Jonny Hayes believes Aberdeen can take inspiration from last season as they bid to belatedly spark their cinch Premiership campaign into life.

The Dons are currently ninth in the table with just three wins from their 11 games as they adapt to juggling the demands of domestic matters with competing in the Europa Conference League.

However, Hayes is not alarmed by their current predicament as he recalls how they ended up finishing third last term – despite being seventh in early February following a poor run that cost previous boss Jim Goodwin his job.

“There’s still a long time,” said the veteran wide player. “If you look at last season, we can take confidence from that.

“We weren’t in a great place around January time, we slipped down the league, but we still managed to come good and put a run together.

“Regardless of where we are in November, we know if we hit a bit of form and put a run together we can still compete and qualify for Europe next season.”

The Dons host Rangers on Sunday – three weeks prior to their Hampden rematch in the Viaplay Cup final – but Hayes is adamant they are not feeling any extra pressure as a result of their poor start to the league campaign.

Despite being ninth, and having lost their last match 6-0 away to Celtic, they are still within seven points of third-placed St Mirren.

“I think if you get towards March-April time, you want to make sure you’re at the right end of the table, but there’s still a long way to go,” he said.

“You want to win every game, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think we’re getting overly concerned with league positions considering how tight it is. If you’re playing in cup competitions and Europe, and the league is tight it can be of benefit because you know you’re not going to lose too much ground.

“But regardless of whether you’re first or ninth, you’re going out to try and win every game no matter who you’re playing.

“You look more at the league table towards the end of the season, that’s when you’re maybe under a bit more pressure to win games to survive, qualify for Europe or win the league, whatever it may be that you’re trying to do.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists he would stay at the club even if they were relegated to League One should they be found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.

City’s fate has been brought back into focus following Everton’s 10-point deduction last week, but Guardiola insists the two cases are completely separate.

The Toffees were docked 10 points for breaching rules over a three-year period, while City are awaiting a ruling after being charged in February with more than 100 alleged breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations between 2009 and 2018. The club denies all the charges.

Asked whether there could be any severity of punishment which would make him consider his position, Guardiola replied: “It’s a good question. I will answer when I have the sentence.

“You are questioning like we have been punished. And in the moment we are innocent until guilt is proven. I know the people want it. I know, I feel it. I will wait.

“Wait and see it and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it. But absolutely I will not consider my future (if) it depends (on) being here or being in League One. Absolutely.

“There is more chance to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.”

Guardiola claims people have already decided that City are guilty and are already clamouring for them to be relegated, especially after the severity of Everton’s punishment.

“I know when people are saying, ‘OK, City, why don’t they go to the Conference?’ Wait. Wait,” he said.

“And after what’s going to happen is going to happen.

“When you read [what is said] then we should be relegated, relegated, relegated, yeah, of course, but nobody knows exactly. All the people who say that didn’t read the statements, don’t know exactly what happened. Not even myself, I didn’t read all the breaches, I didn’t read our defence.

“But wait. What I said a month ago – OK, if we’ve done something wrong we’ll be punished. But wait – we can defend ourselves can’t we?

“What people accuse us of we do not agree with what they say, we are going to defend [ourselves] and after the resolution is done, I will be here, like a spokesman for my club.

“I want to say the case for Everton, and I don’t know what happened, but only I know from the lawyers and people at my club and the lawyers is that they are completely different cases. That’s why you cannot compare because every case is completely different.

“The other one is longer because it is more complicated because it’s 115 breaches. So wait. Then after with the lawyers from both sides present their cases in front of the judge and the verdict and after I will say in front of you and you can ask me the question.”

The topic overshadowed the build-up to one of the blockbusting Premier League fixtures as City welcome rivals Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.

Guardiola hopes that Erling Haaland is fit after he withdrew from international duty with Norway with an injury, but there are several other injury concerns.

“He trained yesterday with some niggles, today we train and hope he can be part of it,” Guardiola said.

“We have a few problems like many clubs, we’ll see after our last training sessions, we’ll see.

“I will know at 6pm who we have available, it’s always plan A.”

Nick Montgomery expressed “pride” in Jair Tavares over the way the Portuguese winger has seized his second chance at Hibernian after being frozen out under previous boss Lee Johnson.

The 22-year-old spoke this week of the “mental devastation” he endured over his lack of game time following his move to the cinch Premiership club from Benfica in the summer of 2022.

