with Thomas Partey and Ben White on target, before Reiss Nelson smashed in a stunning winner in the final seconds of stoppage time. Reflecting on the 3-2 victory, which puts Arsenal back five points clear of Manchester City, boss Arteta said: “It was an extraordinary day, a beautiful experience at the end. Very dramatic, but worth living it because it was a great end to it. “Everybody is overwhelmed a little bit. “It was madness from the first second of the game. “Then you have to start to climb a mountain against 10 players behind the ball. We tried in every single way. “We didn’t score the goal and suddenly you are 2-0 down with a set play again.” He added: “After that, don’t lose the shape, don’t lose the discipline and start to do all the simple things right and try to score the first one. “We did that and we showed our maturity and our resilience to do that. “Once we’d done that, the atmosphere and the place changed the energy.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton’s Selles expands on ‘step up’ comments about Romeo Lavia #SAINTSFC

March 4, 2023
The 19 year old has been the subject of media reports this week linking him to the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal during his first season of senior football. Sky Sports interviewed the Belgian and asked what he thought of the interest and Lavia responded that he does not read it and is instead focused on enjoying his football. Selles was asked later the same day if he has been impressed by Lavia but insisted he has 'not been' and warned that the youngster needs to ‘step up’ to move forward. READ MORE: Lavia responds to reports of interest from Man United and others With a second section of the same press conference embargoed for 10:30PM, Selles was later asked if he could expand on those comments following Lavia’s impressive start to his career. “We are talking about a young player who is in the Premier League for the first time. It has been a very hard season for all of us,” the Spaniard said. “I think Romeo has all the qualities to be a great player but I don’t think he’s there yet. This is why he didn’t impress me. “To make the next step, he needs to show more domination in the games, more domination in possession and more leadership on the pitch if he wants to become the thing everyone is saying he is.” He added: “He needs to give more for me, more for the team, and needs to show more for himself. It is nothing that it is about personally, and it is something the competition is giving him. “He is growing through the competition, both from the internal competition and in the Premier League. We need to be careful when we talk about kids starting in the Premier League. “I have no doubt he will be there but he needs to make more steps and everyone around him needs to be calmed down. When you try to make four steps forward, usually you don’t make the first one. “It is one step at a time, you stay here with us, you perform, you make this team win football matches, you lead on the pitch and in the dressing room and then when the season is finished and everybody is in the Premier League, we can think about something else. “If we don’t make the target together and we start to put individual targets, then we are not going to make it.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil admits Emirates Stadium is toughest stadium in England #AFCB

March 4, 2023
However, despite the task ahead of his charges, O’Neil was adamant that “tomorrow could be our day”. Stephens believes Cherries can take learnings from City clash into Arsenal trip Mikel Arteta’s Gunners currently top the Premier League, five points clear of Manchester City, who handily dispatched Cherries at the Vitality Stadium 4-1 last time out. The trip to north London is sandwiched between the aforementioned City loss and the visit of Liverpool. Cherries will be unfancied in all three fixtures, but despite there being little expectation of a result at the Emirates, O’Neil reiterated that the side would always be competitive no matter the opposition.  “I think that the lads are very good at putting things into context, of course,” O’Neil explained to the Daily Echo. “But that doesn't make losing on a Saturday feel any better. “Like the fact that we lost to Manchester City, no one felt any better about it, sat in the dressing room after. “We want to be competitive, of course, and the league and where we are at this moment, we need to make sure that it's always, it can't just be: “okay, we've got a team that's near us in the league, let's make sure we're up for this one.’ “It's like, ‘yeah, we need to be up for tomorrow’. “You never know when it's going to be your day. Tomorrow could be our day, so let's make sure we're ready.” Only Manchester City have bested Arsenal at the Emirates home in the Premier League this campaign, with the Gunners taking 29 points of a possible 36 from home fixtures. Explaining the task ahead of his side, O’Neil continued: “The (Emirates is the) toughest place to go, no doubt, at the moment. “They're a fantastic side, top of the league, going to their place as well. “So, yes, it's the toughest test you can face at this moment, but we go there with ways that we feel we can cause them a problem. “Obviously, the intensity they show and how aggressive they are without the ball and how good they are with the ball. “They're a very good side. And having watched them a lot this week, no surprise that they are where they are and that they're clear at the top. So they'll be difficult to catch, I'm sure. “But from our point of view, we go there, we try to be well organized, we stick to our plan, and we use ways that we feel we can hurt them.” After taking charge of his first Arsenal game in a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day in 2019, Arteta went on to lift the FA Cup in August 2020. A lean year followed the initial success, with many sections of the Gunners’ fanbase calling for the Spaniard to be sacked as the London club finished eight in his first full season in charge. However, the former Arsenal midfielder was given time, with the club now reaping the rewards with the Gunners top of the division. Asked if Arteta’s success showed that managers should be given more time, O’Neil replied: “I think if you're good, you will show you're good. That is basically how I see it. “I think if you're not very good and you're given time, you'll still be not very good. “So, yeah, I think you just need to be good at your job. Mikel was always going to be. “I had no doubts about it - working at Manchester City, he had a big reputation already from the work he'd done there with Pep. So, yeah, no surprise to me that he's doing very, very well. “I think it depends what people are judging you on, I guess. Was he doing terribly at the start? I don't know enough about the situation, where Arsenal in a bad place at the time? “Was what he was doing normal? “So, yeah, I don't know too much about it, but generally, if you're good and you get long enough, you'll be able to show you're good.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil’s praise for Ryan Christie during spell out of side #AFCB

