Liverpool summer signing Wataru Endo has found the Premier League more difficult than he expected but is confident he can improve and contribute more.

The 30-year-old Japan international, a £12million arrival from Stuttgart, was viewed as something of a stop-gap solution to the club’s lack of defensive midfielders following Fabinho’s unexpected departure to Saudi Arabia.

Of his 15 appearances so far, only two have been Premier League starts (against Newcastle and Brentford), with manager Jurgen Klopp preferring to utilise Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister in an unfamiliar holding role.

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Endo has gained most of his game time in the Europa League and Carabao Cup and his late arrival – he was signed in mid-August – did not help his integration.

“Yes, it’s harder than I thought, but I’m very happy to be here,” he said when asked about his experience of the Premier League so far.

“Physically, it’s speedy, so it’s very hard to adapt but it’s the Premier League and I keep trying and keep playing and I’ll get better.

“I’m already 30 years old but I feel I have a chance to grow as a football player so I’m so happy to be here and I can improve.

“After I got here I had a talk with the boss about how Liverpool play. After that I just try to do that and he talks a lot with me about it.

“Every time I try to help Liverpool play and of course I always watch what they do from the bench. I think it is an important thing and I am getting better and better.”

Endo’s start to life at Anfield was not helped by the fact as the only holding midfielder there was a lot of attention on him to slot straight into the side and perform a similar role to the one that 30-year-old Fabinho did for five years.

In addition, Liverpool’s midfield underwent a complete overhaul in the summer with Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch now looking like the established first choices.

But with nine matches to come this month, Endo is likely to get more opportunities.

“I’m always ready to play every game, that’s the most important thing. We need all the players so I try to be ready every game and try to win every game,” he added.

“Liverpool has a very winning mentality so we always need to win, need to get three points, and it’s a very difficult thing but that’s why I came here. I’m enjoying the pressure.

“I’m a defensive midfielder so I have to make a difference in defence but also to take up good positions and play good football. I’m enjoying playing with amazing players.”

Ange Postecoglou is excited to welcome Yves Bissouma back into the fold for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City, but admits Tottenham must improve their discipline.

Bissouma is available again after serving a one-match ban against Aston Villa for receiving five yellow cards before the halfway point of the Premier League season.

The former Brighton midfielder enjoyed a superb start to the new campaign but has only played three times since being sent off for two bookings at Luton in early October.

Bissouma is not alone in missing matches due to suspension, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie also seeing red this term.

“Really pleased to get Biss back. He is such an important part of our set-up with the way he plays in that role,” Postecoglou said.

“If you look at the first third of the season, from a results perspective I reckon we are still on the positive side of the ledger.

“Performance-wise, I still think we are on the positive side of the ledger, even though we’ve had some disappointments, but an area we need to improve is discipline. He is part of that.

“That has let us down in this first half of the year. Not just in terms of cards, but being really focused in our approach and these are the things we need to learn as a team.

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“I am sure Biss probably feels himself a bit frustrated with the fact he had such a great start and now it’s been disrupted, but great to have him back. Particularly against a team like City, he is going to be really important for us.

“It is kind of a lesson for him and us as a group. If you want things to run a bit more smoothly, you have to be really disciplined in your approach and really focused in what you do.

“Hopefully he comes out of this knowing for him to maintain becoming a really important part of our team, he needs to have that discipline and focus.”

The return of Bissouma is welcome for Postecoglou, who remains without Pape Sarr (hamstring) and this week discovered Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle) will be out until February

Spurs’ list of absentees has now reached double figures, which contributes towards the visitors being long odds to upset City on Sunday.

Nevertheless, Tottenham boast an excellent record against the Premier League champions, albeit previously playing in a pragmatic way, and Postecoglou knows his markedly different attacking approach will bring questions.

He added: “That’s not a bad thing. That’s a good thing. We need to be scrutinised. I need to be scrutinised, I need to be questioned. That’s what tests my resolve.

“I ain’t gong to change, but bring it on. It doesn’t just test me, it tests the players, it tests the club. How resolved are we about doing this?

“Look at all the top teams, they’ve all been through the process, through the tough times. They’ve all got questioned, they’ve all got scrutinised, they’ve all had criticism.

“How did they handle it, the ones that are through the other side? The ones who handled it differently, where are they now?

“I have a real strong belief in what I do and where the team is heading and I’m just not going to waver from it.

“There’s a reason I’m sitting here and the reason is the end game is not to beat City. If that’s the end game, that’s been done.