Tavares made just nine appearances for Johnson last term and featured only twice this calendar year – both times as a late sub – before the Englishman was sacked in late August.

However, the winger has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence since Montgomery’s appointment in September, featuring in nine of the current manager’s 11 games in charge and starting each of the last five.

“Jair is a great example of a young player moving to a club and things not going as planned,” said Montgomery. “No doubt he’s had some tough times but the first thing I said to him when I came in was ‘you have to forget the past, you can’t have a victim mentality because if you do, it’s really hard to pick yourself up’.

“I think he’s been growing week by week with his confidence and I’ve been really proud of Jair.

“I think now people are really starting to see the ability he has. He’s a real team player, he’s working his socks off, and he’s been outstanding ever since he came back into the team.

“He’s a great story for any player, young or old, who is thinking their career at a club is finished. A change of manager or whatever it may be, and all of a sudden you get an opportunity and you have to grab it with both hands. I think he’s done that.”

Tavares had not kicked a competitive ball this term before Montgomery put him on as a sub in his first game in charge away to Kilmarnock. Asked why he felt compelled to give the winger a chance, the manager said: “I came in with an open mind to see what the players did in training, knowing their situations before I came in but not having any bias over that.

“Jair’s effort in training has always been very good. I think it was clear at the start he was lacking a bit of confidence and belief and a clear instruction of what was needed from him in the team.

“But he’s really receptive, an intelligent footballer and a real hard worker, and I think you can see he’s getting better all the time.

“I think he’s got a lot more to come. He’s got a lot to improve on but when you don’t play for a long time, sometimes it takes a couple of games to get that game awareness and full confidence. Right now he’s on an upward trajectory and we all hope that continues.”

Hibs head to Dundee on Sunday looking to leapfrog their hosts and climb into the top six after an inconsistent start to the season. Asked about his plans for the January transfer window, Montgomery said: “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We are always on the lookout for potential future Hibs players, whether that’s in January or the summer.

“That’s something we monitor on a weekly basis. Right now, I’ve no idea what’s going to happen over December. We’ve got a couple of players coming back from injury and we’re hoping in January-February we’ll have a few more back in full training, Chris Cadden, Harry McKirdy and Jake Doyle-Hayes, so we have got players on the horizon coming back to full fitness.

“They will be like new signings if we can get them back on the park.”

Everton boss Sean Dyche has expressed shock at the “disproportionate” 10-point penalty imposed on the club but insisted he and his players are ready to take on the latest challenge put in front of them.

Dyche was trying to enjoy a short break during the international window when he got word of the unprecedented sanction handed down by an independent commission for breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules – a penalty that Everton will appeal against.

Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, Dyche said: “I think like everyone, certainly in these parts, I was shocked and seemingly from the wave of noise after that, most people in football are shocked by the enormity of it.

“Disproportionate is a word used by the club. Obviously we feel a bit aggrieved by that, but on the other hand it doesn’t change the focus. The focus since I got there is sorting things out on the pitch, getting the team to win.

“I think we were on the right lines, delivering strong performances. This has just given us a push backwards to come forwards again. The job hasn’t changed. It’s just made it more difficult under the current circumstances until the appeal…

“I don’t know every inch of the past, I don’t know why the commission have come out with what they have but I certainly believe in what the club put forward. It feels disproportionate, it feels unjust and plenty of voices out there feel the same.

“What is done is done for now, appeal pending, and we have to get on with it.”

Everton fans have hit out at the penalty, and have raised more than £40,000 to fund protests against the Premier League. A demonstration was due to take in London on Friday outside the league offices, while a plane carrying a banner will fly over Manchester City’s match against Liverpool on Saturday.

On Sunday, when Everton’s game against United will be televised, home fans will be asked to hold up red cards which call the Premier League “corrupt”.

Everton had been showing encouraging signs before the penalty, winning six out of nine in all competitions to climb up the table, but have now dropped to second bottom – level on four points with basement boys Burnley ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester United.

“I spoke to the group and said, ‘Look, the league table is one thing but I don’t change my story very often and I believe the final league table is the truth of the season, and I’m not going to change now’,” Dyche added.

“For sure, it changes the viewpoint but it doesn’t change what we’re doing. In fact it enhances what we’re doing. We need to go harder, stronger. This is what it is. It’s been about refocus as much as anything.”

