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• Eidevall wishes Miedema well but Arsenal keen to move on

  Jonas Eidevall wished former Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema all the best after her move to Manchester City, as the Gunners prepare for the upcoming Women's Super League season.

  Arsenal are set to begin life without the WSL's all-time leading scorer, who left the club after netting 80 times in 106 appearances during her seven-year spell.

  Miedema also holds the WSL record for most shots (452), efforts on target (198), touches in the opposition box (816) and goals from inside the area (70).

  In WSL history, only Bethany England (48) has converted more big chances than the Netherlands international (44), while Miedema has also provided 35 assists.

  Ironically, Miedema's first WSL appearance for her new club will come against Arsenal on September 22, two days after the start of the new campaign on Friday, September 20, for which Eidevall is now focused on getting his current squad ready.

  Speaking at the Barclay's WSL's 2024-25 season launch Media Day, he told Stats Perform: "Of course, Vivianne Miedema has had a really good history at Arsenal, some really good contributions to the club. 

  "Then, you come to a point where you need to say, what does the squad need here now for the next season? We prioritise these players that we now have in the squad.

  "[We] wish Viv all the best. I think she's going to have a really good and successful season with Manchester City, but we're really happy and content with the squad that we have."

  Arsenal are aiming to improve on last term's third-place finish, and Eidevall wants his players to produce high-quality performances on a more frequent basis.

  "We need to keep our highs that we had last season," he added. 

  "I think we showed - both with performances and results against the teams that were finishing at the top of the league - that we were a really good football team, but we lacked the consistency.

  "So, we need to keep our highs, but we need to raise our lows from last season. That's not easy, but if we can do that, then we can be winning."

• Pulisic hopes Pochettino can improve USA mentality and culture

  Christian Pulisic hopes the arrival of new head coach Mauricio Pochettino will improve the United States' mentality and culture, following their 1-1 draw with New Zealand.

  The Stars and Stripes were denied a first victory in four matches after Ben Waine's fortuitous equaliser in the 89th minute cancelled out Pulisic's opener in Cincinnati.

  Pochettino was officially announced earlier in the day as the successor to Gregg Berhalter, who was dismissed following the United States' poor Copa America campaign.

  The former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss will pick up the baton from interim coach Mikey Varas, and Pulisic hopes the Argentine's arrival will spark the nation back into life.

  "Hopefully, a culture that is willing to fight, that is willing to take risks, you know, win," the Stars and Stripes skipper said when asked what he wants Pochettino to bring to the role.

  "There are a lot of things that need to change, just the mentality and the culture of the group. I think we have the quality, but hopefully that's the first thing he's going to want to change."

  Pochettino will also be tasked with improving the United States' results, having now won just one of their last seven matches. And Pulisic issued a rallying cry to his team-mates.

  "Obviously, [these are] difficult results for us, and it's not a great feeling," he added.

  "But I think moving forward, it's time to turn a page, and we really have to pick up a level - I mean everyone that's a part of this. It feels pretty low right now, but I know there are better times ahead."

• Vinicius apologises to Brazil supporters after Paraguay defeat

  Vinicius Junior apologised to Brazil's supporters following their defeat to Paraguay, acknowledging "it is a difficult time" for the Selecao.

  The five-time world champions were beaten 1-0 in Asuncion, with Diego Gomez's 20th-minute strike condemning them to a fourth defeat in five qualifying games.

  Dorival Junior's side occupy fifth place in the CONMEBOL section - in which the top six nations automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the team finishing seventh entering the Inter-confederation play-offs.

  Already eight points adrift of leaders Argentina, Brazil are now just one ahead of eighth-place Bolivia, and Vinicius knows he and his team-mates must do better.

  "We apologise to the fans, who are always on our side," the Real Madrid forward told Sportv. "But this is a difficult time, we just want to improve.

  "I know my potential, I know what I can do for the national team. Of course, it's been a very difficult process, because when you don't have confidence, you don't get goals, you don't get assists and good performances.

  "We know the situation we're in, we want to get Brazil out of this situation at any cost, we all have to go home now and start thinking about what we can do to get back to playing well.

  "We cannot come here, lose these points and play the way we did. It is a difficult time, we must take on board all the criticism and return as quickly as possible to put Brazil on top."

  Meanwhile, Marquinhos believes Brazil are going through a transitional period, and that they are not brimming with belief as a result. 

  "The coach is still figuring out the best way for us to play and that's reflected in the result," the defender told Brazilian TV Globo. "There are a lot of new players, we are lacking confidence.

  "Qualifying isn't easy, it's a difficult time, and we have to know how to manage it. It's a time of transition, we're not feeling confident. We're going to work hard, getting results on the pitch is the best answer."