Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant FA and Trinidad and Tobago’s AC Port of Spain and Police FC are among teams that will be hoping to position themselves for a semi-final berth as the Concacaf Caribbean Cup continues on Tuesday.
Two Group B encounters will get the week’s action under way, with Haiti’s Ouanaminthe set to host Antigua’s Grenades in the Dominican Republic, while AC Port of Spain welcomes the other Dominican Republic outfit, Cibao FC.
Meanwhile, the Group A contests between another Haitian club Real Hope and Arnett Gardens are set for Wednesday, with Police FC and Mount Pleasant set to rub shoulders on Thursday.
Ouanaminthe FC vs. Grenades FC
With both teams having only secured a point from their first two games, this contest represents an opportunity for either to move closer to the leaders, provided they execute efficiently to snare all three points.
Grenades FC and Ouanaminthe FC currently sit fourth and fifth with a point each, as Dominican Republic’s Moca FC comfortably occupies pole position on seven points ahead of Cibao (four points) and Port of Spain (two points).
Fredelin Philistin, who scored in Ouanaminthe’s 1-3 loss to Moca last Wednesday, will be key to their chances of securing their first win on this occasion.
The same is true about Sean Tomlinson, who notched a late equaliser for Grenades FC against Port of Spain on last.
Anything but a win for either team will bury their chances of progressing any further in the tournament.
AC Port of Spain vs. Cibao FC
With two points from three games, AC Port of Spain will enter this, their final group stage fixture against Cibao FC, also knowing that anything but a win will see them falling short of the semi-final.
Still, a win at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, doesn’t necessarily guarantee AC Port of Spain a semi-final spot, but it would provisionally push them into second above Cibao. From there, the Twin Island Republic’s representatives would then have to hope a result between Ouanaminthe and Cibao, on October 1 falls in their favour.
Shackiel Smek and John Paul Rochford will be the point men for AC Port of Spain.
Meanwhile, for Cibao FC, a win or a draw would not only extend their unbeaten run but also ensure they remain in a favourable position for a semi-final appearance.
Jean Lopez and Eddipo Rodriguez are expected to cause trouble for AC Port of Spain’s backline.
Real Hope FA vs. Arnett Gardens FC
Group A also remains in the balance, as Cavalier remain tops on six points ahead of Real Hope FA and Police FC on four points each. Mount Pleasant is also in striking distance on three points, while Arnett Gardens is without a point, but can turn their chances around with a win at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
Real Hope will enter the contest with their tails high having clipped Cavalier 2-1 last week, and knowing that another win would propel them to the top of the standing with one game still to come against Mount Pleasant on October 3.
The Haitian club will look to Rikanel Chery and Steeve Mondestin to lead their charge.
Despite their current situation, Arnett Gardens, the reigning Caribbean Shield champions, are no pushovers and head coach Xavier Gilbert will be hoping they can stamp their class in this contest to gradually revive their chances of progressing further.
Shai Smith, Warner Brown and others will be hoping to get some goals under their belts should goal-difference come into play, as the game will serve as Real Hope’s home fixture.
Miscellaneous Police FC vs. Mount Pleasant FA
Police FC will welcome the fact that their final group stage fixture will be at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on Thursday. However, the fact that they will be up against a highly-motivated Mount Pleasant team doesn’t allow much room for comfort.
But having edged one Jamaican club in Arnett Gardens 2-1 last week, Police will be backing their quality to down another, which would keep them in contention for a semi-final berth while slightly a draw or a loss could spell trouble for their chances.
Ezekiel Kesar will be their point man in attack.
A win for Mount Pleasant would also keep them in the running for a semi-final berth with a game in hand, but unlike their previous games, they will need to be at their best and capitalise on their chances to stay alive.
Jashaun Anglin and Kimoni Bailey are just two players to look out for in a deep squad that possesses immense quality.
Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold has always been a "good defender" but backed him to get better if he can improve on his concentration.