The penalty has raised all manner of questions at Everton, with suggestions that rival clubs may now pursue compensation claims potentially impacting the proposed takeover by 777 Partners.

On the pitch, there was a sense of optimism that after two seasons fighting relegation things were looking up but – for now at least – they are back in the bottom three.

Dyche said that did not concern him in the immediate term, but there was clear frustration from the boss that off-pitch dramas are once again dominating the agenda at Goodison Park.

“You have to take away the noise,” he said. “I’ve had to do it endlessly since I’ve been here, keep pushing away the noise around this football club.

“Bizarrely, we were talking about it before – the last press conference before (Crystal) Palace was one of the first ones that was just about football. And lo and behold while I was away we get a 10-point deficit. So what do you do? You just keep taking it on.”

Ange Postecoglou is excited to see Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur close to his best again amid a growing injury crisis at the club.

Spurs host Aston Villa on Sunday with at least nine first-team players ruled out and Pape Sarr a doubt after he returned with a knock from international duty with Senegal.

A much-needed positive for the Australian is the return to fitness of Bentancur, who made his first competitive start in nine months in Uruguay’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on Tuesday after a serious knee injury.

With first-choice midfielders James Maddison (ankle) and Yves Bissouma (suspended) definitely absent for the visit of Villa, Bentancur could be thrust into action.

“The back four is probably the major issue for us at the moment. We’re really low on depth there, but midfield as well. That’s just the period we’re going through,” Postecoglou reflected.

“The fact Rodrigo got an opportunity to start (for Uruguay) is good for us. It gives him that confidence that he’s able to get through a game.

“The beauty of him is he can play a couple of different areas. I think he can play as a six, he can play further forward as an eight and he’s even creative. I think he can score goals as well.

“We were kind of hoping with him, Madders, Pape, Biss and people like Pierre(-Emile Hojbjerg) we were well stocked in that midfield area for different kinds of combinations, but obviously that has been disrupted a bit.

“The key for Rodrigo is to get him back to that level physically and mentally where he feels really comfortable about playing at this level.

“I don’t think he is far off it from what I’ve seen and again certainly over the next few weeks he will get that opportunity.”

Bentancur was one of Tottenham’s best players last season and impressed in a box-to-box role before he sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in February.

Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa used him at the base of a midfield three on Tuesday, which is where Bissouma has played for Spurs so far this season.

With Bissouma suspended for the Villa match after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign at Wolves, Postecoglou hinted Bentancur could fill that void.

He said: “Yeah, potentially. Watching the (Bolivia) game and how he played, he did it really well so you know he can play there.

“I don’t think he is that far off from a physical perspective of being able to play his normal game, whether that is box-to-box, and part of it is getting belief in himself and his own body that he is capable of doing it.”

Spurs’ hopes of returning to winning ways have been hit by their lengthy injury list, but Postecoglou insisted: “Aston Villa will be a great test for us, but we’re at home.

“Apart from the Chelsea game, our home form has been really strong and we need to make sure we get back to that.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag knows Everton’s players and fans will be “mad” about the 10-point penalty imposed on the club and has challenged his team to meet fire with fire on Sunday.

United make the short trip to Goodison Park this weekend to face a Toffees team fuelled by a sense of injustice after an independent commission imposed the sanction on the club a week ago for a breach of Premier League profitability and sustainability rules.

For the Red Devils, it is the first of three challenging away games in the space of six days.

On Wednesday they travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray knowing a defeat will end their hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16, before a trip to take on Newcastle a week on Saturday.

Ten Hag is expecting Goodison Park to be a bearpit on Sunday but is determined his players will not be outmuscled.

“It’s always about us, I can see the opposition and I can see they are mad, but then finally it’s about us,” he said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

“If they are mad and that’s their fuel, we have to match those standards. When we match the standards we have a very good chance to win the game.”

United head into the game in good Premier League form, having won four out of their last five matches.

They are boosted by the return of England international Luke Shaw from a thigh strain which has sidelined him since August.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana has overcome a knock suffered on international duty with Cameroon, but a decision will be taken on Saturday about whether Rasmus Hojlund can feature.

The Dane suffered a muscle strain in the second half of the win over Luton just before the November international break.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby believes the performance of Alexis Mac Allister could be crucial in the top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City.

