Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is convinced Thomas Partey will remain at the Emirates, despite the arrival of England star Declan Rice.
The Ghanaian midfielder has been linked with a move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, but Arteta said he remains a key part of his plans.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s pre-season clash with Manchester United in New Jersey, Arteta said: “Without a question of a doubt, Thomas Partey is a super important player for us and for me. I want him to be in the team.
“Every time I spoke to him and every time I have a conversation with him, his will is to stay with us. For me, there’s nothing there at all.”
He said the arrival of Rice does not mean any lessening of Partey’s role.
“They can play together and that was in my plans,” he said. “You want to improve the squad and have more quality.
“We need players who can play together but we need players in the same position who can fight for their places.
“It’s something we haven’t had over the last few years and we wanted to improve that and that’s why we bought Declan.”
Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City in the Premier League last season, having topped the table for much of the campaign – an experience Arteta believes will help his players as they look to make the next step.
“I think what happened last year probably was necessary to learn the lessons you have to learn get better and be more successful and achieve what we want to achieve,” he said. “It’s part of that road and that journey.
“The level is going to go up. Teams are getting better and the league is getting stronger, it is only going to get harder.
“We have to be better. We have to play better and we have to do things better than we did last year. That’s what we are working on at the moment.”
Olexsandr Zinchenko, who made a huge impression in his first season after switching from Manchester City, is convinced they can make that step.
He said: “I said a lot of times in the past, I have the feeling and, the smell I would say, that Arsenal’s time is coming.
“Unfortunately last season we didn’t achieve what we wanted but it was a lot of good lessons for us during the season and, for sure, it will help us during the next one. I’m full of confidence so let’s see what’s going to happen.”
The Ukrainian international has had to deal with plenty off the pitch after the Russian invasion of his country and urged people to keep on supporting their fight.
He said: “I know some people have got fatigue from this war but we cannot give up.
“All of us we need to fight for our freedom, our independence.
“Today it is Ukraine, tomorrow it could be your country. That’s why we need to stick together and fight until the end.
Kilmarnock have announced the signing of former Aberdeen forward Marley Watkins on a one-year contract.
The 32-year-old Wales international previously played under Killie manager Derek McInnes at Pittodrie.
The former Inverness, Barnsley, Norwich and Bristol City player netted six goals in 65 appearances for the Dons during two spells and left at the end of last season.
Mauricio Pochettino has continued his Chelsea clear-out with striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completing his move to French Ligue 1 side Marseille.
Marseille confirmed the signing of the 34-year-old Gabon international on Friday, which brings an end to his miserable time in west London.
Aubameyang scored one goal in 15 Premier League appearances for the Blues and was left out of the squad for the Champions League knock-out stages by then boss Graham Potter in February.
Aubameyang has previous experience in Ligue 1 having played for St Etienne for two years from 2011 and 2013 as well as loan spells with Dijon, Lille and Monaco.
The former Arsenal striker joined Chelsea on a two-year contract from Barcelona last September in a deal that saw Marcos Alonso move in the other direction.
But he struggled to settle following the departure of boss Thomas Tuchel and it became increasingly evident that his stay at Stamford Bridge would not be a long one.
Aubameyang follows the likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount out of the club this summer while Romelu Lukaku – who preceded Aubameyang in the club’s supposedly “cursed” number nine shirt – Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all absent from the club’s current pre-season tour of the United States.
The curse of Chelsea’s number nine shirt claimed its latest victim after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s unhappy 21-game spell was ended by a move to Marseille.
The last dozen players to wear the shirt have struggled to make a prolonged impact – including three club-record signings up front, but also a holding midfielder and a certain Dutch defender.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the “Curse of Khalid Boulahrouz”.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 2022-23
“It’s cursed, it’s cursed, people tell me it’s cursed!” said then-manager Thomas Tuchel last summer, adding: “There was not a big demand for number nine, nobody wants to touch it.”