The right-back has said he welcomes Slot's criticism, claiming he wants the Dutchman's help to become "the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe".
Alexander-Arnold more often draws plaudits for his attacking play, and in Liverpool's latest win, he reached 100 goal involvements (19 goals, 81 assists), setting up Luis Diaz's second in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
Slot acknowledged how important Alexander-Arnold's impact going forward is, and that he is more than happy to help his defensive side.
"Yeah, it's difficult for me to judge how it has been in years before - we are talking here about a player that won the Champions League and a league title," Slot said.
"He mentioned himself that winning a league is about defending. It's clear to me then that he's been a good defender all his life.
"But because he's so so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes to him doing special things with the ball. With him, it's not about if he's capable of doing things, it's his concentration rate and being 100% focused.
"This is what we talk about a lot, that he always has to be active in every situation of the game, even if the ball is far away from him. It's not that he's learned how to defend in the last three months; he's won the league and the Champions League!
"It's just getting him to understand what is necessary for him to play the best possible game and that's what we talk about with all the individuals but also with him."
The defensive work put in by Alexander-Arnold is already starting to show, as he has made the third-most interceptions (31) out of his team-mates, and won possession on 176 occasions, with only Alexis Mac Allister (195) bettering that in the Premier League so far this season.
The 25-year-old has described his new manager's approach as "refreshing" after his bright start to life on Merseyside.
When asked how he felt about Alexander-Arnold's comments, Slot said: "I think we all remember the day that Jurgen [Klopp] left and what that man meant to him [Trent Alexander-Arnold].
"So, you can assume how good of a relationship the two of them had, so to hear him say this about his new manager is always nice. It's not always easy to come in and replace a manager like him.
"But it's the same with Trent as it is with the others. They are getting a lot of individual attention to make them better, because if they get better, then the team does as well."
Barcelona will be without injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for several months, but Hansi Flick is confident they have a capable deputy in Inaki Pena.
Germany international Ter Stegen underwent a successful operation on Monday after suffering a complete rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee.
The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Barca's 5-1 win at Villarreal in LaLiga on Sunday and is expected to be out for at least eight months, according to Spanish media reports.
Despite Ter Stegen's season likely being over, Flick is remaining upbeat, backing academy product Pena to handle the step up.
"Inaki is doing very well, in pre-season too. He has worked very hard to be here. He is focused and ready to play," Flick said ahead of Wednesday's home game versus Getafe.
"We are confident but we also have to look at what we do because the players at the back are very young. For the moment, we don't feel under pressure and we trust in Inaki."
Having joined Barcelona's La Masia academy aged 13, 25-year-old Pena has made 23 first-team appearances, conceding 39 goals and keeping five clean sheets.
Pena made 10 league appearances for Barca last term, with his save percentage of 56.4% falling some way short of Ter Stegen's 73.5%.
Pena also conceded 17 goals from 13.89 expected goals on target (xGoT) faced, giving him an underperformance of 3.1 in terms of goals prevented. Ter Stegen, by contrast, conceded 27 times from 27.84 xGoT faced.
The Catalans were already without new signing Dani Olmo and fellow midfielders Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez, plus defenders Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, due to injuries.
However, they have made a perfect start to the season under Flick, with six straight wins putting them top of LaLiga, four points ahead of reigning champions Real Madrid in second.
But the former Bayern Munich boss is striving for more, adding: "We analysed the game against Villarreal and we saw a lot of things that can be improved.
"We haven't reached the end of the road. You can always do more. We are moving forward step by step."
Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella has suffered a thigh injury and will miss at least the next two games for the Italian champions.
The 27-year-old Italy international, who has made 175 league appearances for Inter, has a strain in the rectus femoris of his right thigh, the club said in a statement.
"His condition will be reassessed next week," the club added when announcing his injury on Tuesday.