“It’s a hell of an achievement to knock them off, absolutely, but it’s not why I’m here.

“I’m trying to set up a team to be successful.”

Pep Guardiola expects Tottenham to come at his Manchester City side at full throttle this weekend.

Spurs caught the eye playing dynamic and attacking football in a strong start to the Premier League season under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Londoners have come unstuck in recent weeks, losing their last three games and suffering injuries to key players, but their Australian manager has determinedly stuck to his principles.

“He’s been there from day one, from the first game of the Premier League,” said City boss Guardiola, whose treble winners host Spurs at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

“I have the feeling it doesn’t matter the result, it doesn’t matter the opponent, home or away – they do what they have to do.

“I like that. I think that is so incredible an advert for our game, for our sport. When two teams (decide it) doesn’t matter what happens, I do my game, I go forward, there are always nice things to watch, all the time.

“It’s impossible you don’t see an interesting game where both teams want to try to do it.”

City midfielder Mateo Kovacic is back in contention after injury and John Stones, and unused substitute for the last games, is also close to returning to action.

Kyle Walker, who has taken over the City captaincy so far this season with Kevin De Bruyne out injured, will face his old club.

“I’m really, really pleased about what he’s doing,” said Guardiola of the 33-year-old right-back.

“He’s the same guy who was involved before, when he wasn’t captain, but now the players decided to pick him, so he now has a little more responsibility.

“When there’s some problems in the locker room or whatever, captains tend to solve it.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has insisted he has full confidence in Andre Onana and said there would be nothing to be gained from taking his under-fire goalkeeper out of the spotlight.

Onana’s form is once again under scrutiny after the Cameroon goalkeeper was culpable for two of Galatasaray’s goals in Wednesday’s costly 3-3 draw in Istanbul, as United surrendered a two-goal advantage to leave their Champions League fate out of their hands.

But Ten Hag has strongly defended his £47million summer signing, a player he previously worked with at Ajax, and pointed to statistics showing that Onana is second in saves made, save percentage and goals prevented in the Premier League.

“Players always need trust,” Ten Hag said. “After Alisson he is the best stopper in the league from preventing expected goals. You deserve to play.”

Onana has played in every game for United this season, with Ten Hag opting not to rest him even in the League Cup. That means Turkish stopper Altay Biyindir, a summer signing from Fenerbahce, is still awaiting his debut.

Asked if Onana might benefit from a break, Ten Hag said: “It won’t help him. I have trust in Tom (Heaton) and Altay, clear. But Andre, you see after Alisson, he prevented the most expected goals in the whole league.

“In the Champions League, he has so much experience with Ajax and last year with Inter Milan. Last year he was with (Manuel) Neuer and (Thibaut) Courtois the best goalkeeper, so he is a great keeper.

“He has the potential, so we have to work on him so that he does it consistently and we will work with him and we will support him. The manager, coaches and players all support him.”

That support was not obvious in Istanbul, when United players did not go over to Onana at the final whistle as he threw his gloves to the floor in disgust at his own performance.

But Ten Hag insisted that was not a sign that his players might be losing confidence in their goalkeeper.

“That will not happen,” he said. “This dressing room is together. Football is a game of mistakes and everyone can make mistakes. But this team has to cover that so we will operate.

“Nobody is undroppable, that is also clear. We have a strong belief that he will help us win trophies.”

Onana is expected to be called into Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, having resolved a dispute with head coach Rigobert Song that saw him quit international football following last year’s World Cup.

Onana could miss four Premier League matches if he is called in, with some reports suggesting the 27-year-old is now concerned he could lose his place in the United side during that time.

Asked if any decision had yet been taken over his participation, Ten Hag said: “When they call him, he has to go. But we are in talks.”

Marcus Rashford will be available again for United’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday after missing the midweek drama through suspension.

Alejandro Garnacho, who has been in electric form with two goals in two including last weekend’s outstanding bicycle kick against Everton, prefers playing off the left side in the same position as Rashford, but Ten Hag said it was no problem to accommodate players in his side.

“Against Copenhagen they were both in the team, against Everton they were both in the team and now ‘Rashy’ was suspended,” he said.

“‘Rashy’ can play from the right and he likes to play from the right, but he can also play through the middle and he can play from the left, so he is really multi-functional.”

Mauricio Pochettino admitted Moises Caicedo’s international commitments with Ecuador have complicated the midfielder’s early Chelsea career.

