Southampton boss Ruben Selles admits it is getting more difficult to motivate players as relegation looms, but stressed everyone will continue to fight until the end of the season.
A 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Monday left the Saints on the brink of relegation, eight points adrift of safety at the bottom with just three games left.
A return to the Sky Bet Championship for the first time in since 2012 will be confirmed if Southampton fail to beat Fulham on Saturday or results elsewhere over the weekend go against them.
Despite the bleak outlook on the back of a 10-game winless run, Selles insists there is a determination to get the best possible results.
“It is our job and our privilege to fight until the very last minute and that is what we are going to do,” the Southampton boss said.
“We know it (relegation) is very close, but we still have our chances, it is not mathematically there.
“It is getting harder, of course, because the situation is not helping and it has been a tough week for us.
“We put all we have in against Nottingham Forest and we didn’t get the result that we wanted.
“Always when you get hit like that it is difficult to go to work the day after and to be super motivated, but I think we are in a good place that we can go tomorrow to compete and try to win the game.”
Selles accepts Saints could struggle to keep hold of key men like captain James Ward-Prowse in the Championship, but feels things are in place to be strong contenders for a swift promotion.
“I think the club has everything to bounce back very quick and be in the Premier League (again) the year after,” he said.
“We have our stadium with our fans that will support us, we have the organisation inside, the technical staff, the players and the future players, if it happens, that can help.
“We have a good structure with values, with philosophy and then it is just to put the things in place to go to the next chapter.”
Selles added at a press conference: “If we go to the Championship, of course we have players that the other teams in the Premier League will come and look for.
“It is not always easy to keep them for different reasons, in terms of budget or motivation for the player, so it is going to be (done on) a very individual case.”
Spanish coach Selles, who took over from Nathan Jones in mid-February on a deal until the end of the season, would like to stay and help the club rebuild.
“It is not for me to decide, but I would like to carry on in the Championship and bounce back to the Premier League in the year after,” he said.
“But right now we are just focusing on our daily job and trying to get the team being competitive tomorrow, and then we will talk about it if we need to talk about it at the end of the season.”
Gvardiol unfazed by Alvarez taking penalty as defender gives up hat-trick chance
Josko Gvardiol had no problem with Julian Alvarez taking a late penalty in Manchester City's 4-0 rout of Fulham, as he passed up the chance to score a memorable Premier League hat-trick.
Gvardiol scored in both halves as City crushed Marco Silva's men at Craven Cottage on Saturday, going top of the table ahead of Arsenal's trip to Manchester United on Sunday.
The defender slotted his finish into the bottom-left corner after exchanging passes with Kevin De Bruyne for his first, then stretched to prod Bernardo Silva's cross under Bernd Leno for his brace.
It looked like he might get the chance to make it a treble when Alvarez won a stoppage-time penalty, and the Croatian was deep in conversation with his team-mates around the spot before the Argentine dispatched the kick.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Gvardiol revealed he did put his name forward but had no qualms with regular taker Alvarez stepping up.
"Another two goals for me and of course another clean sheet, so I'm really happy," he said.
"We discussed me taking the penalty, and of course I said I would have liked to take it, but we know who the taker is, and he takes them."
After not scoring in any of his first 32 appearances for City across all competitions, Gvardiol has now netted five goals in his last seven games for the club.
None of his five goals have been scored with his favoured left foot, with four coming from his right and one via his head.
Asked what he put his hot streak down to, he added: "Nothing different, I think that is just normal in sports.
"Currently I am in good form and the end of the season is coming, we have three more finals and we've got to be ready. We just need to be focused on ourselves and keep going in that way.
Fulham only managed one shot in a flat performance, recording six touches in their opponents' area to City's 38.
Their hopes of a top-half finish are now officially over, but Silva is proud of their efforts this term, saying: "It was a successful season with the context of what happened in the summer.
"We had to rebuild and we did it really well. We did not have the power of the other teams but it was a success. Now is the moment to sit with the board and discuss what the possibilities are.
"If we want to take a step forward, we need to be clear and find out what the steps are in the market and go from there."
Arteta warns Arsenal they must be at their best to beat Man Utd at Old Trafford
Mikel Arteta has cautioned his Arsenal team they must be "at their best" if they are to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
After title rivals Manchester City won 4-0 at Fulham on Saturday to put Pep Guardiola's men within two victories of the Premier League title, Arsenal will look to keep the pressure on with a triumph at Old Trafford.
Those have been hard to come by of late for the Gunners, however, winning just one of their last 16 Premier League visits to United.