Inter, sixth in the Serie A standings with eight points from five matches, visit Udinese on Saturday, before hosting Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League next Tuesday.
Simone Inzaghi's side will be desperate to recover Barella for their clash with surprise league leaders Torino on October 5.
Barella impressed as the Nerazzurri began their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw at Manchester City last week, creating two chances for team-mates and ranking first among all Inter players for possession regains (seven) and passes played in the final third (10).
It is already clear Liverpool have appointed the right manager in Arne Slot and the Reds are on track to compete for the Premier League title this season.
That is the view of former Liverpool goalkeeper David James, who has been impressed by the early returns of former Feyenoord boss Slot since he replaced Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield hotseat.
Liverpool have won four of their first five Premier league matches and beaten AC Milan in the Champions League so far under Slot.
Champions Manchester City and Arsenal are widely seen as the leading title contenders, but James has been suitably encouraged by the Reds’ start to believe they will also be in the mix if they can keep key players like Mohamed Salah fit.
Speaking to Stats Perform, James said: "I know the conversations are about the City and Arsenal rivalry and challenging for titles.
"I’m not saying this through any previous connection [to the club], but I just think Liverpool are in the conversation [for the title], as they were last year.
"Last season, because of the amount of injuries they had, a lot of it was just pure grit and determination rather than a formulaic way of getting your best players to win games of football.
"If Arne keeps his players fit, which is always the case for teams, then you see them [Man City and Arsenal] being challenged [by Liverpool] at the end of the season.
"He has been a great appointment, everything I hear about him is positive, and when you see the performances on the field being as positive as they are, then you know they’ve got the right man.
"You can already see a positive difference [to the end of last season] with what is effectively the same squad."
After a 3-0 win over Bournemouth last time out, the Opta supercomputer is not discounting the possibility of a Liverpool title bid, as it appears almost certain they will be contending towards the top of the standings.
While their title chance is just 5.7% at this stage (Man City are at 80.2% and Arsenal are at 13.8%), the predictive model thinks there is a 34.3% chance of Liverpool finishing in the top two and an 80.6% chance of the Reds ending up in the top three once again.
In a start to the campaign that has also included an impressive 3-0 away win over rivals Manchester United, a shock 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest on Matchday 4 has been the only negative for Liverpool so far.
James added: "The learning curve for Arne [Slot] and his team will be what they do after international breaks. You can see how teams like City often turn a negative experience into a positive.
"If you look at it, he came in pre-season, they were exposed to Arne’s training regime from day one, all the way through to the first three games [before the] international break, and things were getting better.
"And I think after the international break, there was a disconnect: they didn’t look good, didn’t play well, and ended up defeated.
"Therefore, Arne’s learning curve will be, what do I do now next time my team, most of my players, go off on international breaks, what do I have to rejig to make sure that we continue this kind of performance?"
Liverpool host West Ham in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday, before travelling to face bottom-of-the-table Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Reds are on an impressive defensive run of form, having conceded just one goal in their last six top-flight games dating back to last season, with five clean sheets.
But attackers Salah and Luis Diaz have also been key to Slot’s flying start.
Diaz has been involved in six goals in his last four Premier League appearances, scoring five and assisting one. The Colombia attacker has scored a double in two of his last three Liverpool matches, having netted multiple goals in just one of his first 69 top-flight games.
James said: "The improvement in Luis Diaz, firstly through the goalscoring, is helped by the way that Liverpool play [under Slot], they play a lot more through the middle.
"It means Luis has more space. The goals he scored on the weekend, yes came from good passes, but he’s got a little bit more space and the skill to be able to take advantage of that."
Liverpool have won 14 of their last 15 league matches against Wolves and, as things stand, look well-placed to extend that run as the Opta prediction model gives them a healthy 65.7% win probability at Molineux.
Mikel Arteta joked he has told Arsenal's players to "play without the ball" after seeing Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard sent off for delaying restarts in recent weeks.
