Arsenal supporters may now be accustomed to packing the Emirates Stadium for women’s matches but the experience of playing in front of tens of thousands remains “surreal” to veteran Jen Beattie.

The Glaswegian returned for a second spell with the Gunners in 2019 having previously won a league title, two FA Cups and a pair of League Cups in a four-year stint between 2009 to 2013.

On Tuesday, Arsenal announced 40,000 tickets have already been sold for their Women’s Super League encounter with defending champions Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on December 10 – a figure which is becoming a regular occurrence rather than any kind of novel development.

Despite the large attendances becoming more routine, Beattie admitted to the PA news agency: “They’re still exciting. I don’t think it will ever not be.

“I mean I’m 32, I’ve been in the game for a long time, I’ve played in front of crowds that aren’t that big, so to still be a part of it now and to see the crowd numbers growing and becoming consistent is surreal, to be honest.

“But it’s credit to the club, the way that they’ve pushed the funding behind the marketing, behind games, and of course, the fans that have bought into what we’re trying to do.

“I don’t think selling out the Emirates will ever become normal for me. It will be just as surreal and just as exciting every single time. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

The numbers speak for themselves. On October 1, Arsenal set a new WSL attendance record of 54,115 when they played Liverpool at the Emirates in their league opener, following that up with over 35,000 against Aston Villa two weeks later.

Including the upcoming Chelsea contest, each of Arsenal’s WSL matches at the Emirates Stadium since the start of the 2022-23 season – after several members of the squad lifted the Euro 2022 trophy with England – have generated crowds of at least 35,000, the club also ticking off a first sell-out at the stadium for last season’s Champions League semi-final.

The PA news agency understands Arsenal have also experienced a 314 per cent year-on-year increase in total ticket sales for women’s games between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Beattie can uniquely speak to what her club is doing behind the scenes. In 2022, the cancer survivor signed an extension that also saw her adopt a dual role which involves mentoring academy players and working with Arsenal’s commercial and partnerships teams.

She said: “It’s important for them to see how much the women’s side actually want to be involved in those big decisions, making the staff aware [that] we really value having an impact, because we care about it.

“I think that men’s football went on at such a fast growth so many years ago, but we wanted to kind of tailor it. I think we all just have a responsibility that we’re part of the big change that’s happening.

“There are so many similarities to men’s football, but there are so many differences, and I think it’s about things we want to make different as well. We don’t want to completely emulate the men’s game.”

Arsenal skipper Kim Little and vice-captain Leah Williamson have also been active in consultations about next year’s plan to move the WSL and Women’s Championship into an independent ‘NewCo’, which will result in a restructure of power in a move similar to the Premier League’s 20-club governance model.

Beattie, meanwhile, has been serving as a Scottish FA and McDonald’s grassroots ambassador, and believes striking the right balance between enjoyment and opportunity is pivotal when it comes to keeping girls in the game past their primary school years, when a 2022 Women in Sport survey found 43 per cent who once considered themselves ‘sporty’ drop out.

She added: “It is still a very male-dominated sport, but I think as long as fun is the number-one aspect, making it not too stressful, I think that’s what keeps kids in it, and creating a pathway up to professionalisation (and) giving support to schools, to education.

“As long as there’s a pathway and an opportunity for kids to stick to, that’s the most important thing.”

:: Jen Beattie was speaking at the annual Scottish FA Grassroots Awards in partnership with McDonald’s Fun Football. The awards recognise volunteers who are dedicated to making a real difference to community football in Scotland.

Mikel Arteta insists there is no point comparing the modern Premier League to past seasons as the Arsenal boss claims the quality at the top is “unprecedented”.

The Gunners travel to Newcastle on Saturday evening knowing victory could move them to the summit, with leaders Tottenham not in action until Monday.

Just four points separate the current top five, with former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery’s Aston Villa continuing to keep pace with more established sides such as Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City.

Newcastle sit sixth, but have not lost in the league since September 2 as the pool of teams competing for the major honours continues to grow.

“What has happened in the last five years is unprecedented,” Arteta said on the eve of taking his side to St James’ Park.

“It never happened with the amount of points and level of the teams. Now it’s the amount of teams with that level that is increasing and increasing.

