1. De Zerbi: Spurs ‘have to play, have to fight’ at Villa Park
Roberto De Zerbi has ruled Dominic Solanke out of Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa and is unsure whether the striker will feature again in Tottenham’s battle against relegation. But the manager will not cry over his absence or the broader injury situation, which will deprive him of at least eight others, insisting victory over Villa would not be a “miracle” and doubling down on his belief that the club will stay up.
De Zerbi’s first Spurs win in his third game with them – the 1-0 victory at Wolves last Saturday, which was the team’s first in 16 in the Premier League – was marred by the loss of Solanke to a hamstring problem and Xavi Simons to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
De Zerbi reported that Guglielmo Vicario was still out while he did not make it sound as though James Maddison would be able to play at Villa, albeit the midfielder would again be among the substitutes for his leadership qualities. On the upside, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr should return to the squad. The other injured players are Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert.
The message from De Zerbi remained clear: he has no time for excuses, hard-luck stories or conspiracy theories. It was purely about focusing on the available players and remembering how talented they were.
“The most important challenge now is to silence the voice inside of us, inside the players, the staff and the fans,” De Zerbi said. “This voice can produce negative thoughts. The voice says: ‘We are unlucky, we have too many injuries, we lost Xavi Simons – one of our best players in the last two games – our medical staff is not good enough, the pitch of the stadium is not good, the pitch of the training ground is not good. It is impossible to win two or three games in a row because we have not won too many games in 2026.’
“It is all negative things. And it is rubbish. If Tottenham win in Villa Park, it is not a miracle. We have the quality to win. If Solanke and Xavi are injured, we can play with [Randal] Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel, Richarlison and they are not worse players. They are different as characters but are very good players. We have Pedro Porro, we have Udogie, we have Micky van de Ven, we have [Rodrigo] Bentancur, we have Palhinha, we have [Conor] Gallagher.
“I have heard: ‘It is impossible, we are crying and we are relegated.’ But no. Not yet. We have to die on the pitch and to die on the pitch, we have to lose the game. Before we lose the game we have to play, we have to fight. It is a tough moment but the losers cry. The losers think negative. I don’t want people close to me crying or thinking in different way to me.”
De Zerbi was asked whether Solanke was out for the season. “I don’t know yet,” he said. “For Villa, no, for sure. And then we will see.” Vicario’s continued absence after a hernia operation means that Antonin Kinsky, one of the heroes at Wolves, will keep his place in goal. David Hytner
2. Slot expects Isak and Wirtz to make an impact
Arne Slot expects the improving form of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to drive Liverpool forward after seeing significant contributions recently.
The two most expensive signings in the club’s history – costing a combined £241m – have had largely underwhelming first seasons due to Isak’s ongoing injury problems and Wirtz’s struggles adapting to the physicality of the Premier League. But the pair both scored in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace and look set to start their fourth successive match together at Manchester United on Sunday, which is their longest run of the campaign.
Slot accepts the new arrivals have had their difficulties, not helped by an underperforming team around them, but in the last month has seen glimpses that both are finally starting to find their feet. “Converting chances into goals is something we haven’t done very well throughout this whole season but one of the players [Isak] we always thought could score goals for us was hardly available,” said Slot.
“Last week you could see it was a chance but it wasn’t the biggest chance we’ve had this season and he finished that one off really well by scoring the 1-0 and scoring a goal which is vital in football as it sets you in the right direction. Happy to have Alex back. I think there are some other players that haven’t scored the amount of goals that I think they are able to, or they have shown in the past they are able to, and that will go back to normal in a certain moment and the sooner the better.”
Wirtz would come into that category with seven goals and 10 assists – none of which have come against Premier League opposition currently occupying European places – representing a lower-than-expected return for a £116m player hailed as a generational talent when he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen.
“For me the development Florian has made throughout his Liverpool career, which has only been 10 months, is so clear and obvious,” added Slot. “In the 93rd minute against Crystal Palace making a duel on the sideline, winning a throw-in and then making a sprint from 40 yards and hitting the ball in the top corner – that is something I am not completely convinced he could do the same eight months ago. That improvement will only continue as he is only 22. Almost every player in the world is at his best when he is 25, 26 but he is already an elite player now and he can only become better.” PA Media
3. Liverpool clash a ‘different ball game’, says Carrick
Michael Carrick says Manchester United’s meeting with Liverpool on Sunday is a “different ball game”, irrespective of where the clubs stand in the table.