While the two teams are generally well-matched in most positions, the hosts boast Rodri, who is regarded as the world’s best in the holding role, while Jurgen Klopp has had to field Mac Allister as a makeshift number six.

It is an unfamiliar position for the Argentina World Cup winner, who is more effective in a slightly more advanced role, but he has been asked to do a job as Liverpool’s all-new midfield still takes shape after a summer overhaul.

Japan international Wataru Endo was one of four midfield arrivals in the summer and while he is accustomed to the defensive job, the 30-year-old has been entrusted with only two Premier League starts and is unlikely to be in consideration against the defending champions.

“When you look at the midfield three, I still think we need to find the right balance and combination,” Molby told the PA news agency at the launch of the club’s Ultimate LFC Experience, a package which includes giving fans the opportunity to train at Melwood – the former home of the men’s team and current training base of the women’s side.

“We’ve managed to get away with that midfield from game to game, but there is every chance Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez will be playing in there and he (Mac Allister) will have to look after those and that’s a big job in itself.

“You only have to look at City and what happened when Rodri was out through suspension and they lost games (against Wolves and Arsenal) – that’s how important a world-class number six is.

“When you look at the teams who are doing well, they all have a world-class number six so that’s an area where we might need to look at.

“The majority of games we will get away with it because of the general quality we have, but there might be one or two games where we go ‘we need someone better in that position’.

“That is not a criticism of Alexis as he is not a number six, he is more of a number eight, so the quicker we can get in there the quicker we will improve.”

:: For more information about the Ultimate LFC Experience go to www.liverpoolfc.com/stadium-tours

Stephen Robinson fears Ryan Strain could be out for weeks with a groin strain as he welcomed back fit-again Jonah Ayunga to his St Mirren squad.

The 26-year-old wing-back had to go off in the first half of Australia’s World Cup qualifier against Palestine in Kuwait and had a scan on his injury on returning to Scotland.

Ayunga has not played for the Buddies since he ruptured his ACL against Motherwell in January, but the 26-year-old striker has worked himself back into contention for the cinch Premiership game against Livingston on Saturday.

The St Mirren boss is looking for a “reset” after a 4-0 defeat by Dundee before the international break, but will also have Keanu Baccus suspended for the visit of the Lions to Paisley.

Robinson said: “Ryan Strain came back with a groin injury, which we had scanned yesterday, so we are still waiting on results from it but we are not very hopeful.

“He certainly won’t be available for Saturday. It looks like it will be weeks rather than days so it is a big blow for us.

“Jonah has been training for nearly six weeks now which is a lot of good training time.

“He played 90 minutes last week (bounce game) and was very good. So he is certainly ready to be involved, at what stage or level we will decide in the next 24 hours.

“Jonah is a very laid back boy. There is not a lot that gets him up or down. I am sure there is maybe a different side to him at home, but he is a great boy, a boy who I have worked with at two clubs.

“He has pushed himself and credit must go to Gerry Docherty (physio) and Gary McColl (strength and conditioning), who have pushed him to the limit and got him into a condition that he is ready to go. It is credit to all three.

“I felt the game against Dundee was a one-off game, where as a collective we didn’t play particularly well and we need to reset ourselves again and do what we were doing which was not playing in front of people and I am comfortable we will do that on Saturday. We want to get another win under our belt.”

Eddie Howe has insisted the decision not to introduce a ban which could have prevented Newcastle from loaning players from Saudi clubs is no great advantage to them.

Premier League clubs this week voted against a move to stop members drafting in players on temporary deals from associated clubs – those who share owners – which had been interpreted as a bid to thwart the Magpies, who had been linked with a January move for Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves.

Newcastle are 80 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which also has controlling stakes in four Saudi Pro League clubs including Neves’ employers, and the decision means in theory that they could sign loan deals to bolster their squad in the midst of an injury crisis.

Howe said: “I found it a bit strange that the focus has been solely on us. Every club has a right to vote how they want to vote, and it hasn’t gone through so it’s not just about us.

“It was a Premier League vote – we’re not the only club involved in that vote. I think the majority of clubs in the Premier League own other clubs around the world, so it’s not solely on us, I don’t think.

“Newcastle as a club had a view. We voted our way in the way we’re allowed to, and the vote came out on the side that it did.

“Just from my dealings with it, we’re very relaxed on it. It’s not the be-all and end-all for us.”