March 3, 2023
The Scotland international featured in 19 of the club’s first 21 Premier League games of this season, starting 12 of those. But Christie has been left as an unused substitute for each of Cherries’ past three matches, with January recruits Dango Ouattara and Hamed Traore selected instead in the advanced attacking midfield areas. Asked if there was a danger of Christie being left behind given the profile of player Cherries have recruited in his area of the pitch, or if he still had plenty to offer, boss O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “He’s still very, very important. “He’s an incredible lad as well. “His training levels have not dropped by one per cent since, as you say, his minutes have got slightly less over the last couple of weeks. “Most of that is just situation based, what you feel you need at the time. “Some changes you can make here or there and just for the last couple it hasn’t been Ryan Christie, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be moving forward. “He’s a really important player for us and I’m still delighted he’s part of the group.” Christie, who turned 28 last month, joined Cherries from Celtic for £2.5million in August 2021. He played a key role in Scott Parker’s side clinching promotion from the Championship last term, providing three goals and eight assists in 38 league outings. Having previously played all his career north of the border, with Celtic, Aberdeen and hometown Inverness Caledonian Thistle, this is Christie’s first season in England’s top flight. He has been unable to replicate the type of offensive numbers he managed both in the Championship and Scottish Premiership. Christie is yet to register an assist this term, while his only league goal was the winner in a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in October. He did also score in defeat to Burnley in the FA Cup in January. Asked if he would like to see Christie contributing more goals and assists, or if he focusses more on the defensive work the midfielder brings to the side, O’Neil said: “I think he can do both. “Obviously one of his real strengths is how diligent he is and how hard he works for the team, of course. “But he has good quality on his left foot and he can provide key passes and crosses and has quality. “He can improve those numbers. Of course, being in the Premier League in a team that has been at the bottom of the league makes it difficult in attacking numbers. “But he’s very, very important. “He can do lots of things that are important to a club like us in the position we are in. “I have no issues with Ryan Christie whatsoever.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton’s Ruben Selles ‘very disappointed’ after loss in FA Cup to minnows #SAINTSFC

March 2, 2023
Gavan Holohan scored twice from the spot to dump the Premier League outfit of the fifth round of the competition in their home stadium. Duje Caleta-Car netted one to bring Saints within contention but they could not avoid a seventh defeat in nine matches in all competitions. Selles, taking charge of his second match as the new permanent Saints boss, admitted his disappointment but was still keen to apportion blame across everyone fairly. “I’m very disappointed with the performance and the result, we didn’t expect that as we prepared and dominated the opening part of the game, but it is difficult when you concede those two penalties,” he said. Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email. “The first one, there is some errors in the build-up. We then set up everything to come back, because in a cup game this sometimes happens, but when you concede another penalty that shouldn’t happen it is difficult. We tried, we scored a goal and had one disallowed, but it was not enough from us. “Both penalties were very, very frustrating for me and the staff. You should not allow this to happen because you do not allow yourself the opportunity to win football matches.” Selles made nine changes to his team that were defeated last time out at Leeds United, as fringe players in his 30-man squad were given a chance to make a point to the Spaniard. “I am disappointed with the whole team, it is not about one player or more. They have been working well but when the moment has come to perform they are not there,” Selles said. “We were not robust enough to go through moments in the game and come back, I will not change because I think the players are working well but the disappointment is big for all of us.” Selles revealed that firm conversations had been had in the dressing room following the shock defeat, but insisted it will become a period of group reflection. “We’re upset so we have had a conversation and made some points clear, from them to them and from me to them,” he said. “Then, it is a period of reflection. Everybody needs to reflect and tomorrow we will see where we need to continue going. “We didn’t lack purpose, we didn’t create enough chances but we had a couple of situations and we know in these cup games it is hard no matter the opponent. You need to be composed but the two penalties put us out of the cup and out of the game.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reflects on two-year anniversary of his joining date at Cherries #AFCB