Arsenal were moments away from a famous win over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday despite playing over half the game with 10 men, after Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
However, John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser broke their resistance as they drew for the second time this term, having also drawn 1-1 with Brighton when Declan Rice saw red over a similar incident.
Arsenal's use of the "dark arts" has come in for criticism in the last few days, but Arteta has not warned his players against employing similar tactics in the future.
Asked if he had taken steps to avoid seeing another player dismissed for kicking the ball away, he said: "For passing the ball, you mean?
"Just leave the ball. Don't touch the ball. We will play without the ball."
Asked if he had any new thoughts on Trossard's sending off, he said: "I reflected post-match, it's the same reflection today. It's the same answer. I was very clear about it."
Arsenal spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.
Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term. The Gunners' average delay time of 41.1 seconds against Brighton is third on that list.
Arteta, though, insists his team had no choice but to play that way when a man down, rejecting assertions that Arsenal push the limits more than any other side.
"I always prefer facts rather than words, so let's see who's available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or these things," he said.
"We had to play the game that we had to play. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we couldn't, then we got much better.
"We were thrown into a very different context. Every team does it. They played 30 seconds with 10 men, you look at what they did. We had to do it in a different way.
"We learned from the past as well because unfortunately we've been in that situation with them three times very recently. I would be very thick if we didn't learn from it."
Arsenal host Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before taking on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has seemingly taken a swipe at former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after labelling his short stint under Arne Slot as "refreshing".
Alexander-Arnold burst onto the scene at Anfield in 2016, and it was under Klopp's guidance that the England international made his name in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old won seven major honours under the German head coach, with only Roberto Firmino (355), Mohamed Salah (349) and James Milner (323) making more appearances than Alexander-Arnold (310) under Klopp in all competitions.
But following Klopp's departure at the end of last season, his successor Slot has adapted well to life on Merseyside, winning five of his first six games in all competitions.
The latest came last weekend in a comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth, with Alexander-Arnold reaching 100 goal involvements (19 goals and 81 assists) for the Reds with his assist for Luis Diaz's second of the game.
However, Alexander-Arnold has spoken highly of his time under Slot, while also outlining the pair's discussions about improving this season, especially the defensive side of his game.
That has already seemingly transpired, with only Alexis Mac Allister (12) and Ryan Gravenberch (nine) winning more tackles than Alexander-Arnold (seven) in the Premier League this season for the Reds.
The Liverpool right-back has not neglected his attacking responsibilities, though, creating a team-high 13 chances along with the most successful crosses (eight) this term.
But Alexander-Arnold feels as though he is already benefitting from his time under Slot, despite the Dutchman only being in the infancy of his tenure.
"I said to him [Slot] that I would like to be the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe. We agreed that he will be harsh on me," Alexander-Arnold said.
If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me, he will call it out in meetings, and individual meetings, and say this cannot happen.
"We go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve.
"Even after the Milan game, we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well."
He added: "It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guide and teach me how to be better as a player.
"I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever."
Arsenal cannot tone down their use of the dark arts after their fiery draw with Manchester City without losing the fight Mikel Arteta has instilled, believes David James.
The Gunners were moments away from a famous win at the home of their Premier League title rivals on Sunday, with Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes scoring to put them 2-1 up.
However, Leandro Trossard's first-half red card – the result of the Belgian kicking the ball away when already on a booking – allowed City to dominate the second period and John Stones broke Arsenal hearts with a 98th-minute equaliser.
City managed 28 shots to Arsenal's one after the interval, also recording an 87.6% possession share as the Gunners completed a mere 29 passes.
The home fans were infuriated with perceived time-wasting from Arsenal, who spent a total of nine minutes and four minutes over their goal-kicks in the match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.
The average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term.
Arsenal's antics have got them into trouble of late, though, with Trossard's red card coming after Declan Rice was sent off for a similar incident in a 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Speaking to Stats Perform, James conceded Arsenal's ploys were frustrating but said it was part of their DNA.