“That’s why comparing to the past in this league is a waste of time. It’s very different to what it used to be, and that puts the demands of what we do every single day in a different scope.”

Arsenal remain unbeaten in the league, but suffered a 3-1 loss at West Ham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Captain Martin Odegaard came off the bench late on to score a consolation goal as he aims to overcoming a nagging hip complaint.

“We have tried to offload him a little bit because he had a little issue that he was grumbling with,” Arteta explained.

“He felt much better in the last few days, and we gave a few minutes against West Ham which was good to see, and his contribution was really good – if he’s fine he will be ready.”

Meanwhile, Arteta hinted defender Ben White could be the next of his key players to sign a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

White will make his 100th appearance for Arsenal on Saturday having joined from Brighton in 2021 and Arteta is pleased with how the 26-year-old has developed under his tenure.

“We are always trying to keep the squad in a healthy position in any way, and the club and Edu especially are working on that,” he replied when asked about a potential new contract for White.

“I think he’s progressed in the right way in the last few years. He had a little bit of a difficult start, which is normal because it was a big jump with different expectations.

“He started to play as well in certain different positions, but I think he’s shown a lot of determination and courage to overcome that.

“I think he has a big personality, I think he copes with pressure really well, he has a lot of quality, he gives us different positions and he’s been a key player for us.

“He’s a really good character in his own way and the way he is, the way he presents himself, but he loves football. The way he trains every day, the way he applies himself is top and we need players like him.”

Robinhood of Suriname will meet Jamaica's Cavalier Football Club in the final of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they bettered Dominican Republic side Moca FC 3-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-0 victory in their second leg semi-final clash at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo on Thursday.

With Moca holding a one-nil lead entering the decisive leg, Franklin Singodikromo found Robinhood's all-important strike moments before the final whistle to even the series 1-1 on aggregate. Goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel then made two saves in the shootout to secure Robinhood will contest the Caribbean Cup showpiece, and, in the process, earned its first Concacaf Champions Cup berth since 1994.

Moca FC can still qualify for the 2024 Champions Cup, but they will have to get by Jamaican club Harbour View FC in the Caribbean Cup third-place fixture.

Robinhood started off by pinning the visitors back early and often, with Dimitrio Andro missing on a pair of shots in the 15th and 23rd minutes. Prior to that, Quiliano Stedenburg hooking a shot wide in the 21st.

Tuur Don heading right at Moca's goalkeeper Odalis Baez in the 32nd.

Robinhood continued to apply pressure and a deep cross from Jamilhio Rigters in the 52nd from the left wing nearly resulted in an own goal.

But as time went by, the Moca backline remained resolute and kept the Robinhood attack at bay.

Just when it looked like Moca were going to finish the job, Robinhood brought the home fans to their feet with a dramatic goal in the third minute of second half stoppage time. This, as Singodikromo wiggled away from a trio of defenders and fired past Baez to even the series at 1-1 and force a penalty shootout.

From the spot, Robinhood proved the better of the two sides, with Fonkel making two stops to help the home side emerge victorious.

Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has trained this week but manager Jurgen Klopp will allow the player to decide whether he wants to be involved at the weekend.

The Colombia international’s father is still missing after being kidnapped last week and although there have been suggestions in South America he may soon be set free the 26-year-old has understandably had a difficult few days.

“He was in training two days ago, yesterday he had a session and will be part of the team (training),” said Klopp ahead of Sunday’s trip to Luton.

“We must wait. If he feels right, he will be here and train with us. The session he had with us, you can see when he is with the boys he is fine, he is OK, but you could see he didn’t sleep a lot.

“We have to see how he is and we go from there. The news from Colombia gives us a little bit of hope. We are waiting for the really good news but that’s it pretty much.

“I cannot say what we will do because we just wait where we can pick up the boy from and go from there.

“But it’s all about him, if he makes himself available or not, and I will not force anything.”

The Michael Ricketts-led Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) administration has once again found itself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, as their integrity has again been called into question by stakeholders.

This, as Beach Soccer Jamaica demanded an explanation for why its application for membership was turned down, while another recently formed entity “that has never operated or been involved in beach football in Jamaica, has been accepted as a member by the Board of the JFF.”