The club paid a British record £115million to sign the 22-year-old from Brighton in August but frequent trips to South America to play for his country have limited the time he has been able to spend working with coaching staff at Cobham.

He has played 14 times in all competitions since his arrival, recovering from a red card on his first appearance against West Ham to become a steady if not yet spectacular performer in the heart of midfield.

Since joining Chelsea he has been called up three times by Ecuador and played in six matches, with each international window requiring a more than 11,000-mile round trip, sometimes not arriving back in London until the early hours of the day before Chelsea’s next game.

He revealed in an interview with the club’s website this week that he spent much of his first 10 days in England alone in a hotel room in tears and suffering from homesickness, after joining the Seagulls from Independiente del Valle in his home country in January 2021 during the Covid pandemic.

Restrictions on movement for people arriving into the UK meant he was unable to meet his Brighton team-mates until completing a period of quarantine, during which he phoned his parents in Ecuador asking to return home.

He recovered to become one of the standout successes of the team that Roberto De Zerbi led to a club-best sixth-placed Premier League finish last campaign, sparking a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea in which Pochettino’s side were victorious.

The manager reiterated a call for patience as Caicedo navigates life at Chelsea amid a hectic World Cup qualifying schedule internationally.

“When we signed him we knew what is going to happen,” said Pochettino. “He’s an emotional guy, an emotional player that needs time to recover.

“It didn’t help also the international games, travelling to Ecuador, to South America. That is really tough every single month, two or three weeks then go 10, 12 days away, then come back sometimes with some injury.

“It’s not an excuse but it’s the reality. Now we need time. Of course I say (the team) always need to perform. That is our mentality. But in some situations like his, we need to give time and not to be unfair in the way that we assess him.”

Caicedo has formed a reliable partnership in midfield with Enzo Fernandez, who the club paid a then-British record £107m to sign from Benfica in January while Graham Potter was in charge.

Pochettino revealed that the Argentinian World Cup winner asked for extra time off during the summer due to fatigue and was granted permission to join up late with the squad on their United States tour.

“It’s different because Enzo arrived last January, he was with different coaches here,” said the manager. “He asked when we arrived for a period of holiday because he was tired after the World Cup and everything. He joined us in North Carolina.

“I cannot judge the past. Only I can talk from when we arrived (at Chelsea). We expect all, not only (these two), all the players, even the ones not too much involved, to push their level.”

Ange Postecoglou has cited the early part of Manchester City’s journey under Pep Guardiola as a reason why he has total conviction in his ideas at Tottenham.

Spurs have hit their first real rough patch under the Australian with three straight defeats coupled with a list of absentees which has reached double figures.

Postecoglou remains determined to stick with his attacking approach and could again line up with no recognised centre-back or defensive midfielder at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

While many would adopt a more pragmatic style against City, the Tottenham boss will double down on his philosophy and believes the best clubs stick to the plan when faced with hurdles.

“I’m sure the players are thinking ‘is this really going to work against Man City?’ And those are justifiable questions that they need to ask,” Postecoglou explained.

“My role is to show them that this is still the way forward for us as a group. If we’re ever going to bridge that gap to being a successful side, we have to believe in the football we want to play.

“Even though the last few results haven’t been great, I don’t think the players have felt like they struggled out there.

“They still felt there were parts of the game when we were dominant, so they can see when we’re on it and we’re doing things right, even with so many absences, we’re still a very good football team. I don’t feel like it’s at a point where I’m losing people.

“There are plenty of coaches that coach very differently to me, but they’re at that club for four or five years and they have that success. That’s what I’m talking about with a plan.

“It’s not about just playing one way or having a clear identity. Having a plan means getting the right people involved in the club who you believe will take you where you want to go.

“Then you invest in them, in the club, in the squad and you stick to that plan. It doesn’t mean that’s just exactly the same as anyone else.

“City are different to Arsenal, Arsenal are different to Liverpool, Liverpool are different to both of them but as far as I can see they have the same managers and they’ve gone through tough times.

“They saw something in them. You have to show something, it’s not just about blindly appointing someone and saying you’ve got five years, but those managers have shown they have a plan and the club have said ‘let’s back these people.’”

Postecoglou is no stranger to difficult periods, especially at the beginning of his tenures after exiting the Champions League at the start of his Celtic reign, while he faced a relegation battle with Yokohama.

He reiterated how much he enjoys these challenges ahead of this weekend’s trip to last season’s treble-winners.