March 2, 2023
Last Thursday marked two years to the day since O’Neil arrived on the south coast, leaving a job in Liverpool’s academy to take up a role as senior first team coach under newly-appointed boss Jonathan Woodgate. Despite Woodgate leaving the club a few months later, O’Neil remained in his post, working underneath Scott Parker. Following promotion to the Premier League, Parker was sacked four games into the new campaign, with assistant boss Matt Wells also departing. O’Neil thrust into the interim head coach role, taking charge of 12 matches, before being given the reins on a permanent basis in November 2022. Asked to sum up the past two years, O’Neil said: “Enjoyable, firstly. Obviously stopping playing is never easy, especially when it’s an injury that causes it. “So to go from stopping playing, doing a little while at Liverpool, who helped me of course, and then come down here to help Jonathan. “We fell just short of promotion the first time, but one of the remits when I came to the club was to help the club get back to the Premier League. “So, pleased that I managed to play a part in that, at the second time of asking. “Now obviously roles have changed a little bit and I’m responsible for trying to keep the club in the Premier League, which is what I spend most of my time now working on. “I’ve enjoyed it. It’s a fantastic club, good people, good staff, a fantastic group of players willing to work and a fanbase that are always behind the players and supporting as best they can. “So an enjoyable couple of years for me.” Asked if he is further along in his coaching journey than he thought he would be at this point, the 39-year-old added: “Things have happened maybe quicker than you would think. “It’s hard to plot these sort of journeys. I always thought I would keep playing for a long time, because I was fit, and I would probably fall into management from playing at a lower level, would’ve been how I predicted it going. “But we had to take a different route. I was grateful for the time at Liverpool and then in the hotseat in the Premier League maybe slightly quicker than expected, but I’m enjoying it. “I love the work. I appreciate the belief and the trust that the club have shown in me and am working every hour I have to repay that.” When O’Neil arrived at Cherries in February 2021, the club sat sixth in the Championship. Asked what his first impressions were of the place, the former Portsmouth and West Ham United midfielder said: “That we had a very good squad for the level at that point, still some fantastic players. “Obviously the club had done well to bring in some funds as well and managed to sell a few to sort of balance the books, but still kept a very competitive squad. “And just the feel of the place. It was COVID I think when I came in, so the supporters just started to come back in in small numbers at the time, so when I first arrived, you never really got the full feel of the place. “But then once the fans were back in, you get a real feel for what the club is and how important it is to everybody in the area. “I feel fully embedded in that now really. I feel like I’m part of Bournemouth. “I’ve loved my time, love the way everything works, love how close and together everything is, love the fact that the whole place has been through some tough times together and came out the other side. “It’s a really special feel. I’m privileged to be working here.”
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Ruben Selles issues rousing call to Southampton supporters #SAINTSFC

March 1, 2023
The Spaniard, set to take charge of the Saints team for the second time as the new permanent boss in the FA Cup fifth round versus Grimsby Town, wants fans on side. Selles orchestrated a 1-0 win over Chelsea in his one match as interim boss but the side fell flat in a vital six-pointer at Leeds United over the weekend. It leaves them four points adrift of safety but they remain just two wins away from Wembley in the cup and also have 14 games to save their league season. Selles issued a message to supporters, saying: “I need all of them. If I can make a call right now, it's that I need them not for the next two games but for the rest of the season. “To make the environment at St Mary's a really strong environment. Being with us, supporting us. We know the performances have not been the best from our side, but we are trying to work to make them proud. “What I need from them is unconditional support. To be there in every game and play as the number 12. We need to do it together and see where we are at the end of the journey. He added: “We need to be proud of what we did and everybody put their piece in to be successful. I will tell fans to come, support, believe and stay with us until the very end." Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email.
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Ruben Selles reveals inspiration from Hasenhuttl principles but aims to ‘improve’ attack #SAINTSFC