Howe’s squad has been ravaged by injuries and suspension in recent weeks, but midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is available for Saturday’s home clash with Chelsea after serving a one-match ban, as is Kieran Trippier after leaving the England squad for personal reasons.

Striker Alexander Isak is close to a return from a groin injury, but Howe is still without the likes of Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Sean Longstaff, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson.

Asked if he would consider signing a player from a Saudi club in January, Howe said: “It’s not even in our thoughts at this moment in time.

“It would only be a reaction to the injuries that we have and whether we need to recruit because the majority of our players would be back in January. At this moment in time, we don’t know.”

Howe put the final touches to his preparations for the Chelsea game having watched back his side’s 2-0 defeat at former club Bournemouth on their last outing no fewer than five times in a bid to address what went wrong.

He did so with £55million summer signing Tonali, who is serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, showing just how much of a miss he will be on the training pitch.

Howe said: “You wouldn’t know from our training sessions that he’s unavailable to play and it’s probably been the best we have seen him in training. I’d love to see him when he comes back into the team because I think he will be a huge player for us.”

Mikel Arteta insists he will continue to speak freely on refereeing decisions despite being handed a Football Association charge for comments he made after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.

The Gunners boss labelled VAR’s decision to not overturn Anthony Gordon’s 64th minute winner “an absolute disgrace”.

Arteta, who said that he has submitted observations he made during the match to the FA, highlighted the importance of freedom of speech and believes communication is key if the standards of refereeing are to improve.

He said: “I am going to speak (in the future). I think you have to be yourself and as a leader you have to be authentic. You can not be someone you are not and this is who I am.

“We have (sent our observations to the FA) and we will try to give our point and the reasons why and there’s not a lot I can comment on.

“When you get asked to give your observation you have to do it in the right way and there’s a process in place to do that.

“It is good that we are communicating and we all want to improve the game. Referees, managers, officials, sporting directors, journalists, we all want a better game.

“To get a better game we need freedom of speech, respectfully and in a constructive way but we have to promote that.

“It is good that they are talking in front of the media about decisions because it brings clarity.”

Arsenal face Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday bidding to build on their dominant 3-1 victory over Burnley.

Arteta branded the west-London club as one of the best run in the league and reflected on Arsenal’s opening day 2-1 defeat to the Bees in 2021.

“Two years ago we had a really tough start to the campaign there,” Arteta added.

“We have learnt from that, they are a really tough opponent and it’s a really difficult place to go to. They make it extremely difficult, they are really effective, they are well coached and it will be a tough match.

“With Thomas (Frank), the coaching staff and the club, they are one of the best run clubs in the league.

“I’ve followed them for many years and the things they do with their structure and process alongside their vision is incredible to achieve what they have so credit to them.

“They have achieved to get to this level and have maintained it with so many demands as well.”

Arteta also emphasised Takehiro Tomiyasu’s influence at the club despite recent reports linking the defender with a move away from the Emirates.

“I really want him to stay,” Arteta said.

“I value the player a lot and I really like him. He’s loved and respected by everyone at the club, he’s getting a lot of minutes at the moment and he will remain with us.”

Brighton can become pioneers in women’s football now that the team has received the go-ahead for a purpose-built stadium, according to the councillor who helped approve the plans.

Brighton and Hove City Council gave the green light in October for the club to proceed with locating a site within the city for what is hoped will be an approximately 10,000-capacity ground for the Women’s Super League side.

The proposed new ground will be the first of its kind in the UK to have been designed and built specifically for use by a women’s team, with all 12 of the current WSL clubs playing in stadiums either previously or currently shared with men’s sides.

Currently the team plays home matches more than 30 miles away from the city at Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium.

It is an arrangement that has suited the club since becoming founder members of the restructured WSL in 2018 but Labour councillor John Hewitt – who serves as lead councillor for leisure and sport and backed the proposal ahead of it being voted through – believes it is not sustainable if football in the city hopes to grow.

Once a site is found and work on the new stadium can begin, Hewitt says the club can realistically think about becoming trendsetters in the women’s game.

“As good as (Crawley) are as hosts, the distance has an adverse effect,” he told the PA news agency. “Plus it doesn’t seem like our home ground, because the seats are red and we’re blue and white.

“The intention is to build around 10,000 capacity which is a realistic number. The team get around 3-4,000 at Crawley, but there is the capacity for the club to grow in the coming years.