"Declan Rice got booked yesterday as well for time-wasting," James said. "He had a free-kick, it was probably the longest spell Arsenal had in City’s half in the second half, I think for about 30 seconds!
"I don't know how long he was on the ball for, but it seemed a short period of time to get the booking considering David Raya taking goal-kicks seemed to take an age.
"I timed one incident where it was 25 seconds by the time he got off the floor and kicked the ball. I thought the rules were sort of within a reasonable amount of time.
"This was repeated time and again, taking time over goal-kicks, but there was not even an instruction or an indication from the referee for him to speed things up.
"With regards to Arteta and the Arsenal players, I think it's actually quite wonderful. As much as it frustrates me because it's against the rules, it is quite wonderful that he wants his team to push the limits.
"I think with that, you're going to end up with a few points, Trossard kicking the ball away and getting sent off or Declan Rice getting sent off.
"If they tone that bit down, then they have to tone everything else down. Then possibly we don't see as exciting an Arsenal side as we have for the last couple of years."
Referee Michael Oliver had his work cut out on Sunday, with controversy over both of Arsenal's goals.
City were unhappy with Arsenal taking a quick free-kick when Kyle Walker had been called over to speak to Oliver in the build-up to their equaliser, while some have suggested Gabriel Martinelli fouled Ederson when Gabriel headed in the Gunners' second.
"I thought the referee on the field got everything right," James said. "Trossard was booked for the second yellow card for kicking the ball away, not for the foul.
"When you see the replay, he boots the ball away after the whistle has gone. That's the booking, and it was his second booking, so that's a sending off. That's fine.
"With regard to Martinelli, I don't think Oliver would have seen it, and therefore, he wouldn't have been able to call that decision.
"He stopped Ederson from getting the ball, therefore it shouldn’t be allowed. So, this isn’t an on-field issue. I think this is more about VAR."
St. Benedict’s College are now leaders of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premiership after a hard fought 1-0 win over four-time premier division winners Naparima College at the Mahaica Oval in Port Fortin on Saturday.
The 2022 champions and 2023 runners-up got a second minute goal from Trinidad and Tobago youth player Josiah Ochoa to continue their unbeaten run in the young league season.
Reigning champions Fatima College were also winners on Saturday, 2-0 away to national intercol holders Presentation College (San Fernando) at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.
The goals came from Levi Smith in the 75th minute and reigning SSFL Player of the Year, Michael Chaves in stoppage time.
Arima North Secondary and Malick Secondary entered the match day atop the 16-team table, and they still couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes at the Arima Velodrome as they played to a 1-1 draw.
Josante Duncan opened the scoring for Malick in the 28th minute, with Arima getting a 54th-minute equaliser through former Fatima student Micha’el John.
On Serpentine Road, St Clair, hosts St Mary’s College and Signal Hill Secondary played to a 2-2 draw.
Signal Hill took the lead in the fourth minute through Khaleem Trim before a brace from St. Mary’s captain Kyle Phillip in the 31st and 49th minutes gave them a 2-1 lead.
That lead lasted just 10 minutes as Antonio Hopkins equalised for Signal Hill.
Newly promoted Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School, who conceded 16 goals in their first three games, got their first points of the season thanks to a 1-0 win over Queen’s Royal College with St Augustine Secondary edging St Anthony’s College by a similar score to open their 2024 account as well.
Aaron Clement was the goal scorer for Miracle Ministries Pentecostal while Elijah Baptiste was on the score sheet for St. Augustine Secondary.
Finally, Trinity College East also got their first points of the season as first-half goals from Khaleem Prince and Xavier Maricheau earned them a 2-1 win over east giants San Juan North Secondary.
St. Benedict’s currently lead the standings with 10 points while Arima North Secondary (8), Malick Secondary (8), Fatima College (7) and Naparima College (7) round out the top five.
