The wind of change swept through Super League last season as St Helens saw their four-year status as domestic top dogs brought to an end by Matt Peet’s resurgent Wigan and “reimagination” became the buzzword on everybody’s lips.
If Saints’ memorable World Club Challenge win over Penrith that kicked off the 2023 campaign did not exactly explode the sport’s established order, it certainly helped tilt its axis slightly more in the direction of the northern hemisphere.
The beginning of the sport’s long-term ‘strategic partnership’ with IMG, along with recent announcements of ground-breaking new broadcast deals with Sky and the BBC, has also fostered a real mood of optimism ahead of the 2024 campaign, which kicks off with the Hull derby at the MKM Stadium on Thursday night.
Yet the more things change, the more they stay the same. Saints and Wigan, the two giants from the west end of the so-called M62 corridor, appear more likely than ever to be wrestling for the top spot at the end of the season, underscoring their dominance of the domestic game.
At the other end of the table, London Broncos face the farcical situation of knowing their fate – relegation – before the first ball has been booted, an unfortunate consequence of the very IMG grading system that has been set up to support aspiring clubs from beyond the traditional heartlands.
They are timely reminders that it will take more than a magic wand to re-think the scope of a sport that even the biggest cynics of its partnership with IMG acknowledge requires radical change if it is to continue to thrive into future generations.
The upcoming season begins with plenty of tantalising talking points on the pitch, led by the strength of Saints’ response to being knocked off their perch as they prepare to start life without the talismanic James Roby.
Peet’s Wigan were clearly the best team in 2023 and they are arguably in even better shape for the defence of their trophy, having landed ex-Leeds Rhinos pair Kruise Leeming and Sam Walters as well as centre Adam Keighran from Catalans Dragons.
Their duel threatens to leave the others trailing, with last year’s Grand Final runners-up Catalans – shorn of their own talisman in Sam Tomkins following retirement – looking a little short of mustering a repeat performance in the south of France.
Leeds Rhinos are certainly heading the right direction, writing the biggest headline in the off-season with the signing of Salford’s former Man of Steel Brodie Croft, and while another play-off failure is unthinkable, Rohan Smith’s men require more time before they can truly be classed as contenders again.
Sam Burgess brings a mountain of unknowns into his first head coach role at Warrington, while plenty of questions can also be asked about the ability of Hull KR to build on their promising 2023 season in light of the unexpected exits of Jordan Abdull and assistant coach Danny McGuire.
Adrian Lam’s Leigh, more or less intact from their stunning first season back in the top flight, stand as good a chance as anyone else of muscling in on an end of season play-off berth, while Hull, Huddersfield and the post-Croft Salford can only realistically eye improvement.
Castleford hope the appointment of Craig Lingard, after so many seasons beating the odds at Championship Batley, can help them exceed pretty low-key expectations that have them simply holding off hapless London for 11th spot.
The Broncos, unfortunately, find themselves reduced to being collateral damage in the quest for change – dumped in a vicious circle that leaves them understandably reluctant to invest to give themselves a shot when they know that shot has already effectively been fired.
At the end of this coming campaign, irrespective of where they finish, and barring only an unlikely announcement of wholesale restructuring for 2025, London will be relegated, and replaced by the second-tier club that ticks the most boxes on the IMG scoresheet.
It is a bitter blow for a club that fought so brilliantly to win back-to-back play-off games against Featherstone and Toulouse, and one from which it begs the question whether rugby league in the capital will ever recover.
The Broncos plight serves as a timely reminder that for all the justifiable optimism and shared excitement in an IMG-driven future, there is an awful long way to go before rugby league can truly be said to have snared an expansive new audience.
Forget the M62 corridor, for all the talk of “reimagination” and expansion, the 2025 Super League season looks set to be played out within a contracted area of its traditional heartland: between the two giants straddling either end of the eight-mile long A571.
On this day in 2012, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez apologised for not shaking Manchester United defender Patrice Evra’s hand before the match on the previous day at Old Trafford.
The Uruguayan was banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Evra in October 2011 during a league game between the sides at Anfield in October.
Suarez had been expected to shake hands with the defender but failed to do so and prompted an angry reaction.
“I have spoken with the manager (Kenny Dalglish) since the game at Old Trafford and I realise I got things wrong,” Suarez said in a statement.