Beach Soccer in a letter addressed to general secretary Dennis Chung said it complied with all the JFF’s request to submit various documents and at no time based on all email responses where there any indication from the country’s governing football body that there were outstanding documentation.

In fact, Beach Soccer in its statement pointed out that they were “never officially provided with the Constitution or any other document that detailed the required submissions,” and, as such are disappointed with the outcome.

“It is with great dismay and shock that we learned in the news media that another recently formed entity that has never operated or been involved in beach football in Jamaica, has been accepted as a member by the Board of the JFF. It is disheartening that this new entity was equally incorporated after the June 30, 2023, deadline for being in existence as stipulated in Article 83(ix) of the JFF constitution.

“We demand an explanation of why our documents were not accepted by the Board of the JFF or why we were considered non-compliant when prior to this decision, we were never advised that we had not met any of the requirements. We note that included in the leadership of the alternative Beach Football Association, which was accepted, are two current members of the JFF Executive,” Beach Soccer’s statement said.“This is a serious breach of your obligation to us as a stakeholder in the JFF, which has unfairly resulted in our organization being disenfranchised for the upcoming election congress, and is an affront to good governance, and appears discriminatory.

“Your actions have left us with no alternative than to report this serious dereliction of duty to the CFU, the CONCACAF, and FIFA for their intervention and as such we have copied them herein,” it added.

Meanwhile, Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron, chairman of the Real Solid Action (RSA) –the team behind Raymond Anderson, who will challenge Ricketts for the JFF presidency on January 14 –conveyed their discontent with how the JFF has handled the stakeholder agreement for Pillar Three for the upcoming elections.

The elections are constitutionally due this year but the decision to move it to early next year, was made to give other stakeholders, particularly those in Pillar Three to apply for acceptance. Only the Past Players’ Association, the Beach Football of Jamaica Limited and the Jamaica Coaches Association have been accepted from Pillar Three.

The deadline for application closes on December 20, and that will allow other stakeholders in that section to apply.

The Jamaica Football Referees Association, ISSA, PFJL and Intercol are the other stakeholders in Pillar Three.

The JFF constitution was changed to allow 56 delegates to vote, up from 13 in previous elections.

“Pillar Three was introduced specifically to recognize the supporting and most important segment of our football landscape to ensure that the representation at the highest level reflects the view of the majority of the stakeholders participating in football.  

“We are of the firm belief that the process to engage the stakeholders was not treated with the requisite due process and importance to ensure they were properly registered,” Cameron’s release said.

“The JFF has been aware of what is required to engage all 56 voting members, but its failure to communicate same has been met with a possibility of them being disenfranchised. We believe there has also been a major breach of the code of ethics which has just been adopted by the JFF again underlying the challenges of the organization,” it noted, while requesting that the issues be resolved as quickly as possible. 

Kyrell Lisbie has his sights set on an FA Cup upset when eighth-tier Cray Valley face Charlton at The Valley – where his father Kevin scored a hat-trick in the Premier League to beat Liverpool 20 years ago.

Cray Valley Paper Mills Football Club, to give them their full title, are five steps below the Sky Bet League One Addicks in the pyramid  – but less than four miles separate the two Greenwich teams, who have plenty of local connections.

Kevin Lisbie made more than 150 appearances for Charlton, with one of his most memorable coming when he bagged a Premier League hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Liverpool during September 2003.

Jamaica international Lisbie later had spells at Colchester, Ipswich and Leyton Orient, before he spent two seasons with Cray Valley, playing in the 2019 FA Vase final at Wembley.

Shortly after turning 16, Kyrell made his debut for the Millers’ first team when replacing his father as a substitute in a London Senior Cup tie during April 2021.

Following an unsuccessful six-week trial trial at West Ham, he and twin brother Kyreece were taken on by Watford at under-18 level. After being released by the Hornets, Kyrell joined Welling United on a short-term deal in January 2023, before then returning to Cray Valley in August.

The 19-year-old winger scored twice in the 5-2 fourth qualifying round win over Enfield Town, which sent the Isthmian League South East Division side into the draw for the first round proper.

With seven goals in the competition so far, Lisbie is in the race for this season’s Mitre Golden Ball Award, which recognises the top scorer in the FA Cup and gives players lower down the pyramid the opportunity to compete against Premier League stars.