“It’s about the women’s game achieving parity with the men’s game. Women’s football is growing. Brighton hosted three games at the Euros last year and there were good attendances. We know there’s the scope for it.

“It shows how far the club has come. They were made homeless in 1997, exiled in Gillingham for two years, the struggle to establish the Amex Stadium. This shows the best steps they’re looking to make.

“On behalf of the city, it would be fantastic if we could be seen as pioneers for this. In years to come, this could be the norm.

“One of the reasons for having a purpose-built stadium is different needs. For example, playing in a men’s stadium, dressing rooms might only have two cubicles, whereas a purpose-built women’s ground would have more.

“Hopefully, other cities and towns can follow suit in supporting their women’s teams.”

Brighton are currently eighth in the WSL table having finished 11th and narrowly avoided relegation last season.

With the men’s side having a enjoyed a highest-ever league finished last campaign and currently on the brink of progressing beyond the Europa League group stage on their debut European run, Hewitt believes the situation is ripe for the women’s side to follow suit and play their part in reinforcing Brighton’s reputation as a coming football force.

He added: “The intention is for the club to finance it, but the council will be a key stakeholder in that. We’ve been invited to have our input, as in what would we like out of it.

“So it’s not just a stadium where there are 20 football matches a year played there, there could be educational facilities, community initiatives hosted there, schools using it for their cup finals.

“We’ll be looking at how best we can use the facility for the resident in the city.”

Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold believes performances this season provide encouraging evidence they can again push Manchester City all the way in another epic title battle.

After a summer midfield rebuild following a fifth-place finish it was generally expected the realistic aim was to regain their Champions League status but just one controversial defeat sees Jurgen Klopp’s side head into Saturday’s match at the home of the Premier League leaders in second place.

The tantalising prospect is Liverpool will at the very least sustain a challenge like that of 2018-19 and 2021-22, when City pipped their north-west rivals by just a single point, or even go one better like in 2019-20 when they won their first title in 30 years.

But to do that they will have to continue to produce an unerringly-high level of consistency and Alexander-Arnold is well aware of that.

“Last season wasn’t good enough. We brought new players in, it was about adapting as quick as possible and making sure we laid a good foundation at the start of the season,” he said.

“We are in a really strong position and results and form-wise we are doing enough to stay as close as possible to the top of the table.

“So far we’ve performed in a way that is how you would expect someone who can win the league to perform and if we carry this on we should be in and around it come May.

“If that wasn’t the case I would be here saying ‘I want to get back in the top four,’ because, genuinely, there is nothing wrong with that for this team, a team that has just finished outside the Champions League places.

“There is a rebuild going on, a lot of senior players have left, and it would be very normal to say ‘Get back in the top four and push on from there,’ but it (challenging for the title) is something that we believe we can achieve.

“If it doesn’t happen, we have ourselves to blame. We have built a great foundation, it is just about consistency.

“The hardest thing in football is consistently winning games but we have shown we are more than capable of passing (that test).”

While outside observers may have lowered their expectations of Liverpool after their slump, by their own high standards, last season that has not been the feeling within the squad.

Despite the changes made to the personnel – with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch creating a whole new midfield – Alexander-Arnold said there were plenty of players who had gone head-to-head with City enough times to know what is required.

“Our aim as a team is to win the league and that’s the aim again this season,” he added.

“Our ambition is to be as successful as possible and to maximise the potential we have got as a team and as a club.

“At the start of last season it was the same as at the start of this season: our ambition was to win the league.

“We were nowhere near good enough to get anywhere near that last year and that’s where we needed to put it right this year.

“I think the players who are experienced in being successful with the club all understand what it takes and what’s needed to even challenge a team like City.

“It was about getting that message across as quick as possible to the new players and young players coming in; that responsibility of we need everyone to perform and if we do get players who play really well over the course of the season it will get us closer to the top of the table.

“Last season there were too many of us guys who never hit the levels we were expected to and demand of each other, ultimately that’s how you end up being in fifth place.”

Only three decisions have been deemed incorrect by the VAR Independent Review Panel (IRP) following the first round of cinch Premiership fixtures, the PA news agency understands.

Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski’s so-called double-hit penalty against St Mirren and two incidents that went against Dundee were flagged up as mistakes by the panel.