Postecoglou added: “I think I enjoy it after when you come out the other side! Nah, I love it, mate. I love it. I don’t think anyone goes into management, or anything you do in life, thinking it’s going to be smooth.

“There’s going to be some rough moments and you’ve got to be prepared for that, you’ve got to enjoy that. The alternative is I’m not in a job and I’m sitting on my couch with no pressure on me and no one questioning anything.

“I’m at a fantastic football club, I’m in the best league in the world, getting challenged every week. Why wouldn’t I be enjoying it? The reason I think I really relish them is because my belief gets tested on a daily basis, whether internally or externally.

“Even internally people will always ask those questions, ‘can you do this? Are you able to continue playing this way?’ or ‘is it working or is it not working?’ All those kind of things.

“When I lay my head at night, I just believe in it. I get up the next day thinking I feel strongly about it. Maybe I’ll end up in a heap, mate, I don’t know, because there are no guarantees. But my gut tells me that I won’t. I enjoy it.”

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany believes increasing diversity at boardroom level is the key to unlocking change at every other level of football.

Last week the Football Association released figures showing the football clubs who had voluntarily pledged to improve their ethnic and gender diversity through the Football Leadership Diversity Code had collectively failed to hit any of their annual targets.

Fifty-three clubs have signed up to the FLDC, which is in its third year and which sets voluntary targets in four areas of recruitment – senior leadership roles, team operations, coaching in the men’s game and coaching in the women’s game.

But figures for the last 12 months show clubs failing to achieve success in any category.

Senior leadership hiring of black, Asian and mixed heritage candidates is set at 15 per cent, but clubs only achieved 9.1 per cent. In men’s clubs, the target for new coaching hires from a black, Asian or mixed heritage background was 25 per cent but clubs only managed 16 per cent.

Asked what he thought could be done to improve those figures, Kompany said change must come from the top.

“You’d like to think over time this is going to evolve,” the 37-year-old said. “I’ve always made the point clearly and I think in this day and age it’s even more important – what is the diversity in a boardroom, the levers of power?

“The coaching, you give the job to the best people but I think the diversity, where it’s really needed is where the power is, that’s what affects everything we’re doing.

“If you have a boardroom that’s diverse, you can’t brush things under the carpet. These things will get solved.”

The latest figures show that within the 53 club signatories, 21 per cent of senior leaders and 29 per cent of team operations are female and seven per cent of senior leaders and nine per cent of team operations are black, Asian or mixed heritage.

Across the coaching workforce, 13 per cent of coaches and 11 per cent of senior coaches are black, Asian or mixed heritage.

“If you have 15 (job) applications and management and the board have got opinions from different walks of life, you can’t just brush it under the carpet, it goes through everything…” Kompany added.

“Today you have to choose between black and white, pro this or against this, but I think once you have a little bit of diversity you get much closer to the truth. The reality is, yes there isn’t enough but the truth is that’s only what we see. What’s behind it is more important to bring balance.

“When it’s balanced it’s going to be more fair and when it’s more fair it will take a little bit of pressure away from the whole debate I think.”

Vincent Kompany has suffered no loss of belief despite the bruising start to the season suffered by his Burnley side.

Last season Kompany’s men were breaking records as they charged to the Championship title with 101 points, with many – not least Pep Guardiola – talking up the former Manchester City captain’s chances of one day taking over at the Etihad Stadium.

But there has been a major reality check for Burnley since they got back to the top flight and history is now being made for the wrong reasons as they have lost seven straight home league games to start the campaign, and go into Saturday’s match against fellow strugglers Sheffield United rock bottom.

Kompany is paying no attention to the statistics, however, as he remains convinced his side are improving and remain on the right course.

“Statistics are just statistics,” he said. “To me, that’s not why I’m doing the job. If I wanted to take away the risk of this happening maybe I would make different choices in life. For me I’m in it for everything that goes with it.

“No matter what happens, when the story of this gets written however many years from now this is just part of it. I believe in myself a lot as well. That’s the truth of it.”

Although Kompany has stuck to his principles during Burnley’s struggles so far, he insisted that did not mean his side had not been adapting during the season, and pointed to recent improvements in the performances against Crystal Palace, Arsenal and West Ham – even if all three ended in defeat.

“I try and be consistent,” he said. “That’s also a method to get over moments like this, but I think if you look closely at what we’ve done from the start to now, adapting is definitely what we’ve done.

“I don’t know how you give up principles but you adapt. If you break down the positives, the performances we’ve definitely adapted but we knew we had to.