“I’ve not only let him down but also the club and what it stands for and I’m sorry. I made a mistake and I regret what happened.
“I should have shaken Patrice Evra’s hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions.
“I would like to put this whole issue behind me and concentrate on playing football.”
Suarez scored in a 2-1 defeat for Liverpool, with Evra appearing to taunt him by celebrating next to him at the end of the game.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre claimed Suarez had misled the club after the striker indicated he would shake hands with Evra ahead of the game.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described Suarez as “a disgrace” while Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor branded the striker’s conduct as “disrespectful, inappropriate and embarrassing”.
United responded to the statement on their club website saying they accepted Liverpool’s apologies and expressed a desire to “move on”.
Three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has labelled Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid the “best of all time” and said he will be back to attempt a Super Bowl three-peat next year.
Mahomes led his team to a 25-22 victory in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, collecting his third ring, after he threw the match-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman Jr in overtime.
After the game he thanked his coach who he said “knows when to call those plays at the right time”.
Mahomes said: “He’s one of the best coaches of all time, I believe he is the best coach of all time.
“I know he didn’t have the trophies yet, and I have a lot of respect for some of those great coaches, but the way he is able to navigate every single team he has, continue to have success no matter where he is at.
“For me, he brings out the best in me because he lets me be me. He doesn’t try to make me anyone else, I don’t think I would be the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach.”
Mahomes said he will celebrate and then “do whatever I can to be back in this game next year”.
“I think Tom (Brady) said it best, once you win that championship and you have those parades and you get those rings, you’re not the champ anymore.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said going back-to-back was “surreal”.
“I got asked so many times it is a dynasty? I don’t know what a dynasty is,” he said.
“But it’s a great win because I know hard it is to do, and then how hard the season was, the ups and downs of the season, and how proud I am of the guys for hanging with each other, staying positive with each other.
“They’re passionate players and I love that.”
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the team is “hurting”.
“If I am going to lose with a group of guys, I’d do it with those guys anytime and we’ll take some time, we’ll get over this and come back next year ready to go.
“That was the toughest defence we have been against this year, we knew it going into the game, that is a good group. We had our chances and needed to score a couple of touchdowns and we didn’t but I was happy with (quarterback) Brock (Purdy).”
Jayson Tatum just missed a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the Boston Celtics held off a late comeback attempt by the Miami Heat in Sunday's 110-106 victory that extended their winning streak to four games.
Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points and nine rebounds to help Boston defeat Miami for the third time in as many meetings this season. The Heat ousted the Celtics in seven games in last season's Eastern Conference finals.
Miami had a two-game winning streak snapped and was playing without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who is away from the team due to the death of a family member. The Heat also lost starting guard Terry Rozier to a knee injury in the third quarter.
Porzingis had 16 first-half points as Boston took a 59-50 lead into the break, and the Celtics were up by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and owned a seemingly comfortable 94-82 advantage with 9 1/2 minutes left to play.
The Heat then went on a 10-2 run to get back in it, however, and later cut their deficit to two when Tyler Herro drilled a 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining that trimmed Boston's lead to 106-104.
Miami came up empty on its next two possessions, though, and Porzingis and Tatum combined to go 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the late stages to put the game away.
Herro scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Heat, who also received 22 points and 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams carry Thunder past Kings
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 38 points and Jalen Williams chipped in 32 as the Oklahoma City Thunder got back on track with a 127-113 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Both players had hot shooting performances to help the Thunder bounce back from consecutive road losses to Utah and Dallas and move a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for first place in the Western Conference. Gilgeous-Alexander finished 15 of 26 from the field while adding seven assists, while Williams was 13 of 20 to go along with nine rebounds.
The duo also recorded 19 first-half points each, with Williams producing eight during a 12-0 run that turned a tied game into a 41-29 Oklahoma City lead four minutes into the second quarter.
Oklahoma City took a 67-57 advantage into half-time before pulling away further in the third quarter, building a lead as large as 24 points.
Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists for his 17th triple-double of the season, two more than Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić for the NBA lead.
Malik Monk had 26 points off the bench for the Kings, who have now lost three of their last four games. De'Aaron Fox finished with 15 points but was held to 6-of-17 shooting.