The IRP claimed a red card handed to Dundee midfielder Josh Mulligan and the Tayside club’s disallowed goal against Livingston were errors.

There have been 407 VAR checks since the start of the season, 24 of which led to on-field reviews.

The IRP was set up by the governing body ahead of the start of the season, the first full campaign with the video technology in place.

The panel of former players, managers and coaches is guided by experts on the Laws of the Game and gives an analysis of interventions and non-interventions from VAR.

The 12 Premiership clubs held a meeting with the Scottish FA’s referees department on Thursday to review the performance of VAR during the opening round of fixtures.

Audio of conversations between match officials and the VAR control room was relayed to the club representatives and explanations were given over how some key match incidents were dealt with.

Miovski’s spot-kick equaliser in the 10th minute of stoppage time in Paisley on August 27 prevented St Mirren from going top of the league.

There was a VAR check after Miovski dispatched the penalty as Saints goalkeeper Zach Hemming claimed the North Macedonia striker had touched the ball twice after slipping while taking the spot-kick, but the goal was given.

Mulligan was sent off for a challenge on Danny Armstrong in Dundee’s 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock on September 23.

Video assistant referee Euan Anderson asked David Munro to review the incident but the referee stuck by his original decision.

Dundee boss Tony Docherty said after the game: “I thought it was never a red card and I said that to the referee.

“Yes, it was a foul and a booking. It’s about consistency – if that’s the decision for that tackle then there should have been seven or eight red cards.”

Dundee subsequently failed to overturn the red card following an appeal.

The IRP also felt Dundee were on the receiving end of an injustice when Amadou Bakayoko had a goal disallowed in a 2-0 win at Livingston on October 28.

Referee Willie Collum ruled the goal out after reviewing footage, deciding at least one offside Dundee player was interfering with play.

What the papers say

Manchester United are keen to add reinforcements at centre-back with 23-year-old French defender Jean-Clair Todibo and Portuguese defender Goncalo Inacio, 22, reportedly on their list. They are seen as ideal replacements for Raphael Varane, according to The Sun.

Sky Sports reports that Real Betis winger Assane Diao, 18, has emerged as a target for Brentford, with the Premier League club looking to make a move for the Spain Under-21 international in the January transfer window.

Wolves are keen to sign striker Rafiu Durosinmi, but they are not the only ones, the Telegraph reports. Eintracht Frankfurt are also interested in the Nigerian 20-year-old.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Rayan Ait-Nouri: Chelsea have added Wolves’ Algeria international to their list of possible targets, according to 90min.

Pedro Neto: Manchester United, Arsenal and several Saudi clubs are all eager to sign the 23-year-old, but keenness may wane as Wolves demand a fee of at least £60m, TEAMtalk reports.

Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from playing professional football, on this day in 2016.

The announcement came a little over a week after the former Liverpool captain, then aged 36, had left LA Galaxy, the only other club on his resume.

In a statement, he said: “I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football. I have had an incredible career and am thankful for each and every moment of my time at Liverpool, England and LA Galaxy.”

It marked the end of a playing career which saw Gerrard come through the academy system of his hometown club to become a European champion and play for England more than 100 times.

In 2000-01, the midfielder was part of a Liverpool side that won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

Four years later, Gerrard inspired a remarkable comeback as he captained his side to victory in the Champions League final against AC Milan, as Liverpool came from 3-0 down to win on penalties in Istanbul.

Gerrard was a two-time FA Cup winner and lifted the League Cup three times in all, but would never take a Premier League title.

The all-action midfielder played 114 times for England, featuring at three World Cups and three European Championships, before retiring from international duty in 2014.

He was part of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ and captained his country, but was unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals of any major tournament, with his international career ending when England failed to advance from the group stages at the 2014 World Cup.

In announcing his retirement, Gerrard added: “I am excited about the future and feel I still have a lot to offer the game, in whatever capacity that may be.

“I am currently taking my time to consider a number of options and will make an announcement with regards to the next stage of my career very soon.”

Gerrard would return to Liverpool as a youth-team coach only a matter of months after his retirement, before he achieved great success in charge of Rangers, helping them win the Scottish Premiership title for the first time in 10 years in 2021.

He would later depart Ibrox to become Aston Villa manager but was sacked after less than 12 months in charge of the Premier League club in October.

In July of this year, Gerrard was named manager of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq where another former Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, is among his players.