Pep Guardiola says he doesn’t expect to be without Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for too long following his injury against Inter last week.
De Bruyne was forced to withdraw from City's Champions League opener against the Serie A champions at half-time after picking up a thigh problem.
As a result, the Belgian missed the Citizens' enthralling 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad, and he is also expected to miss their EFL Cup tie against Watford on Tuesday.
De Bruyne has started the season in sensational form, creating more chances (16) than anyone in the City ranks after the first five league games.
However, Guardiola does not think De Bruyne's injury is a serious one like the setbacks that saw him miss 28 games in all competitions last term.
“I don’t think it will be long,” Guardiola said in the aftermath of their thrilling encounter with Arsenal.
“I cannot say how long for, I don’t know for Newcastle, but it won’t be long. [He has] discomfort in his legs.”
Following City's cup fixture with Watford in midweek, they travel to St. James' Park to face Newcastle to kickstart the latest round of Premier League action on Saturday.
The Magpies' home turf was the venue for De Bruyne's memorable return last season after spending a five-month period on the sidelines.
De Bruyne scored the equaliser before setting up Oscar Bobb for an injury-time winner that proved crucial in their record fourth-straight title success.
The Belgian would go on to finish the campaign with 24 goal contributions (six goals and 18 assists) in all competitions.
City could, however, be without another talisman in the form of Rodri, who went off with a serious-looking knee injury in the draw with Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola says he doesn’t expect to be without Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for too long following his injury against Inter last week.
De Bruyne was forced to withdraw from City's Champions League opener against the Serie A champions at half-time after picking up a thigh problem.
As a result, the Belgian missed the Citizens' enthralling 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad, and he is also expected to miss their EFL Cup tie against Watford on Tuesday.
De Bruyne has started the season in sensational form, creating more chances (16) than anyone in the City ranks after the first five league games.
However, Guardiola does not think De Bruyne's injury is a serious one like the setbacks that saw him miss 28 games in all competitions last term.
“I don’t think it will be long,” Guardiola said in the aftermath of their thrilling encounter with Arsenal.
“I cannot say how long for, I don’t know for Newcastle, but it won’t be long. [He has] discomfort in his legs.”
Following City's cup fixture with Watford in midweek, they travel to St. James' Park to face Newcastle to kickstart the latest round of Premier League action on Saturday.
The Magpies' home turf was the venue for De Bruyne's memorable return last season after spending a five-month period on the sidelines.
De Bruyne scored the equaliser before setting up Oscar Bobb for an injury-time winner that proved crucial in their record fourth-straight title success.
The Belgian would go on to finish the campaign with 24 goal contributions (six goals and 18 assists) in all competitions.
David James believes Arsenal's blossoming rivalry with Manchester City can only intensify should they win the Premier League title this season.
The latest instalment of Pep Guardiola squaring off against his apprentice, Mikel Arteta, delivered an enthralling encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Erling Haaland's 100th City strike was followed by Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes goals, with Leandro Trossard then seeing red after delaying the restart in a pulsating first 45 minutes.
The hosts struggled to make their man advantage count, though, registering eight shots on target from the 27 they attempted before substitute John Stones' late intervention snatched a point eight minutes into stoppage time.
But the aftermath of the contest saw tensions that had been brimming during the game boil over, with players from both sides exchanging in a war of words after a battle for the ages at the Etihad.
It is not the first time Arsenal have engaged in a rivalry with a side from Manchester, having gone toe-to-toe at the Premier League summit with United in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Former City goalkeeper David James is adamant Guardiola's side hold the competitive edge over their title rivals, though, likening Arsenal to an "annoying fly" buzzing around to try and halt the Citizens' dominance.
"I like the way this is developing. As you said, I think the rivalries in the past, probably the easiest one to go back to, is Arsenal and Manchester United," James told Stats Perform.