With that history in mind, Arteta knows his side will have to put in a top performance to claim the three points on Sunday, telling reporters: "I think every game has a different context.
"We know the difficulty. It's in our history when you look at what we've done over there. So we're going to have to be at our best to win the game."
United come into the contest in poor form, with a run of two wins in 10 league outings leaving them with an uphill battle if they are to qualify for any form of European football next season.
The Red Devils are currently eighth, six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham, and Erik ten Hag watched his side get hammered 4-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday.
However, Ten Hag still feels he has the backing of the United owners, saying: "They have common sense.
"They see when you have 32 different backlines, when you lose eight centre-backs and when we don't have a left full-back. They know that will have a negative impact on results."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester United – Marcus Rashford
Rashford has been involved in six goals in his last four Premier League starts against Arsenal, scoring four and assisting two. Overall, his 10 goal involvements against the Gunners (six goals, four assists) is his most against a single opponent in the Premier League, and he will look to once again haunt Arsenal on Sunday.
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Saka is an injury doubt for Sunday, which would be a bitter blow to their chances of victory considering his record against United. The winger has been involved in five Premier League goals against United (three goals, two assists), registering a goal (three) or assist (one) in each of his last four against them. Only Thierry Henry (12) has had a hand in more against the Red Devils for Arsenal than Saka in the competition.
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal are looking to complete the league double over United for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign, while they last won three in a row against the Red Devils between November 1997 and September 1998.
Having failed to score in 12 of their first 22 Premier League away games against United, Arsenal have found the net in each of their last nine league visits to Old Trafford.
The Gunners have though lost their final away league game in three of their four previous seasons under Arteta, with the exception being a 3-1 win at Palace in 2020-21. However, the Gunners are unbeaten when facing Manchester United in their final Premier League away game (one win, two draws), securing the title with a 1-0 win in 2001-02.
United have conceded 81 goals in all competitions this season, last conceding more in a single campaign back in 1970-71 (82).
United have also lost 18 games in all competitions this season, last losing more in a single campaign in 1977-78 (19).
Arsenal have kept 10 clean sheets away from home in the Premier League this season, last keeping more on the road in a single top-flight campaign in 1990-91 (13), and despite their poor recent record at Old Trafford, they look the favourites to pick up three much-needed points on Sunday.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Man Utd: 28.7%
Arsenal: 43.1%
Draw: 28.2%
PFJL and Malta team up on Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme
The Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) has collaborated with Malta to introduce the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme, a junior-level training initiative offering opportunities for young talents to further ignite passion for the sport and channel true Jamaican energy.
Targeting youths under seventeen years of age, this programme aims to provide a pathway for young players to progress into local, international or regional clubs and academies. The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 8, during the official media launch at the JFF Captain Horace Burrell Center of Excellence at The University of the West Indies.
In his remarks, CEO of the PFJL, Owen Hill, expressed, “We are excited about the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme prospects and look forward to developing our local talent and, by extension, allowing the players to be globally adaptable. To our partner Malta, we salute you for stepping up to the plate, believing in us and most importantly, believing in our youth. The team at Professional Football Jamaica Limited promises you that we will make this programme worth your while. On behalf of the PFJL board of directors and management, I thank you for being here and for your continued support as we continue to raise the bar.”
Through this programme, clubs will have the opportunity to participate using their best junior players between the ages of 15 to 17 and will involve four Premier League Clubs: Arnett Gardens, Waterhouse, Portmore United, and Harbour View.
PFJL, in collaboration with these clubs, will administer three football festivals where teams will compete in an equitable format to determine the champions on the day. The games will follow traditional football competition rules and will be hosted over three consecutive months, starting on May 25 and ending on July 27, where the teams will compete against each other.
The Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme aims to take a multifaceted approach by not only developing the technical skills and abilities of Jamaica’s youth footballers but also strengthen the local capacity for elite youth coaches through mandatory coaching education and football education. Coaches are required to be enrolled in a B Licensed Programme or higher to ensure that players are trained effectively. Moreover, individual clubs and player development plans will be implemented with structured coaching education.
"We are happy to partner with Professional Football Jamaica Limited for the launch of the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme, which is a part of our pilot programme, Malta Sparks. Through this campaign, we aim to bring local caregivers together, energise them, celebrate with them, strengthen their bonds within the community, and foster a profound sense of belonging. In collaboration with PFJL, we have a lineup of impactful workshops led by experts to equip players and their parents/guardians with the essential tools to improve their personal and social development skills. We look forward to the success stories and opportunities that will unfold for the talented young footballers participating in the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme,” expressed Malta Brand Manager, Jodi-Ann Campbell.
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