“You can’t come into the Premier League on the back of a season where you had 101 points and the first thing you do is say, ‘I don’t believe you can do it this way’. You have to stress test it first and then adapt.

“We’ve very clearly adapted and that’s given us the narrative of the last three or four games.”

Burnley caught the eye in the Championship with possession-based attacking football, but trying to play like that in the Premier League was always going to be a very difficult challenge.

While Burnley have had to change, Kompany said his own natural aggressive instincts remain.

“The possession reputation comes from the fact we were the better team in the Championship, but I try to make the point that I’m naturally aggressive,” Kompany said. “I was an aggressive player. It’s such an important thing for me.

“Last year we were so good in those moments. The difference is we were better than other teams, we had more of the ball. This season, whether we have the ball or not is not always decided by us.

“The point I’m trying to make is when you don’t have the ball, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be like the West Ham game or the Palace game was good as well or Arsenal where we were done by two set plays.

“It’s what wasn’t there at the start of the season but it’s something we always had and hopefully we’ve recovered it now.”

Mauricio Pochettino believes his players have been their own worst enemies this season after Chelsea’s recent good form was derailed by last weekend’s thrashing at Newcastle.

The 4-1 loss on Tyneside came after the team had given arguably their two most promising performances of the season, first winning by the same score away at previously unbeaten Tottenham, then in drawing a frenetic match 4-4 against Premier League and European champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Yet at St. James’s Park they were routed by Eddie Howe’s side, with Pochettino admitting to feeling angry and disappointed at the manner in which his players capitulated in the second half against a Newcastle team ravaged by injuries.

Inconsistency has been a thorn in the manager’s side since he took over in July, with only four wins in 13 league matches.

Home form has been a particular concern, with one victory so far and defeats against Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Brentford, though performances in earning creditable draws against Arsenal, Liverpool and City had offered cause for hope.

However, the heavy defeat to Newcastle, which was compounded by a red card for captain Reece James, has brought questions about the rate of progress under the Argentinian back to the fore ahead of welcoming Brighton to west London on Sunday.

“It was a tough week for everyone,” said Pochettino. “I’m very happy because the players reacted really well. We blame ourselves because our approach (at Newcastle) maybe was wrong.

“But the week was good to realise what we need to improve. We need to be more consistent and mature. I’m very, very happy so far. It was tough in training and in meetings, but sometimes this type of situation helps you to improve a lot.

“The important thing is not to look at the end of the season, but to see the process and to improve every day. That’s the most difficult thing always in this type of process, to be focused on today and not on tomorrow.

“We beat Tottenham, had an amazing game against Manchester City, then we lose against Newcastle. We are our worst enemies and we need to be focused on us.

“If we are in a good place (against Brighton), I think for sure we will compete in a very good way. Brighton are not going to be the problem. We need to pay attention (to the opposition), but in this process I think we need to pay more attention to ourselves than to the opponent.”

Summer signings Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia will be assessed on Saturday ahead of the Brighton game, with Pochettino confirming “they are close” to being fit enough to make long-awaited debuts.

Nkunku, a £52million capture from RB Leipzig, suffered a knee injury during a pre-season game against Borussia Dortmund, disrupting a promising start to his Chelsea career on the club’s United States tour, whilst Lavia has been out with an ankle problem and has not played since joining from Southampton.

Pochettino added that he had not held back in showing his anger to the players following the surrender to Newcastle.

“The players know very well how my mood was,” he said. “I’m not going to act. I’m not going to show a face that I don’t feel.

“I think it’s important the players feel the coaches in a natural way when we are angry, when we’re happy we’re happy. We were tough in our analysis, but tough is about telling the truth.”

Ange Postecoglou insists he will relish the prospect of taking injury-hit Tottenham to Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend.

Spurs make the trip to the Etihad on a three-match losing run and with their list of absentees into double figures with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur among those sidelined.

Tottenham boast a good record against Pep Guardiola’s City with five wins from their last eight meetings, but that has come from playing a more pragmatic style compared to Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy.

Even with a growing injury list, the Australian is not about to ditch his possession-based, front-foot tactics any time soon despite a seemingly daunting visit to last season’s treble-winners.

“It’s always a challenge playing against City or any team Pep manages. You love that, you relish that, that’s the arena you want to be in, measuring yourself against the very best,” Postecoglou stated.

“Yeah, great if things were a bit smoother for us but it is what it is and I still think during this period for us, even last week, there were moments in the game when we played some fantastic football.