J.T. Miller scored the deciding goal with 4.8 seconds remaining in overtime as the Vancouver Canucks stopped a two-game losing streak with Sunday's 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Washington Capitals.
Miller took advantage of a giveaway from Capitals centre Connor McMichael in the Washington zone with time winding down, as the veteran forward fired the resulting loose puck past goaltender Darcy Kuemper to enable the Western Conference leaders to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.
The Canucks twice overcame one-goal deficits to prevail, including a 2-1 hole created when Caps legend Alex Ovechkin's shot deflected off a Vancouver skater and past goaltender Thatcher Demko 7:37 into the second period.
Vancouver answered just over a minute later, however, when Nils Hoglander beat Kuemper on a backhand attempt.
The Canucks also trailed early as Nic Dowd gave Washington a quick 1-0 lead just 1:08 in, though Vancouver's Connor Garland came through with the equaliser with just under nine minutes to go in the first period.
Ovechkin now has a goal in five straight games after recording just eight over his first 40 outings of the season, though the Capitals still lost for the seventh time in eight games as Demko came up with 31 saves.
Kuemper ended with 26 saves for Washington.
Krug's five assists help Blues blow out Canadiens
The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, continued their strong recent stretch by rolling to a 7-2 rout of the Montreal Canadiens behind Torey Krug's five assists and four points from Robert Thomas.
Thomas finished with a goal and three assists and Jordan Kyrou had two goals to help the Blues to their seventh win in eight games. St. Louis also received goals from Alexey Toropchenko, Colton Parayko, Nathan Walker and Jake Neighbours as well as 30 saves from Jordan Binnington.
The Blues led virtually from start to finish, as Toropchenko opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the game. Parayko's blast from near the blue line that got past Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen extended the lead to 2-0 with just 5:05 elapsed, and Kyrou later scored on a power play after Montreal's Nick Suzuki's goal to send St. Louis into the first intermission ahead by a 3-1 score.
Walker's second-period goal and Thomas' power-play conversion increased the margin to 5-1 just 31 seconds into the third period.
Joel Armia got Montreal a bit closer when he redirected teammate David Savard's shot past Binnington 3:06 into the third, but Neighbours scored on a power play just over four minutes later for a 6-2 St. Louis advantage.
Krug's fifth assist came on Kyrou's goal with 4:27 left to play. The defenseman tied a franchise single-game record most recently achieved by Thomas on April 14, 2022.
Allen recorded 29 saves in Montreal's sixth loss in its last eight games, while Suzuki's goal extended his point streak to seven games.
The Kansas City Chiefs have become back-to-back Super Bowl winners for the first time in 20 years with a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Needing a field goal to extend the game or a touchdown to win, Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes orchestrated the match-winning drive to end the game with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman Jr.
The 49ers were leading by three in overtime after they opted for a field goal to go ahead 22-19, but were unable to get the decisive stop.
It was the second time in NFL history a Super Bowl went to overtime and the first post-season game decided under the league’s new overtime rules.
Mahomes finished with 333 throwing yards, two touchdowns and 66 running yards, while 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 255 yards with one touchdown.
The only points in the first quarter came through kicker Jake Moody, who made Super Bowl history with the longest made field goal at 55 yards.
Disaster struck 49ers’ linebacker Dre Greenlaw early in the second quarter when he went down with a suspected Achilles injury while running onto the field and was immediately ruled out of the game.
But not long after, a special trick-play led to the first touchdown of the game, with Purdy passing across field to wide-receiver Jauan Jennings before he threw a pass to Christian McCaffrey who ran through to the endzone untouched.
The 49ers restricted Travis Kelce to just one touch for one yard in the first half and sacked Mahomes twice, with the 49ers ahead 10-3 at halftime.
Alicia Keys, Lil John and Ludacris joined Usher during the half-time performance, while Taylor Swift was among celebrities including Blake Lively, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Jay Z watching from the stands.
As play resumed, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker broke Moody’s Super Bowl record with a 57-yard field goal before a fumble error gave the Chiefs a huge chance for their first touchdown.
Mahomes found wide-receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 16-yard touchdown pass to take the lead for the first time in the game late in the third quarter.
However the 49ers hit back – with Purdy finding Jennings this time to score his own touchdown – however the bonus point was blocked, giving the 49ers a three-point lead with 11 minutes left.