"That was because Arsenal won the league, Manchester United won the league, and you’ve got champions against champions.
"I think with Arteta’s team at the moment, if they win the league, then this rivalry will intensify.
"At the moment, it’s kind of like Man City keeps swatting off an annoying fly because they keep winning the title."
However, it was another blot on Arteta's record against his mentor, with the Gunners head coach having won just one of his eight league meetings against Guardiola since his arrival at the club in 2019.
Arsenal have finished runners-up to the Citizens in the past two Premier League seasons, missing out on a first title since 2003-04 by two points last term.
The Gunners managed to take four points off Guardiola's side last campaign, with Arteta earning his first league victory over City last September courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli's deflected effort.
Arsenal showed more signs of their maturation before going down to 10 men on Sunday, recovering well after Haaland's ninth-minute opener - the earliest goal they had conceded home or away in the league in 2024.
Gabriel's header marked his 14th goal from a corner routine, while Calafiori became the 20th Arsenal player to net on his first Premier League start, and only the second to do so from outside the box after Fabio Vieira in September 2022.
The encounter gave a brief insight into what the next eight months have in store, with James unsure whether the result would give either side the mental edge at this early stage of the campaign.
"I think there will be an impact. Whether it’s positive or negative is the issue here," James continued.
"For City, the issue will be how do we set up the corners to not allow these opportunities? If fouls are not going to get picked up by referees or VAR, then you need to rethink the way you set up because the first one for Gabriel, I think it was [Jeremy] Doku who was marking Gabriel.
"Mismatch to start with. The second one, Kyle Walker was there and effectively a mismatch again. So other teams will look at it and go, 'well, how can we set up?'
"Other teams, if they’re cute enough, will work out a way of defeating City on corners. Of course, get a corner first, then worry about getting it.
"But also, on a positive side, they can improve on this. When Jack Grealish came on, there was a different dynamic. Jack actually did stuff that I wasn’t expecting him to do. I thought he was going to get crosses on his right foot.
"Instead, he was running at players. He got the corner for the equaliser, and he also put the ball across to [Mateo] Kovacic. So there’s a lot for City to look at to improve on, which would make them better.
"From the Arsenal point of view, disappointment of losing three points in the end, I think 45 minutes of defending, there’s a lot that you’d be happy with.
"The fact that they got the goal from the corner, and unless VAR and the officials actually clamp down on what they’re doing, they’ll get more success from it."
The latest edition of the FIFA Coca Cola Men’s World Rankings have seen Barbados avoid their lowest ranking ever, instead moving up two places to 175th.
This move was as a result of a pair of wins in League C of the CONCACAF Nations League over the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands.
The Kent Hall coached team first beat the Bahamians 3-2 on September 7 before putting three past the USVI with no reply three days later.
Both games were played at the Bethlehem Soccer Stadium in St. Croix.
The Tridents enjoyed the fourth biggest move in the CONCACAF region in terms of points added during the September window, only trailing Belize, the Dominican Republic and St. Lucia.
Prior to the September window, Barbados had endured a tough run of fixtures, going winless in eight matches, including two heavy defeats to Dominican Republic.
They will be aiming to bounce back up to League B in the CNL when they play the same two opponents at the Wildey Turf next month.
Further wins at home in October would see Barbados taking another jump in the standings.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to end his glittering career anytime soon as he prepares to take charge of Los Blancos for the 300th time, versus Alaves in LaLiga on Tuesday.
Ancelotti has taken charge of Madrid 299 times across two spells, overseeing 119 games between 2013 and 2015, winning the Copa del Rey in 2013-14 and also leading the Spanish giants to their long-awaited 10th European Cup/Champions League crown.
Since returning to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021, Ancelotti has overseen a further 180 matches, leading the side to two more Champions League successes, two domestic title triumphs and a further Copa del Rey win.
Ancelotti – who last season became the first coach to win the European Cup/Champions League on five occasions – turned 65 in June, but he intends to coach at the top level for some time yet.