“We’ve got to crack on, we’ve got to get on with it. We can’t take our eyes off what we’re trying to achieve here. For me that’s always paramount to everything I do, every decision I make.

“Every time we put a team out there it’s about us becoming the team we want to become. Through that process there’s going to be some challenges, as there is now, some tough times and you just have to stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve.

“For me these are the important times because this will show what kind of football team we want to be. You can sort of shy away, say we have injuries, we’re playing Man City away but you’re either going to be a club that tries to knock off the big clubs or you are a big club. You are one or the other.

“My hope and my ambition for this club is to make it a big club and to do that you have to be successful and win things. To win things you have to have a plan, stick to it and believe in it.”

Postecoglou confirmed that Bentancur is set for a “couple of months” on the treatment table with a torn ankle ligament sustained in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.

While disappointed for the Uruguay international, Postecoglou has been impressed by his attitude after only returning from an ACL injury last month.

He added: “We’re still getting some information, but it’ll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least.

“Talking to him yesterday, he’s such a positive guy. If it was me I’d be a hell of a lot grumpier around the place.

“He’s got a really positive outlook. He knows that he’s been through a tough time and now he’s got to go through a shorter tough time but he also knows that, and he felt it when he was out there, that he hasn’t lost anything as a footballer.

“That’s the important thing. I think that’s given him the incentive to be back as quickly as possible and again make an impact for us.”

This week has also seen talk of sin bins being introduced in football after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) backed the idea that temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls could be implemented.

But Postecoglou responded: “Bin it mate, bin the whole idea. Just forget about it.”

Mikel Arteta has called for patience with VAR and wants to see the technology remain in the Premier League despite the Arsenal boss facing a Football Association charge following recent criticism of the system.

After last month’s 1-0 loss at Newcastle, Arteta labelled the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s matchwinner “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” while Arsenal followed up his comments with an official statement backing his take.

Arteta has since been charged by the FA and will find out if he faces any punishment for his comments next week.

Arsenal, who sit top of the Premier League after a late win at Brentford last weekend, host Wolves on Saturday – themselves having been stung by controversial VAR calls this season.

Having already been told of incorrect decisions going against his side this term, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil turned on VAR after their 3-2 loss at Fulham on Monday.

Fulham were awarded two penalties which O’Neil was not happy with and he asked “what is the point” of VAR – but Arteta has urged tolerance despite his own misgivings over the technology.

“I think we can improve it and we are trying to do that,” Arteta said.

“All those things that are happening I think are probably necessary to improve it and we have to take it that way. It has been a big change.

“Technology is taking a huge responsibility in games and it needs time. If we use it the right way, we are listening to people, we are open, we are humble and we are trying to be constructive, I think we will get to a really, really good place.”

Arteta also revealed that recent VAR issues have been leading conversations between managers, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe the latest to be left fuming following a late penalty award in their Champions League draw at Paris St Germain.

“I have sympathy with all my colleagues because I know how beautiful and how challenging the job is,” added the Spaniard.

“Those moments in front of the camera are not easy ones. You see that in many, many situations already this season as well as last season. We’re here to make the game better and make clubs better. We all need to win to do that.

“It’s a topic that comes up for sure. We talk about many things but that’s one of those as well because at the end it has a huge impact on results and our job depends on that.”

Having thrashed Lens 6-0 on Wednesday to seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, Arteta is expecting an altogether different challenge as Arsenal look to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League with victory over Wolves.

“It will be different, it won’t be the same. We cannot expect the same,” he said.

“This team is going to be different to last season and hopefully very different to the season next. That’s part of the evolution. Leaving some of the things in the past to the new things. That has a transition. We want to still be competitive and win matches and I think the team is competing really well.

“They have a lot of quality over there. It’s not a coincidence what they’re doing. They perform really well against the top sides and that says a lot about the coaching staff, what Gary is doing, the way they have prepared and how they control opponents.”

Pep Guardiola believes the Premier League is better for the arrival of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham.

Postecoglou has made a positive impact since taking charge at Spurs in the summer, with the Londoners having gone unbeaten through their first 10 games while playing in a dynamic style.

Guardiola’s treble-winning Manchester City are the next side to come up against the Australian’s troops as they host Spurs on Sunday.

The City manager said: “He came here and, from nothing, in few months you recognise perfectly his team.