Aubameyang was not deterred but, after arriving with a broken jaw sustained in a robbery at his Barcelona home and seeing his former Borussia Dortmund boss Tuchel sacked the day after his debut, he failed to establish himself under Graham Potter – he was not even included in the squad for the Champions League knock-out stages, despite scoring two of his three Chelsea goals in the group stage.
Romelu Lukaku, 2021-22
The Belgium striker returned from Inter Milan for a second spell at the club for £97.5million but within months his frustrations became clear in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.
Despite 15 goals in all competitions, it was no surprise when he returned to Inter on loan. He scored 14 goals in the season while wearing number 90 at San Siro and has been left out of Chelsea’s pre-season tour of America.
Tammy Abraham, 2019-21
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the last inarguably Chelsea number nine but amid almost £250m spent to fill the troublesome shirt in the 18 years since his departure, academy product Abraham produced arguably the most successful spell with 15 league goals and 18 in total in 2019-20. Twelve more the following year earned a move to Roma under former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.
Gonzalo Higuain, 2018-19
The Argentinian’s loan from Juventus yielded five goals in 18 appearances. He was shunted to number 21 on his return to Juve and terminated his contract early the following season to move to Inter Miami.
Alvaro Morata, 2017-18
A then club-record buy for £60m, the Spaniard scored 15 goals in his debut season but fell out of favour, switching to number 29 and adding another nine goals before joining Atletico Madrid.
Radamel Falcao, 2015-16
The Colombian scored once in 12 games in an injury-hit season.
Fernando Torres, 2011-14
The then British-record £50m signing from Liverpool got the longest run at making the Blues’ number nine shirt work for him, wearing it 172 times across three and a half seasons.
He scored 45 goals, including a memorable Champions League semi-final clincher against Barcelona, and set up another 26 but several prolonged scoring droughts saw him move on to AC Milan on loan and then his boyhood club Atletico Madrid.
Franco Di Santo, 2008-09
Fourteen scoreless substitute appearances were all Di Santo had to show for his time in west London.
Steve Sidwell, 2007-08
The former Reading midfielder managed only 24 appearances, scoring once. A largely defensive player, he would have been a glaringly unlikely wearer of the number nine shirt had it not been for his immediate predecessor…
Khalid Boulahrouz, 2006-07
The versatile Netherlands defender was assigned one of the few available numbers after his £8.5m arrival from Hamburg. He lasted one season and 23 appearances in all competitions before a loan to Sevilla and a permanent exit to Stuttgart.
Hernan Crespo, 2005-06
The Argentina striker had already spent a season at Stamford Bridge wearing number 21, scoring 12 goals, and a year on loan at Milan before Mourinho recalled him and gave him number nine as a show of faith. He added another 13 goals and a league title but soon returned to his earlier employers Inter.
Mateja Kezman, 2004-05
Inheriting the shirt from Hasselbaink, Kezman failed to make a similar impact with just seven goals in his sole season.
Anita Asante feels there have been “important steps” taken with regard to the diversity issue in English women’s football but has stressed it will take some time to see them bear fruit.
During England’s run to winning Euro 2022, Asante wrote in the Guardian about the lack of diversity in a squad featuring just three members from black, Asian or mixed heritage backgrounds out of 23, with the player pathway and access to football for girls in schools among the issues the former Lioness pointed to as problems.
In February, the Football Association announced a revamped women’s and girls’ pathway that it said would make the game more diverse and accessible, with up to 70 ‘Emerging Talent Centres’ being established across the country.
In March the Government announced a package to boost school sport and equal access to it, something the FA is set to help deliver, following England’s players calling for change just after the Euros.
More recently, an England squad for this summer’s World Cup has been named that has only two players from black, Asian or mixed heritage backgrounds, while a major independent review has said the FA should “urgently address the lack of diversity across the women’s game in both on and off pitch roles”, recommending it audits the existing workforce and uses the data to create a workforce strategy.
Asked for her thoughts on the current picture, Asante told the PA news agency: “I think the main thing is these issues and discussions have been taken seriously for the first time by the FA.