Lisbie’s jubilant reaction to the first round draw went viral – with him and Kyreece, now in Brentford’s B squad, having almost one million combined followers on TikTok.

However, come kick-off for Sunday’s televised tie at The Valley, the teenage forward will be fully focussed on helping the Millers produce their own bit of FA Cup magic for the archives.

“The mentality is to go out there and try to face what is in front of us. We know the quality that Charlton have and we know that it is going to be a tough battle,” Lisbie told the PA news agency.

“It was an amazing draw, with how close the two teams are to each other and everything else. I feel like it is written in the stars that we go out there and perform.

“They are a good team, but the beauty of the FA Cup is you just never know what the result will be.

“The boys have fully deserved it. It is going to be a special day and occasion.

“There have been a few upsets and I just can’t wait for it.”

Lisbie is in no doubt about how “massively important” the continued support of their father, 45, has been for him and his twin brother on their own footballing journey, which has not always been smooth after they were released by Orient after Under-14s.

“My dad has always been there with the work we have put in, off the pitch too with hill runs or 5k runs – we have done them all with him,” he said.

“It is a credit to him because he has never put any pressure on us or really forced us to kind of follow in his footsteps.

“He has always just let us be and whenever we come to him, he is always willing to help us become better because he knows what it takes.”

Kyreece Lisbie also had a spell alongside Kyrell at Cray Valley.

After leaving Watford at the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, Kyreece joined Brentford B. In June, he signed a one-year contract extension with the west London club.

The twins have used their popular social media accounts to chart both the lows and highs of a young footballer’s career path.

“There is not always ‘ups’ – and me getting released from Watford was not pleasant, but it is to show the work that it takes to get into clubs like Watford and the (different) routes, which for some kids will be a lot easier than others,” Kyrell said.

“The things which me and my twin post try to kind of document that, (showing) this is what it takes and the hard work, the dedication and also the noes.

“Being told you are not good enough at something you spent thousands of hours investing in is difficult, but that is how me and my twin have kind of got quite popular on TikTok because a lot of young footballers can relate to hearing that.

“We are just trying to show our journeys and to inspire kids to show that you can get to where you want to be.”

Tottenham’s new technical director Johan Lange officially started work on Wednesday, but boss Ange Postecoglou will not be banging on his door demanding a squad full of “24 world-class players” any time soon.

Spurs are next in action on Monday against London rivals Chelsea, who took their spending under Todd Boehly beyond the £1billion mark with several additions this summer, including midfielder Moses Caicedo for £100million.

While Tottenham’s signings have hit the ground running, Chelsea continue to flatter to deceive and have won only three times under Mauricio Pochettino in the Premier League this season.

Postecoglou was asked if he would like a £1billion war chest and insisted: “Not necessarily. I’ve always said I’ve never felt it is about just spending money. That’s been proved time and time again.

“Look if you get it all right then you’ve got a pretty strong case, but there’s always a limit to every team. You can’t have 24 world-class players. That will never work, it doesn’t work, its been proven.

“It’s about having a squad that’s balanced, guys that are committed to a cause, guys that maybe aren’t going to play every game, but every time they play they are going to make a huge impact for you because they buy into what you are trying to build.

“Just spending endless money to get the best players has been proven time and time again is not the answer. The answer is to get the right chemistry in your team, in your squad, to have 24 players committed to one cause.

“I don’t think you can do that if you just get the 24 best players in the world. That’s a headache I definitely don’t want.”

A large degree of the focus off the pitch at Spurs right now will be on preparing for the January transfer window with Lange eager to stamp his authority after three years at Aston Villa, where the likes of Emi Martinez, Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins were signed under his watch.

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Tottenham confirmed Lange’s impending arrival on October 9 and he will be joined in north London by Rob Mackenzie.

Mackenzie, who was previously head of player identification at Spurs during the start of Pochettino’s reign, will be chief scout in N17 after he headed up Villa’s recruitment under Lange.

With the former Villa pair in situ along with chief football officer Scott Munn, the current Premier League leaders look well placed for a strong January transfer window where centre-back and a versatile attacker will be priority positions.

“I’ve caught up with Johan,” Postecoglou revealed.