“Even the games that they didn’t win lately, I’ve been impressed how good many, many things they do are, how many chances they create and how aggressive (they are) in all departments.

“Every team plays with the desire of the manager. His have done in the past, in Japan, of course in Glasgow with Celtic and now. I think he makes football a better place.

“As a manager and a spectator I enjoy a lot watching them play with the approach they have. I think all the Spurs fans and the people in England can admit that his impact has been quick and really good.”

Spurs have gone slightly off the boil since their blistering start, losing their last three Premier League games.

Guardiola, however, does not expect Postecoglou’s approach to change and is preparing for a tough encounter.

The Spaniard, whose side are a point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, said: “Absolutely not (will they change). This is not going to happen. I’d be surprised.

“It is a more difficult competition to win now, every season it is getting better. There are more teams involved and every single game is so difficult.

“Since I arrived, when (Mauricio) Pochettino was in Tottenham always, Spurs have been there. They’re a fantastic team.

“Of course they have important absences but I saw the first 15, 20 minutes against Aston Villa and they created an amount of chances. It’s really good for football, definitely.

“I encourage our fans to come to the stadium because we will have fun.”

Guardiola and Postecoglou have crossed paths just once before, when City faced the Australian’s former side Yokohama F Marinos in a pre-season friendly in the Japanese city in 2019.

Guardiola said: “When we played in Japan I saw some clips before we started. I said, ‘wow, there are things that I like’.

“I said to the players we’re going to face a good team with challenges, intense build-up, intense and high pressing.

“It was the first time I met him and since then I’ve followed him and seen how good he has done in Glasgow with Celtic, winning trebles and winning a lot of games and now look, in a short time he is there.”

Guardiola said he enjoyed meeting with Postecoglou, even if one ritual was not adhered to in Japan.

“He took care of me really well,” he said. “He didn’t offer me a glass of wine, but it was fine!”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has defended under-fire Andre Onana and insisted the Cameroon international is among the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Onana has repeatedly been in the spotlight since United spent £47million on the 27-year-old this summer to replace David De Gea, and although it had been felt his form was improving in recent weeks, Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Galatasaray was a clear setback as he was at fault for two goals.

Onana also made a mistake for a goal in United’s Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich, but while he has struggled in Europe, Ten Hag pointed to the statistics that say Onana is second in saves made, save percentage and goals prevented in the Premier League.

“If you analyse it well then you see he is the second best goalkeeper in the Premier League based on stats, so his expected defending goals is the second best in the Premier League,” Ten Hag said.

“He’s doing well. Also he knows that in the Champions League he makes some mistakes but all over you see the first five months he is doing particularly well.”

Onana will face another major test on Saturday evening when United travel to Newcastle, who are on a five-game winning streak at St James’ Park.

But Ten Hag does not expect Onana to suffer any hangover from Wednesday night.

“You have seen how he is reacting on a bad performance like in Munich,” Ten Hag said.

“At Burnley (three days later) he was outstanding. He is a strong character, he is a personality and he will deal with it.”

United said on Friday that left-back Tyrell Malacia, yet to feature this season after knee surgery, is on course to return early next year after requiring a second operation.

Mason Mount was also back in training on Friday but there is no timeframe yet for the midfielder’s return.

Mount’s absence has helped open the door for 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who excelled in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park and was impressive again in Istanbul.

“He showed on Sunday (at Everton) he was ready,” Ten Hag said. “It looks like he always has time.

“He is scanning, he is running free, he is scanning to see the options and make the right decisions. He can delay, can speed up, he makes the right decisions.”

Saturday’s trip to the north east is a third straight away game for United, and another intimidating atmosphere after they faced an angry Goodison Park and the bear pit that is Galatasaray’s Rams Park.

“I really respect them,” Ten Hag said of Newcastle. “It’s a difficult team to play but it’s a good challenge and I like to play against it.

“We have to rise to the occasion, be our best against them because the way they play is very organised.”

United go into the game on the back of five wins in their last six Premier League games, having put a rocky run of domestic form behind them to close in on the top four.

It stands in contrast to their European form, but Ten Hag believes performances have been good across the board.

“On Wednesday, we played very good, also in Copenhagen,” he said. “Even in Bayern Munich we played very good. But we have to do some things better.

“Eliminate individual errors, defensive transition, but we can sort this out and I would be more concerned if we didn’t play well.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Anfield is a “nightmare” for opposition teams as the ground has once again become a fortress for his side.

The 4-0 Europa League victory over LASK extended their 100 per cent home record to 10 matches this season, in which they have scored 31 goals and conceded just four.