"I'm not thinking about my future whatsoever, I love this job," Ancelotti told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
"I have been lucky enough to coach great clubs, tomorrow it will be my 300th game at the best club in the world, it is something special to be in this dugout, to do it 300 times is not quite a miracle, but it is almost a miracle.
"Sure, you can't compare my tiredness to that of the players. There is pressure, responsibility, but I love it. At the moment I don't see myself as having an expiry date, I'd love to stay here for many years to come."
Madrid's only two losses across all competitions last season were both to local rivals Atletico Madrid, a 3-1 defeat in LaLiga on September 24, 2023, and a 4-2 extra-time loss in the Copa del Rey in January.
Should they avoid defeat versus Alaves on Tuesday, they will have completed a full calendar year unbeaten in LaLiga.
They have gone 38 league matches without defeat, closing in on the record held by Barcelona, who went 43 games without losing between April 2017 and May 2018.
The coach praised the resilience of his players, who have repeatedly found ways to salvage results despite injuries biting hard in recent weeks.
"Some records are about winning and others are about not losing. We are coming from a very long run and that means a lot of success, because draws often help you a lot," Ancelotti said.
"I think that in football, if you can't win, at least don't lose. Sometimes a draw gives a better feeling than a defeat.
"Defeat gives options to improve, that's true. But our success in the Champions League in the past lies in our solidity, in the way we compete.
"It has taken us a while to find this solidity at the start of the season, but we are going to find it, because the mental attitude of the players is very good."
Madrid are second in the LaLiga standings on 14 points, four behind leaders Barcelona, who host Getafe on Wednesday.
The Premier League delivered another weekend of thrills and spills as the 2024-25 season really clicks into gear.
Manchester City fought back late on to draw 2-2 with Arsenal in the headline fixture of the weekend on Sunday.
Chelsea and Liverpool each claimed 3-0 wins, while Manchester United were frustrated by Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, the bottom six teams in the league remain without a win, which is a Premier League first five games into a season.
But, what did the underlying metrics suggest about the weekend's action?
Unlucky loser: Man Utd
The data has thrown up an interesting storyline this week - there was not really a particularly unlucky loser or lucky winner.
Instead, the results that were most skewed were draws, with United one of the teams that can consider themselves unfortunate not to have picked up all three points.
They mustered 1.7 expected goals (xG) against Palace at Selhurst Park, having 15 shots and missing all five of their big chances. Only Tottenham (seven) created more big chances in total this weekend.
United had six shots on target, but found their former goalkeeper Dean Henderson in fine form, with Palace's expected goals on target (xGoT) conceded coming in at 1.9, showing just how well their shot-stopper performed.
Lucky winner: Arsenal
Drawing right at the death may have felt like a defeat for Arsenal, but it is fair to say the pressure had been building for Man City before John Stones steered home in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Mikel Arteta's team, reduced to 10 men following Leandro Trossard's second booking on the stroke of half-time, set out their stall to defend for the second half, and they very nearly got over the line.
Yet City, who had 77.2% of the ball, were dominant. They had 28 shots in the second half alone, the joint-highest ever by a team on record (from 2003-04) in a single half of Premier League football.
City finished with 2.18 xG, while the Gunners recorded just 0.67 - that was the third-lowest figure across the league this weekend.
Unlucky loser: Southampton
Two of those six teams at the bottom still waiting for a first league win are Southampton and Ipswich Town, who faced off at St Mary's on Saturday.
Southampton looked all set to wrap up their maiden victory of 2024-25 until, late on, Sam Morsy's deflected effort left the hosts stunned.
Only Spurs (3.52) registered a higher xG in the league this round than Southampton (2.49), who missed three of their four big chances.
That being said, Ipswich did have more shots (13 to 11) and recorded 1.69 xG, which suggests the Tractor Boys were at least worthy of one goal.
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