“Nothing too formal. I don’t have the attention span for long meetings mate, so it tends to be just casual chats with people. It’s the best way to get my point across if I need to say anything.

“The good thing is he is in the building now so he’s interacting with all the right people. The bit with me is the easy bit. It’s about setting up the procedures and the structures to make sure he gets the department working the way he wants to get the right outcomes.

“Rob joining will help that. It is important they come in now. The January window, like for every club, is an important one.

“My view on the January one is that if you can get your business done early in the window it certainly is more helpful.

“That’s sometimes out of your control, so having him in is good. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of discussions between now and then and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

The prestigious Ballon d’Or awards will be co-organised by UEFA from next year.

European football’s governing body has reached an agreement with Group Amaury, the owner of media companies France Football and L’Equipe, to “enhance the stature and global reach of the awards”.

Argentinian star Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or title earlier this week after steering his country to World Cup glory last year, with Spanish World Cup star Aitana Bonmati winning the women’s prize.

The merging of the awards means an end to the UEFA awards handed out in August each year, with the exception of the President’s Award which will still be presented alongside the draws for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

There will also still be accolades for the best player in each of UEFA’s club competitions, which are determined by its technical study group and announced within days of each competition’s final.

Under the new partnership, UEFA said all existing Ballon d’Or awards will remain in place with the addition of men’s and women’s coach of the year prizes.

John Mousinho is honest when asked what has caught him off guard as a new manager.

The Portsmouth boss is learning the ropes, 11 months into his career, despite guiding his unbeaten side to the top of Sky Bet League One.

As the former chair of the Professional Footballers’ Association and a player who started his coaching badges early, his transition to management has been almost seamless.

Yet the former defender who made 550 appearances in an 18-year career is still getting used to one final change.

“I love the job, I really do, everything apart from three to five o’clock on Saturday is great because I just feel completely helpless,” he told the PA news agency.

“Any time you see a head coach or a manager on the sidelines and their behaviour seems a bit erratic just spare them a thought because you lose that control. Sometimes it’s such an emotional game, emotions get the better of you.

“It’s been the biggest surprise because as a player I always felt in control, at least able to influence something. In some ways you do have ultimate influence and control but in others you’re standing on the touchline hoping 11 players do their jobs.

“A lot of the time it’s a really horrible place to be but, genuinely, I am loving it.

“We knew it (his appointment) might be seen as more of a gamble or risk than normal, although we didn’t think it was the case.

“If you start gambling with the future of the football club you can put yourself in a bit of a tricky spot.

“There’s a risk in every appointment and that was one of my answers when we were talking about the whole process and the appointment itself, there’s mystery with every single appointment no matter how many games you’ve managed or coached.”

That process has taken the 37-year-old, the third youngest boss in the EFL, and Pompey to the League One summit with a six-point lead.

Stretching back to March, they have not lost in the league in 26 games and have won 17 points from losing positions this season – including coming from 2-0 down to beat Reading 3-2 on Saturday.

Mousinho’s January appointment raised eyebrows as he was still playing and coaching at Oxford under Karl Robinson. He had 24 hours before his first game – a 2-0 win over Exeter – but has not looked back, having also had to step down from the PFA.

“I’d been with Oxford, at Fleetwood away, and I didn’t play. I was sat at the back of the bus and 10 days later I was the head coach of Portsmouth,” said September’s League One manager of the month, who credits Robinson for his guidance.

“It’s strange making the transition. Your whole life has changed overnight.

“I had to think about how I interacted with players, how I interact with the staff. As a player you can be very, very selfish. Then all of a sudden, you can’t be as a head coach.

“The biggest change from when I first started playing and maybe in the last 10 years is players have become a lot more conscientious about their own careers.

“It’s an interesting new side of it. When people first started playing it maybe wasn’t particularly cool to do your extras, to look at video analysis and dedicate your life to being a professional footballer.

“We were getting to the back end of the drinking culture when I first started playing and it’s slowly gone out of the game so players are much more focused on their own development.

“We’re probably just a bit behind other countries in terms of the way we’ve embraced that as individuals. There’s no longer the accusation of being busy. It’s good to be good.”

Mousinho takes Portsmouth to Chesterfield on Sunday in arguably the pick of the FA Cup first-round ties.