March 1, 2023
The Spaniard admitted you cannot survive in the Premier League being only a defensive team as he reflected on the defeat to Leeds United over the weekend. Saints have lined up in Hasenhuttl’s trademark 4-2-2-2 – with an unchanged starting XI – in both of Selles’s matches as boss since Nathan Jones was sacked. It had initially been a consequence of circumstance as Selles felt he did not have time to implement his own ideas ahead of facing Chelsea, before beating the Blues in London. Speaking to the Daily Echo, Selles offered a detailed breakdown of his thought processes regarding tactics heading into an FA Cup fifth round tie versus Grimsby. Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email. He said: “The ideas implemented, especially the high-pressing, is an idea that I have developed and especially with Ralph got to know, that is not a question. “One or a lot of the principles of the defensive high-pressure are coming from that, but I think we are also improving situations – especially in possession with different ways to build up. “We probably did this better in the Chelsea game than the Leeds game, there were moments where you can see a team that find the offensive lines, find diagonals and can play between the lines and combine.” Selles admitted: “That is what we need to continue doing, you cannot be a good team in the Premier League only being a defensive team. “If you want to stay in the Premier League you need to take control of the game in possession, know when you need to stop the game or accelerate the game, when is the moment to make a short pass or a long pass. “We cannot go and only play direct, second-ball action because then we will not make it. We have players that can really play football at the best level possible and that’s what we’re trying to do. If we do that and have a system, a platform, that can allow us to not concede goals – but unfortunately in the last game we were more in the defensive moment than with the ball.” Speaking after the defeat at Elland Road, Selles commented on how he is trying to “create a net” for his players to feel comfortable in. The boss has inherited a squad with many key areas limited in Premier League experience, including goalkeeper, central defence and in the forward positions. Saints – who have lost 10 times this season by a margin of just one goal and been beaten 1-0 on three occasions by the team in 19th – have been accused of lacking bravery and spirit. “What we need to do is to be clear with what we want, communicate it in a clear way for everybody to understand, and then to evaluate the process,” Selles responded. “Then, we will see where we are. It’s not about leadership, I don’t believe only one person is taking lead of the group. “There are many types of leadership and what we are doing is simple and clear, everybody counts and everybody has an opinion but at the end of the day I make the decisions. “But everybody needs to feel that this is their club and they have the right to express themselves.”
chris mepham Bournemouth
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham on Manchester City defeat #AFCB

March 1, 2023
Welsh international Mepham returned to the starting XI for the first time since the trip to Brighton at the weekend, playing the full 90 minutes as Pep Guardiola’s side ran out 4-1 winners over Cherries at the Vitality Stadium. ANALYSIS | Cherries' game plan against City was the right approach but let down by mistakes Although his team were well beaten, Mepham expressed how he thought their attacking threat boded well for future games. Speaking after the match, Mepham told the Daily Echo: “It was a tough game, coming up against one of the best teams in the world and we knew that we'd have to suffer for large periods. “I think we would have liked to maybe stay 0-0 as long as possible, try to get to half-time and then it puts a bit more pressure on them to make something happen. “But when they get an early goal it's always uphill back from there. But with that being said, we stuck with it. I thought in the second half we created some chances and looked a threat going forward. “I think you take big belief from that because not many teams can do that against Man City. So yeah, obviously disappointed but positive as always.” Cherries’ attacking threat was undermined by the cheapness of the goals they conceded to the current Premier League Champions. Hamed Traore’s loss of possession in his own half proved costly, with the Cherries defence unable to reset in time to prevent Julian Alvarez from converting the opener. Similarly, the 25-year-old will not like to watch the second goal back, with the defender bypassed by Nathan Ake’s throughball that saw Ilkay Gundogan peel off Mepham and find Phil Foden at the back stick, which eventually led to Erling Haaland powering home. Philip Billing did not cover himself in glory for the third, his misplaced pass allowing Foden to swoop in and score past Neto, before Mepham suffered the ignominy of an own goal, the defender unfortunate as his attempt to block Alvarez’s shot bounced into his own net. Discussing City’s ability to penalise opposition’s mistakes, Mepham restarted: “I think that's why they are where they are. “It doesn't take a lot for them to capitalise on something. “One split moment of not concentrating or someone being dragged out in the wrong position and you get punished. “And it felt like pretty much every big chance they had they scored and that's really frustrating. “But yeah, we'll review it and see where we are.”
Mohamed Elyounoussi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton ace Mohammed Elyounoussi insists there is ‘no question’ they can still survive #SAINTSFC