A field goal to Butker tied the game once again, before Moody struck back to give the 49ers the lead again with less than two minutes left.
However, Butker finished regulation time with a field goal with six seconds left to tie the game 19-19.
Nick Taylor rode a late surge to secure his fifth PGA Tour title in the second hole of a playoff against Charley Hoffman at the WM Phoenix Open.
The Canadian birdied three of his final four holes on Sunday to force the playoff against America’s Hoffman, who soared to the top of the leaderboard with a fourth-round score of 64.
After each man birdied the first extra hole, Hoffman left his birdie attempt short, leaving the window open for Taylor to sink a birdie putt from 11 feet and clinch the title.
It closed out what had been a frantic final day with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel earlier exchanging angry words with spectators.
Johnson was filmed remonstrating with fans at TPC Scottsdale and could be heard telling them “I’m sick of it” before demanding they “just shut up”.
It was not apparent from the clip, which was posted on social media, what prompted the former US Ryder Cup captain to lose his temper.
In a separate incident, Horschel was seen remonstrating with a spectator for calling out while one of his playing partners, qualifier Nicolo Galletti, was about to hit a shot.
“Buddy, when he’s over a shot shut the hell up man,” Horschel shouted.
“He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here – it’s our f****** job.”
The WM Phoenix Open is easily the best attended tournament in golf, but the behaviour of some fans has again attracted more attention than the golf itself.
One man was arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the par-three 16th, where he proceeded to perform ‘snow angels’ in the sand.
Tournament officials were forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.
Former BMW PGA Championship winner Byeong Hun An took to social media to brand the event a “shit show” which was “totally out of control on every hole”.
He added: “Played here multiple times over the years and it was fine until today.”
AC Milan’s unbeaten start to the year in Serie A continued with a 1-0 victory over Napoli at the San Siro.
Scudetto champions Napoli have failed to match the form which saw them win the title last season and were beaten by Theo Hernandez’s first-half strike.
The France international latched onto Rafael Leao’s through ball and fired into the bottom corner to secure Milan a sixth win in seven league games.
Fiorentina snapped a three-game winless run with a crushing 5-1 victory over Frosinone.
The hosts were out of sight by half-time through goals from Andrea Belotti, Jonathan Ikone and Lucas Martinez.
Nicolas Gonzalez made it four eight minutes into the second half and Antonin Barak completed the rout after Luca Mazzitelli’s brilliant free-kick had pulled one back for Frosinone.
Bologna’s quest for European football continued in style with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Lecce.
Sam Beukema put the hosts 1-0 up before Riccardo Orsolini bagged a brace and Jens Odgaard added a fourth with eight minutes to go to give Bologna back-to-back wins.
Atalanta earned a fourth consecutive Serie A win with a 4-1 triumph over Genoa.
Charles De Ketelaere opened the scoring in the 22nd minute but Ruslan Malinovskyi levelled things up in the second half.
However, Genoa were not level for long as Teun Koopmeiners fired Atalanta back in front and stoppage-time goals from Davide Zappacosta and El Bilal Toure made it 4-1.
Hellas Verona picked up a vital point in their fight for survival with a goalless draw at Monza.
In LaLiga, Barcelona slipped 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid after twice coming from behind to draw 3-3 with Granada.
Lamine Yamal’s opener was cancelled out by Ricard Sanchez two minutes before the break and Granada took the lead in the second half when on-loan Manchester United midfielder Facundo Pellistri bundled into an empty net at the back post.
Robert Lewandowski crashed in his 15th goal of the campaign on the hour but Granada regained the lead three minutes later, only for 16-year-old Yamal to rescue a point for Barcelona with 10 minutes to go.
Sevilla pulled six points clear of the relegation places with a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, who also lost further ground in the title race.
The winner came in the 15th minute when Lucas Ocampos flicked a header on for Isaac Romero to nod in at the back post.
Rayo Vallecano slipped to a fourth defeat in five as Vedat Muriqi scored a last-minute winner to earn Mallorca a 2-1 win, while Jaime Mata also left it late to snatch Getafe a dramatic 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo.
In Ligue 1, Denis Zakaria scored twice as Monaco moved a point behind second-placed opponents Nice with a 3-2 victory.