The Spireites, top of the Vanarama National League, are managed by former Pompey boss Paul Cook, along with the ex-players on his coaching staff Gary Roberts, Tom Naylor and Michael Jacobs.

Just four years after winning the FA Cup in 2008, Portsmouth were relegated to League One and spiralled into the fourth tier before Cook took them back up in 2017. They have been in League One since and Mousinho plans to be the one to take them out.

“When you’re at Portsmouth, one of the first things people talk about is the success with the FA Cup,” he said. “There’s a huge amount of spice to this game.

“The club has been through a lot over the past 10-15 years, going right to the brink of liquidation, so what we’re trying to do is part of the long, slow rebuild.

“Everybody’s desperate to move the club forward, the most important thing is we move the club forward in the right way.

“That’s been the whole mantra since day one. Yes, we want to get out and we’d love to have done it yesterday but these things just take time.”

What the papers say

The Daily Mail says Manchester United are on the hunt for another striker to support Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund.

United boss Erik ten Hag‘s strict methods in his handling of Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire are being questioned by some players in the squad, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Daily Mirror says Everton are in talks regarding their midfielder Dele Alli with his former club Tottenham, looking for an agreement to waive a fee that would kick in if he reaches 20 appearances.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Eberechi Eze: The England forward has been offered the chance to triple his pay with a new Crystal Palace contract which is expected to include a bumper release clause, according to talkSPORT.

Ivan Toney: The striker has confirmed to Brentford that he wants to leave in the January transfer window amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, according to 90min.com

Ian Holloway left Blackpool to become Crystal Palace’s new manager, on this day in 2012.

Holloway signed a four-and-a-half-year contract to fill the vacant position at Selhurst Park, with the Eagles having allowed Dougie Freedman to join Bolton in October.

The move ended Holloway’s three-and-a-half-year stay with Blackpool, where he oversaw their promotion to the Premier League in 2010.

Holloway was unveiled to the Palace crowd at half-time of their Championship game with Blackburn.

A 2-0 win took the Eagles third in the table and Holloway was delighted with what he was seeing when he spoke to the crowd.

“How lucky are we to see a team like this? It’s fantastic,” he said. “I think I have got goosebumps on the back of my neck to get an opportunity like this.

“People ask me why I have come here but the board sold me their dream about what they want for their club and with their energy and my energy let’s hope we can all be very happy.”

Palace went on to finish fifth in the Championship and secured promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, but Holloway’s contract was terminated by mutual consent after seven defeats in the first eight games on their top-flight return.

“This club needs an impetus of energy but I just feel tired to be honest. I’m worn out,” Holloway admitted.

“I want to give them the chance to stay in this division.”

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is “100 per cent sure” manager Erik ten Hag can turn the club’s fortunes around.

Former Ajax boss Ten Hag has come under increasing pressure as United bid to put their worst start to a season since 1962-63 behind them.

McTominay insisted all the hard work by the players and coaching staff behind the scenes will soon start to pay off.

The Scotland international told the club’s official website: “There’s more that goes into it when you’re not playing well and you’re not doing so well.

“I know the fans don’t want to hear that, they want to see results and performances and I think they want to see the players smiling and happy.

“It’s not quite happening at the moment, but I’m 100 per cent sure that the manager can put that into practice and it can come off. I’m sure of that.”

After successive 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle, United play at Fulham on Saturday and face Champions League group rivals Copenhagen in Denmark next Wednesday.

“We have to win, that’s always the thought process,” McTominay said. “Obviously my thoughts are with the fans at the minute because we’re not playing well and it’s difficult for them.

“They pay their hard-earned money every week to come and watch us and the least we can do is play well and win football matches.

“It’s not quite happening at the moment, sometimes that’s football, but I feel like for us in that dressing room we have to stay tight and keep a clear head, and we can’t get too emotional with everything that surrounds us. We’ve got to block it all out.”

Ten Hag has urged his players to “stand up” and work “shoulder by shoulder” and McTominay agreed a united dressing room is key to halting their slide.

“Everyone knows that we’re not in our best period at the minute. We have to stick together, that’s the most important thing,” he said.

“Obviously the fans will hear the generic response of ‘we’ve got to stick together’, but it’s true.