February 28, 2023
The Norwegian international remains confident despite admitting the match at Leeds United – in which Saints were beaten 1-0 – was “a big” occasion. Junior Firpo scored the only goal of the clash, which Saints legend Matt Le Tissier told the Daily Echo was a “proverbial six-pointer” last week, to leave the St Mary’s side rooted to the bottom. Ruben Selles must lead his charges from four points adrift if they are to survive after losing to the team in 19th and directly above them for the third time in 2023. READ MORE: Saints reportedly tracking Aberdeen forward after breakout debut season Prior defeats versus relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and Wolves under former boss Nathan Jones had already made the task a mammoth one in the club’s 11th consecutive top-flight campaign. Speaking to the Daily Echo, Elyounoussi said: “It’s disappointing, obviously. Disappointing from our point of view, obviously. I think it was a typical game, you could see two teams or two clubs fighting to stay in the Premier League. “Two teams who are breaking down the rhythm for each other. We couldn't really find a rhythm or composure with the ball, I think in the second half we looked better and then again they broke it and we did the same for them. So there weren't a lot of chances. And then when they did score it was soft from us.” Asked directly by the Daily Echo if he thinks Saints can still survive despite the costly concession in Yorkshire, Elyounoussi responded: “Absolutely, yeah, no question about it. “I strongly believe that with the squad we have, with the staff we have, I think we can do it. With the fans behind us, hopefully, they push us even more next weekend. “I think we're in the game the whole time. It’s always one goal deciding it, even if it’s our side,” he added, knowing it was the 10th time Saints have lost by the odd goal in the league this season.   “The only way to get those margins on our side is by earning it, we're there for every inch. It starts with the duels and our aggression and intensity without the ball, then a bit more composed with the ball when we have it. The only way to do it is by sticking together, now more than ever.” The defeat spoiled manager Selles’s first match as the permanent successor to Jones and, by extension, his own former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, having been appointed on Friday. Although Saints did defeat Chelsea in his game as interim, it is the third manager this season to fall foul of the same patterns of destruction. Elyounoussi insists the players take full responsibility. “We always do. I mean really, we always look at ourselves in the mirror. Me included. I am always looking at myself and asking what I could do better, before looking around us and the manager,” he said. “Ruben has come in and shown a lot of passion, and dedication. I think preparation was good but we couldn't put it out there, what we worked on, I think we could do a bit more. The occasion was a big one, but there are plenty more games to play. Next week is going to be huge as well.” Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email.
Ruben Selles
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Ruben Selles refutes claim that Southampton do not have bravery needed to survive #SAINTSFC

February 28, 2023
The St Mary’s side came unstuck once more when the pressure was on versus relegation rivals, following a 1-0 defeat at Leeds United on Saturday. It meant Saints have now lost to Nottingham Forest, Wolves and the Whites – who were all in 19th place at the time of facing – since the turn of the year. Over 30 per cent of the points Saints have picked up this season have come versus Chelsea, while a cup win over Manchester City was also seen as a potential turning point. The young outfit are capable of a top performance, with quality individuals throughout, but many have suggested they do not have the mental strength to handle the really big moments just yet. Selles, however, responds: “I will not talk about bravery. I will talk about solutions. So for me bravery is out of the question, I think our players have it. “The thing is that we didn't find the connections and didn't find the time to put players in the box. So when we arrive into the last third, it was sometimes too quick that we didn't give ourselves the time to travel together into the final third. “Because if we give the time for two or three passes, then we know we can arrive into the last third with more players and with more travel in the box,” he explains, assessing Saturday’s defeat at Elland Road. “But we were trying to be too direct for some moments. And when you're trying to be too direct, you can have a lucky shot. But then you don’t have the habit and that's what we need to repeat. “So we need to travel even more together with the ball and then we need to be even more compact in possession. I think it's never just one thing or the other thing. I think, during the first half, we missed some of the triggers that we were ready to attack and perhaps I didn't explain that well. So it's my own fault. “And we tried to adjust with the 4-2-3-1 at half-time and I think we grew into the second half. And when we conceded the goal it was at a good moment for us in the game. When we controlled more of the ball, we had more and we were more in possession and that goal changed the momentum, and we never came back.” Asked if the players need to brush off the crucial defeat as soon as possible, with Premier League action resuming with a televised meeting versus Leicester City at St Mary’s on Saturday, Selles delivered a poignant one-liner. “Well, you know negative emotions stay in your head three times longer than positive emotions, so I expect that to happen,” he said. Don't miss a moment with our Saints morning briefing email.