United are third on 61 points, three points and one place ahead of their weekend opponents, with both sides a long way off the leaders Arsenal. One of English football’s biggest fixtures is lacking in lustre, but Carrick insists any clash between the country’s two most successful clubs remains a big draw.
“The league position is what it is, but Sunday’s a whole different ball game,” said United’s interim manager. “We are fully aware of the situation in the league and how close it is between us, but that’s not something really we’ve focused on going into this game. It’s a one-off, they’ve got some terrific players, they’re a good team, they won the league last year, and we respect that.
“It’s one of my favourite games – a standout,” added Carrick, who faced Liverpool multiple times during his 12 years as a United player. “There’s big games and big rivalries that we have with other teams, but this one is right up there in the history between us, the ups and downs that have produced excitement and entertainment. And the emotion, which is a huge part of it. It makes it a really special game.
“Irrespective of league positions, over the years of who’s been on top, it’s never really changed the feeling and the emotion and what it means to the supporters. Obviously to come out on top is one of the best feelings you’ll get.” Jamie Jackson
4. Pereira: Forest may need 43 points to stay up
Vítor Pereira has predicted Nottingham Forest may need a record 43 points to avoid relegation from the Premier League and joked that tuning into their rivals’ matches is enough to put him off his food. The Forest head coach has told his revitalised squad they must be ready to fight until the final minute of the season, despite establishing a five-point buffer to 18th-placed Tottenham with four games remaining.
Pereira’s side are unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions after victory over Aston Villa in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday but the Portuguese believes Forest may need to eclipse West Ham’s 42 points in 2003, the highest tally to culminate in top-flight relegation. Asked if Forest may require 43 points to avoid the drop, Pereira replied: “I believe [so]. That’s why we need to be mentally ready to compete until the last minute of the last game. I don’t know how many points [we will need] because I think this season, it will be a special season in terms of points to avoid relegation. It is better to try to win every game, not wait for other results.”
Forest face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday hoping to maintain momentum and stretch their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. West Ham visit Brentford on Saturday and Tottenham travel to Aston Villa on Sunday but Pereira has said he will not be consumed by rivals’ results. “Do they play [at] lunchtime or dinner time?” Pereira said of the weekend fixtures. “Because if they play at lunchtime, and I watch the game, maybe I won’t have a good lunch. [I will have] indigestion. I cannot suffer the results of the other teams. I prefer to have a good lunch. I prefer to have a good dinner.” Ben Fisher
5. Troubled Chelsea ‘can still attract top managers’
Calum McFarlane insists the Blues remain an attractive club for prospective managers despite their latest turbulent campaign. The interim manager is in his second spell as stand-in manager this season after Liam Rosenior’s sacking on 22 April. Rosenior lasted just 106 days after arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, whose 18-month reign ended in January following hints of a lack of support from Chelsea’s hierarchy.
Chelsea’s BlueCo owners are searching for their sixth permanent manager since buying the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. The club have had eight managers in the past 10 years, excluding interims, leaving Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali with a potential perception problem as they seek to lure a new manager to Stamford Bridge.
But McFarlane, who has led Chelsea to the FA Cup final against Manchester City on 16 May, is adamant his club remain a tempting proposition for top managers. “I don’t think I have to sell that in all honesty, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, with a great history of winning,” he said. “We’ve got some unbelievable players, some of the best players in the world, great training facilities. You’ve got everything you could want.”
Chelsea have been linked with Bournemouth’s outgoing Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, among others. But their hopes of luring a quality replacement for Rosenior will be hindered if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
McFarlane’s side are eighth in the Premier League, with only the top five guaranteed to reach Europe’s elite club competition.
The Blues are 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with just four games left, starting with Monday’s home fixture against Nottingham Forest. “We just have to keep winning our games. The mood has been lifted after a recent run of losses,” McFarlane said.
After reports of disharmony among Chelsea’s squad during Rosenior’s reign, McFarlane said Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella and João Pedro going to watch tennis in Madrid this week showed the team are still united. “It says a lot of the group that they go away together. I love that they spend time together,” he said. “They went to Madrid to watch tennis, I don’t see an issue. It is positive sign for the unity of the group.” AFP
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