“Everyone wants this football club to succeed and we have to pull together and try to be as good with each other as possible in the dressing room to get those results going our way.

“I feel like we’ve got more than enough talent in the changing room to do that and whenever you look at the boys who are playing, but obviously something isn’t quite clicking.

“That’s up to the manager and the players to fix that and I’m 100 per cent confident that we will.”

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino wants his side to convert this season’s lack of continental competition into a successful set of domestic cup runs.

The Blues moved one step closer to securing a first Carabao Cup since 2015 with a 2-0 last-16 victory over Blackburn on Wednesday night, and will host Newcastle in their December 19 quarter-final.

Should Chelsea go all the way, Pochettino would become just the third Blues manager in club history, after Gianluca Vialli and Jose Mourinho, to lead the five-time winners to a League Cup in his first season with the club.

He said: “We need to think that this is an important competition for us because we are not in Europe, and that should be the priority for us, like the Premier League, and when in January we start the FA Cup.

“Of course, we need to think that we can win this competition.”

Chelsea, 11th in the Premier League with just 12 points from their first 10 top-flight matches, sit 10 points behind Aston Villa, currently occupying fifth and the Europa League group stage position, and may need to defy recent odds to lift the League Cup.

Every winner since the 2017/18 season has also finished top four in the Premier League, though Chelsea have reached two finals in the last five seasons.

Pochettino’s ranks got a boost on Wednesday night, welcoming captain Reece James back to the starting line-up for the first time since August and Benoit Badiashile marking his first appearance since May with the opener at Stamford Bridge, where Raheem Sterling fired in the Blues’ second.

Still, the Argentinian knows there is work to be done and a morale boost necessary to improve on their 2-0 defeat to Brentford last Saturday and just one Premier League win at home, August’s 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Luton, particularly with Premier League leaders Tottenham followed by title holders Manchester City up next.

He said: “After Saturday it was important for us to win the (Blackburn) game, to go through in the competition, of course too many (missed) chances, we need to be more clinical, but that you cannot change from Saturday to (Wednesday), and now we try building the confidence.

“Now we’re looking forward to the next round but now to prepare for the next two games that are so important and into the international break.”

Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was impressed by his side’s fight against their Premier League challengers, with the average age of his starters just 22.6 years old.

Blackburn particularly impressed in the first half, defending well inside their 18-yard box to deny Chelsea early chances, while Rovers were left to rue a potential Conor Gallagher handball shout that could have been a game-changer for the Championship side.

He said: “It’s true, we always need a bit of luck when you’re playing against a team who is on another level, because Chelsea is of course an excellent team, but still we need to be honest.

“They were better than we were. Nothing wrong with that. They should be better than we were.”

AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu has had surgery and is expected to be out of action for around four months.

The 23-year-old centre-half ruptured a thigh muscle in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Serie A rivals Napoli and had an operation to repair the damage on Thursday.

Milan said on their official website: “AC Milan can confirm that Pierre Kalulu underwent surgery today to repair a complete rupture of his left rectus femoris tendon.

“The operation, which was carried out in Finland by Professor Lasse Lempainen in the presence of AC Milan’s head of medical team, Stefano Mazzoni, was a complete success.

“His expected recovery time is estimated to be around four months.”

Kalulu is in his fourth season with Milan after joining from Lyon in 2020.

He made his first start in Serie A this season at Napoli on Sunday after three substitute appearances, but sustained the injury in the 19th minute.

Brazil forward Rodrygo has signed a new deal with Real Madrid to keep him at the club until 2028.

The 22-year-old has made 179 appearances in all competitions for Real since joining from Santos in 2019 and it has been reported his new contract has a one billion euros release clause.

The club said in a statement: “Real Madrid C.F. and Rodrygo have agreed a contract extension for the player, who will remain at the club until 30 June 2028.”

Rodrygo, capped 18 times by Brazil, has scored 39 goals during five seasons in Real’s first team, including two in last season’s 2-1 Copa del Rey final win against Sevilla.

He has won seven other major trophies with the club – two LaLiga titles, the Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and two Spanish Super Cups.

Rodrygo’s Brazil team-mate Vinicius Junior agreed a contract extension with Real until the summer of 2027 earlier this week and that also includes a one billion euros release clause, according to reports.