Liverpool have not lost at home in any competition since their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in February, and domestically it stretches back to October last year.

They have dropped just six points in the Premier League in that time in a run of 18 wins and three draws.

“It is our home, it must, must, must be a difficult place to come,” said Klopp on their Anfield record.

“I said to the boys (before the LASK game), I think for every player, if they are not playing at Liverpool and play in a different country, playing at Anfield is a dream.

“But actually it must be a nightmare and that is what we try to do. It didn’t work out all the time but when our people are at it, it makes a massive difference.

“So it is cool, but I think my best skill is not feeling at all winning streaks. I just don’t feel it because the next game is so important, so different, so difficult.

“That’s why I don’t think they help really, maybe for the other team to think it’s a difficult place to go, but for us each game stays difficult because of the quality of the opponent.”

Fulham, who have scored just 13 times in as many Premier League matches, are the next side to try to break Liverpool’s streak on Sunday.

They may have been given hope by the hamstring injury to goalkeeper Alisson Becker, which has put back-up Caoimhmin Kelleher in line for his longest run in the side, having never played more than three consecutive games for the club.

The Republic of Ireland international, whose appearances this season have so far been limited to the Europa League and Carabao Cup, warmed up with some good saves in the final 20 minutes of the LASK win having not been tested before that.

Klopp has previously described Kelleher as the world’s best number two and he has no doubts about the 25-year-old’s potential to elevate himself further.

“We see him every day in training, he is an exceptional talent,” said the manager.

“Maybe we don’t mention the name often enough but (goalkeeping coach) John Achterberg said to me from day one when I was in that this will be our homegrown boy who will make it.

“We had discussions in the summer obviously about (moving on), but as long as we don’t have a solution we cannot loan players.

“He is homegrown and the first responsibility is to do the best for Liverpool, then we have to see how we can sort it.

“Now obviously for him it is a situation he did not want to have, but obviously because you want opportunities, you want to play, now he will get a few games, definitely. I trust him.”

Kelleher insists he is ready for an extended run in the side and that LASK proved a useful warm-up.

“I know it’s obviously been a long time (since being in the first-choice team) but I’m always training for that, to try and be ready and if something does happen to Ali – unfortunately something has – then I’m ready to go in and try to help the team get some more wins,” he told LFCTV.

“It was a good performance and that gives me confidence to build on and hopefully I can back that up with another good performance on Sunday.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has warned more VAR would “ruin” football after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision.

Football’s lawmakers are considering options to extend the system’s use at the same time as a debate over its effectiveness in its current form rages on.

The Magpies were denied a Champions League victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review a decision not to award a penalty for handball against Tino Livramento by VAR official Thomas Kwiatkowski and changed his mind to allow Kylian Mbappe to level in stoppage time.

Asked if he would like to see more or less VAR, head coach Howe said: “I’d like to see less VAR.

“I don’t have an issue with offsides because that is as close as it can be to being right, whether you agree with the decision, the lines give you a black and white yes or no. The rest, I’m not in favour.

“I still think it’s just another person’s opinion against another person’s opinion. It’s very subjective. I’d like to see less. I definitely wouldn’t want to see more because I think it would ruin the game.”

Kwiatkowski had been due to oversee Wednesday night’s Real Sociedad versus Red Bull Salzburg game in the same competition, but was stood down, a decision which brought Howe, who revealed the club have contacted UEFA to seek clarity over the penalty award, little comfort.

He said: “That for me, with VAR is an issue – not enough power is given to the on-field decision, which in this case was correct.

“I still believe – I’m old-fashioned in this – that the on-field decision should be given a little bit more strength because the referee is there, he’s feeling the game, he’s managing the game in the middle and I think that is worth something.”

Howe’s comments came as he prepared his players for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St James’ Park still contemplating a lengthy injury list, but with no new additions after an attritional night at the Parc des Princes and with hopes high that midfielders Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.

Newcastle have lost just one of their last five encounters in all competitions with the Red Devils, who also suffered Champions League disappointment 24 hours later when they squandered a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3, although Erik ten Hag’s side have won five of their last six league games.

Asked if he and his players could use their burning sense of injustice from Paris as added motivation, Howe said: “I always want that sense that we are against everybody outside of Newcastle when we play. I think that helps us.

“That is a good mentality to have, that we are competing against everybody else. It’s certainly served us well to this point and if it helps any individual players, then great.”