Thiago Silva is a "joy" to coach, says Chelsea boss Graham Potter, as the Brazil captain eyes a return to action against former club Milan in the Champions League this week.
The experienced defender missed the Blues' Premier League clash with Wolves on Saturday after suffering from a cold, but was on press duty at San Siro ahead of Tuesday's encounter.
Silva spent three years at Milan between 2009 and 2012, where he was a Serie A winner, before going on to achieve domestic success with Paris Saint-Germain and European glory with Chelsea.
Potter declared the 38-year-old's return from a brief absence was a major boost, hailing him as a model professional on and off the pitch.
"Thiago was [fine] when we played Milan [last Wednesday], but he just got a little worse as the week went on," Potter stated on Silva's earlier absence. "It made no sense to play him again.
"But he has recovered well, and he's been incredibly impressive on and off the pitch.
"As a leader, he's a top professional, and a top person. He's been a joy to work with."
Potter will be without N'Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech for Tuesday's encounter, however, with the former battling a hamstring injury and the latter feeling under the weather.
"It is not ideal, and certainly disappointing for both him and for us," Potter said of Kante's condition.
"So we have to wait and see the extent and then go from there. Hakim has a sore throat and that is why he has not travelled."
Fixture congestion concerns Arsenal boss Eidevall
Jonas Eidevall is unhappy with the level of care shown by UEFA and the Women's Super League when it comes to the fixture schedule.
Arsenal beat Rosenborg 1-0 on Saturday to seal their place in the second round of qualifying for the Women's Champions League.
They will face either Juventus, BK Hacken, Paris FC, Fiorentina or Sporting CP in a two-legged tie.
Those matches will take place on either 18-19 September and 25-26 September, which means Arsenal will play five matches in the space of two-and-a-half weeks when factoring in the start of the WSL campaign.
From next season, English clubs will avoid the mini-league qualifying format as UEFA introduces a new structure, and Eidevall, whose team also played on Wednesday, believes the current guise is damaging to player welfare.
"Now we're through it, I can say it – it's lucky an English team will not have to play in these mini-tournaments again. For all the excitement, it is a relic from the past," said Eidevall.
"This is just done from a budget perspective. That’s why they cram it in on Saturdays, to save another hotel night [by playing on a Sunday].
"All research around the world shows there’s a massive difference between 72 hours and 96 hours recovery after a game. That part, I just can't get my head around.
"That's just science. WSL has zero concerns about it, UEFA has zero concerns about it. It impacts injury risk. It's the same in the men's game.
"It's just that science is one thing and broadcasting money is another thing.
"You always need to get on with things. It's not an excuse, it's just scientific."
Arsenal kick-off their WSL season against Manchester City on September 22.
Jesse Marsch: I'd much rather coach Canada than USA
Jesse Marsch is thrilled to be coaching Canada rather than the United States.
Marsch got one over on his home nation, who he played for twice and was also an assistant coach, as Canada won 2-1 in Kansas City on Saturday.
The friendly victory, which came courtesy of goals from Jacob Shaffelburg and Jonathan David, marked Canada's first success on US soil since 1957.
While USA floundered at this year's Copa America, their 2026 World Cup co-hosts reached the semi-finals under Marsch's guidance, and the former Leeds United and RB Leipzig coach reiterated his happiness that he is in charge of Canada rather than the Stars and Stripes, who are in a state of flux following Gregg Berhalters' dismissal.
"I'd much rather coach Canada than the U.S. right now," Marsch said.
"You can see the mentality that's been developed. You can see the way this team plays.
"You can see how much they love playing for the national team and they're willing to put their careers and lives and the way they play on the line to be the best they can be for each other and for the team.
"I wouldn't change coaching this team right now for anything in the world."
Berhalter's former assistant Mikey Varas took charge of USA on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino is soon expected to take charge.
Luca de la Torre pulled one back for USA to set up a grandstand finish, but Canada held firm to seal a victory Marsch believed they were well worthy of.
"Of course I enjoyed it," said Marsch, whose team had 17 shots to USA's eight.
"I was certain that we would play well. I wasn't certain that we would win but I was certain we would play well."
Ronaldo's 900 goals 'an inspiration for football' – Martinez
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez sees Cristiano Ronaldo's "incredible" achievement of 900 career goals as an "inspiration for football".
Ronaldo netted his landmark goal on Thursday, scoring Portugal's winner in a 2-1 Nations League victory over Croatia.
The 39-year-old was already the leading goalscorer in the history of the game.
And Martinez feels nobody can put a limit on what Ronaldo is still able to achieve.
"I don't think scoring 900 goals is easy. It's a historic achievement, incredible, an inspiration for football," Martinez said ahead of Portugal's clash with Scotland.
"I don't think anyone can say that Cristiano can't do something. It's incredible what he's achieving, what he's doing in football.
"For us, the goal is collective. That he helps the national team."
Scotland lost 3-2 at home to Poland in their Nations League opener, but Martinez is expecting a fierce test on Sunday.
"Our players know the intensity of British football. Scotland have that. A lot of intensity, fast attacks, experience. We know the difference, but Scotland are objective, vertical, but have the quality to keep the ball," Martinez said.
"The last two games have shown that they want to win. They've lost their last few games after the 90th minute, they're objective, they've got top-class players. They're experienced and talented.
"It's not just a British team, a physical team, but a team with lots of skills and the game will be very competitive. We've prepared for that."
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