Zakaria put Monaco in front with a 30-yard screamer before Gaetan Laborde equalised, but the Swiss midfielder bagged his second of the night five minutes after the break.
Nice’s hopes of taking anything from the game diminished when Dante was handed a straight red card for a late challenge on Takumi Minamino.
But Evann Guessand did manage to level, only for Aleksandr Golovin to nick a winner.
Fourth-placed Brest were held to a 1-1 draw by rock-bottom Clermont Foot as both sides were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages.
Lyon came from behind to beat Montpellier 2-1 and earn a second successive win as second-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Maxence Caqueret cancelled out Armaud Nordin’s opener.
Goals from Mohamed Bamba and Tiemoue Bakayoko boosted Lorient’s survival hopes as they ran out 2-0 winners over Reims.
Nantes moved above opponents Toulouse with a 2-1 victory after goals from Mostafa Mohamed and Tino Kadewere put them two up before Thijs Dallinga scored a consolation late on.
Benjamin Bourigeaud struck on the hour to give Rennes earned a fifth straight win – 1-0 over Le Havre.
In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart kept their bid for Champions League football on course with a 3-1 win against Mainz.
Maximilian Mittelstadt, Jamie Leweling and on-loan Brighton striker Deniz Undav gave the hosts a commanding three-goal lead before Ludovic Ajorque grabbed a consolation as Mainz slipped to an 11th game without a win.
Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric snatched a last-gasp equaliser to cancel out Max Finkgrafe’s 79th-minute opener to deny Cologne three vital points in their survival bid as the two sides drew 1-1.
Three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty qualified fastest for the 100 metres breaststroke final at the World Championships in Doha.
Peaty, who was absent from the championships in 2022 with a foot injury and also missed out last year after stepping away from the sport to prioritise his mental health, clocked a time of 58.60 seconds to reach Monday’s final.
“I feel good,” the 29-year-old said.
“My objective for this meet was to progress through the rounds, progress physically and in results, but also progress mentally and see what strategies are working, what isn’t working.
“It’s more of a test event for us, but obviously we’re going to put our best foot forward and put a good fight on.
“After the heats I was like, ‘OK, I know what I’m working with and I know what I’m capable of’.
“But tonight was just about going out there, showing a little bit of Adam Peaty, getting a little bit angry with myself like I normally do. Tonight I showed that I can still get it down that back end when I really need to.”
Great Britain’s men finished fourth in the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay behind China, Italy and the United States, but the quartet of Jacob Whittle, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Matt Richards qualified for an Olympic quota spot with their performance in the heats.
Teenage star Lamine Yamal rescued a point for Barcelona in a thrilling 3-3 draw against LaLiga strugglers Granada.
Yamal, who became the youngest scorer in the competition’s history against the same opposition earlier this season, curled home his second goal of the game 10 minutes from time to deny the visitors their first away win of the campaign.
The 16-year-old had opened the scoring in the first half, but Granada equalised through Ricard Sanchez just before the interval and Facundo Pellistri made it 2-1 on the hour mark before Robert Lewandowski levelled moments later.
A third goal in the space of six minutes from Ignasi Miquel restored Granada’s lead as they belied their lowly place in the table, only for Yamal to have the last word with a brilliant solo effort.
Yamal had come close to setting up Lewandowski for the opening goal before breaking the deadlock himself seconds later, volleying home at the far post from Joao Cancelo’s cross.
Myrto Uzuni attempted to get Granada back on level terms in spectacular fashion but failed to make contact with an overhead kick after 18 minutes, while Oscar Melendo’s follow-up shot blocked.
The home side looked certain to regain their lead shortly before the interval when Ilkay Gundogan squared for Lewandowski with the goal seemingly at his mercy, but the 35-year-old’s shot was brilliantly cleared off the line by Martin Hongla.
And Granada made the most of that reprieve in the 43rd minute when Pellistri drove to the byline before pulling the ball back for Sanchez to drill a first-time finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Barcelona coach Xavi had used his pre-match press conference to herald the “great news” that Ter Stegen was fit to play for the first time since November following back surgery, but the Germany international will be disappointed to have been beaten at his near post.
Pellistri and Sanchez continued to cause problems for Barca in the second half and it was no surprise that the former gave his side the lead on the hour mark.
Pau Cubarsi’s poor header from a hopeful cross into the box fell perfectly for Uzuni to send the ball back across goal and give Pellistri the simple task of turning it into an empty net.
The lead lasted just two minutes before Lewandowski rifled in an equaliser from the edge of the area after a delightful lay-off from Gundogan, but Miquel then headed home from Faitout Maouassa’s cross to stun the home crowd.
Fermin Lopez had a goal correctly ruled out for offside before Yamal had the final word,
dispossessing Jose Callejon before curling a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.
Singing sensation Stevie Mulrooney was praised by Andy Farrell following his rousing rendition of Ireland’s Call ahead of Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations match with Italy in Dublin.
Eight-year-old Mulrooney went viral thanks to a passionate performance on the pitch in front of almost 52,000 spectators at a sold-out Aviva Stadium.
The schoolboy from Kilkenny sprang to prominence singing the rugby anthem on RTE’s Late Late Toy Show, before being invited to perform at Ireland’s opening home match of the championship by flanker Josh van der Flier.
He had to wait for his moment in the spotlight as Jennifer Dalton performed the Italian anthem and Amhran na bhFiann before stealing the show to catch the eye of Ireland boss Farrell and thousands of television viewers.
“Oh wow. I tell you, I was actually saying before the game, I was just watching him the whole time,” said Farrell, whose side won 36-0.
“I didn’t know whether he was standing with his mother or not but when I realised the other lady (Dalton) was not his mother and was singing the national anthem for the Italians… his confidence was amazing and I actually thought ‘I wish our lads are going to be like that’.
“He’s got his shoulders back, he was ready.
“He was waving to the crowd, stood there on his own. I thought: ‘this kid’s got it all’.
“He was amazing. He nailed it, didn’t he? It was a great start.”
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino repeated his call for patience as his inexperienced squad look to find their feet in the Premier League.
The Argentinian takes his side to Crystal Palace on Monday evening searching for a win which would lift the Blues into the top half of the table.
Hopes that the players might finally be ready to live up to the expectation raised by having a £1billion first-team squad were ignited by last Wednesday’s 3-1 victory at Aston Villa in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.
But in the league there has been little cause for optimism, with the most recent outing – last weekend’s 4-2 home defeat to Wolves, which saw angry supporters turn on Pochettino and his team – representing the low point so far of a turbulent campaign.
A win at Selhurst Park against Roy Hodgson’s men would be just their 10th of the season in 24 league games.
Pochettino said his team – on average the youngest in the top flight – will require more time than they have yet been given following the arrival of 12 new faces last summer.
“I’m not picking the team because they are young,” he said. “I don’t want to be the coach that picks the youngest team in England.
“We are a young team. We have a good balance. We have Thiago Silva who is 39, we have Raheem Sterling (29), we have (Christopher) Nkunku (26), and (Axel) Disasi (25). The problem is not that they are young. The problem is that the team is young.
“We had (many) players that arrived new at the beginning of the season. You need to build a team. Always I talk about the team, it’s not about if you have 20 or 19-year-olds. We need to be consistent like a team.
“At the moment we have maybe not so good (balance), because we would be in another position.”
The defeat to Wolves brought the first signs of Chelsea fans’ patience with the former Tottenham manager being tested.
There was audible discontent aimed at Pochettino directly, while players were also booed and supporters sang the name of former owner Roman Abramovich.
The 51-year-old is not the only one under scrutiny, with Palace manager Hodgson also in the spotlight as his side sink down the table with just two wins in their last 12 games, but Pochettino has backed the 76-year-old to handle the pressure.
“It’s part of the game, it’s football,” the Blues boss said. “He has the experience to manage every situation. It’ll be good to see him, for sure we’re going to share a nice time together.
“We are not interested to talk about things that happen around us.”
Nathan Ake recognises Manchester City are now in a powerful position thanks to the return to form and fitness of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
City have won their last 10 matches in all competitions and are gathering a momentum that could be ominous for their rivals as they bid to repeat their glorious treble of last year.
Their current run started without the influence of the talismanic pairing of De Bruyne and Haaland as both nursed injuries.
Yet both are now back in business, as seen in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Everton in which Haaland scored both and De Bruyne created one, and City are looking tough to stop.
Defender Ake said: “We know how good both of them are and when Kevin came on, straight away he looked for Erling. They looked for each other.
“It’s massive that they’re both fit, both ready to go and it’s good to see that we’re doing well.
“It’s just a lift to see everyone back – we haven’t had that for a while – especially the players who can make differences in tight games like this. It’s massive for us.”
De Bruyne missed most of the first half of the season following hamstring surgery but has been eased back into action over the past month.
Ake is surprised how well the Belgian playmaker has hit the ground running.
The Dutchman said: “If you’re out for five or six months normally it takes you a little bit of time but straight away he’s been ready to go, from the first moment.
“I think everyone expected to have to give him a bit of time but he’s been training really well in the gym, he’s worked really hard. You could see on the pitch straight away he was ready.”
Haaland broke the deadlock in a tight game against Everton with a ruthless finish when a rebound fell his way in the 70th minute. He then wrapped up the win after being played in by De Bruyne five minutes from time.
They were his first goals since November having spent two months on the sidelines with a foot problem.
Ake said: “He’s so quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. Out of nothing he can score and in those spaces one versus one it’s very difficult to stop him.”
Manager Pep Guardiola feels De Bruyne and Haaland add an extra layer to a side that was already impressing him.
He said: “These guys have special qualities. They have ability in final third to create something that is not in the statistics, not in the books, in genius managers. To have them for 90 minutes or even 30 or 45 minutes, it is better.
“That is not going to undermine what all their mates have done. We have a team with huge personalities in difficult moments. Otherwise we would not be here again and again.”
Cancer survivor Sebastien Haller inspired hosts Ivory Coast to their third Africa Cup of Nations title with a late winner to seal a 2-1 comeback win over Nigeria in Abidjan.
Five of the last six host nations to reach the final had won the AFCON title, but the Ivory Coast’s appearance in this edition at one point looked unlikely, their 4-0 group-stage defeat to Equatorial Guinea leading to the mid-tournament sacking of Jean-Louis Gasset.
The resurgent Elephants, who under caretaker boss Emerse Fae earned the nickname ‘the Zombies’, fell behind when Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong headed in a 38th-minute opener against the run of play, but it was cancelled out by Franck Kessie in the second half.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Haller, who in July 2022 was diagnosed with testicular cancer and returned to action with Borussia Dortmund just over a year ago, found the finishing touch to send the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium into raptures.
Former West Ham striker Haller looked to fire his side into an early lead when he flicked Simon Adingra’s cross wide of Stanley Nwabali’s right post, and, while the Elephants did not make much of a handful of early set-pieces, the hosts controlled more of the opening action than their more cautious opponents.
Max Gradel, playing in his fifth AFCON, sent a bicycle kick from the Ivory Coast’s third corner into the side-netting, and there were little in the way of chances for Nigeria by just after the 25-minute mark, when a brief scuffle ensued after Victor Osimhen insisted he had been unduly elbowed by Evan Ndicka.
Nigeria boss Jose Peseiro was booked for a subsequent protest before temperatures and tempers were cooled with a drinks break.
The Super Eagles, seeking a fourth AFCON title, took an unlikely lead not long after Adingra called Nwabali into action with a sharp effort, when at the other end the Elephants could only half-clear a corner and ex-Watford defender Troost-Ekong looped his header past Yahia Fofana.
There was a nervy moment for Nigeria just after the break, when Nwabali stuck a hand out to block Adingra’s cross, but the clearance travelled only as far as Gradel, whose shot stung the legs of Calvin Bassey and allowed time for the Nigeria keeper to make the save.
Kessie was next to push for an equaliser, sending a diving header straight at Nwabali, moments before the Nigeria shot-stopper pushed Odilon Kossounou’s effort around his post.
The home crowd erupted when the hosts levelled with the resulting corner, Nigeria gifting Kessie a free header which he obligingly directed downward and past Nwabali.
Haller sent an overhead kick wide of the left post, while there looked worrying news for Nigeria when star striker Osimhen seemed to be in pain, landing awkwardly after battling Seko Fofana for the ball.
Though he had not succeeded with his earlier acrobatic effort, Haller succeeded in the 81st minute, when he diverted in Adingra’s fine cross with a raised toe, securing both the trophy and his own national-hero status.
The hosts survived seven minutes of added time, clinging on for the nervy but well-deserved victory.
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