“They launched the emerging talent centres, they’ve got a list of different programmes, and the England girls launched the initiative with the Government.
“I think those were important steps, but this is still a very short-term window we’re looking at in terms of that progress. To see the fruits of that progress I think is going to take a lot longer.
“The review is a welcome one, because it still highlights that that is an issue. It’s about how can the recommendations be implemented for the long-term, to see the changes we want to see.”
The ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa defender added: “If you look at the structures of governance in sport – are the institutions themselves reflective of diverse communities? Because I can talk about this all day long, but I don’t have the influence or the power. It’s people within.
“How important do they feel diversity is? What channels are they using to make things change?”
Asante feels a broad issue at grassroots level feeding into the current situation is that while participation interest has “gone up exponentially” since the Euros, “the infrastructure hasn’t moved on with that” with regard to staff, volunteers and facilities in place.
She has also emphasised her feeling that the FA utilising former players within the pathway, such as England greats Rachel Yankey and Mary Phillip, would be a “powerful tool”.
Asante, who won 71 England caps, has been working as a first-team coach at Bristol City Women since retiring from playing last summer.
And she said: “One of the reasons I took on this role was I felt it was important to give back in the way I could – to give players a different experience by meeting someone like me maybe from my background and journey in the game, and also to try to be a positive role model for others that might want to become coaches or just be involved in football somehow.”
An FA spokesperson said: “We are making progress in improving the diversity of our talent pathway and the wider game.
“However, these are long-term challenges, and they require all of football’s stakeholders to play their part if we are to drive lasting change.”
When her World Cup squad was announced, England boss Sarina Wiegman expressed her hope that ongoing work would lead to “more players from different backgrounds in the national team”, while stressing it “takes a little more time.”
Among the mixed results in the Football Leadership Diversity Code update for 2021-22 that it published in October, the FA reported women’s clubs reaching a 15 per cent pledge of new coaching hires coming from black, Asian or mixed heritage backgrounds.
St Johnstone have signed former Plymouth and Swindon striker Luke Jephcott on a two-year contract.
The 23-year-old hit 33 goals in 106 league games for Argyle and spent last season on loan at Swindon, where he struck seven times.
The former Wales Under-21 international said on his new club’s official website: “I’m a player who loves to be in and around the box.
“Inside the penalty area I’ll score goals but can also drop a bit deeper to help link up play.
“I’m here to score goals and help the team as best as I can.”
Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi hopes to brush off fitness issues and enjoy a homecoming appearance against Gamba Osaka on Saturday.
Scotland’s player of the year was restricted to a substitute appearance in Wednesday’s 6-4 defeat to Yokohama F Marinos after being troubled by a shoulder injury.
Quoted on Celtic’s official website, Furuhashi said: “Gamba Osaka is a very great team with so many good players and they have played well in the last few games in the league.
“We both have the same attacking football philosophy, so I hope it will be a great game and we can entertain the fans who are coming to watch.
‘Personally, I want to have a presence in the game if I have a chance to play.
“I went to high school in Osaka and played against Gamba Osaka many times when I was with Vissel Kobe.
“So I want to enjoy this opportunity and have a good game against them.
“Obviously we want to win because it is a game, but at the same time we want to play great football and we want to entertain our fans.”
Furuhashi, who recently signed a new four-year deal, added: “There are lots of people here who believe in me and love me and need me.
“I was very happy when I was offered a contract extension and I want to continue to repay the favour with results.”
Rangers manager Michael Beale has confirmed Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes is bound for Ibrox but a summer deal has not been finalised.
The 24-year-old has agreed a pre-contract deal to join Rangers in January but talks are ongoing with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles over an instant transfer.
“It is getting closer,” Beale told Sky Sports News. “Logistics of that one, and work permits and everything that goes in between it, the clubs are still talking.
“He is out of contract at the end of the year and we have an agreement for that.
“We would like to bring it to a close early if we can so he can join us in this window. Those discussions are ongoing.”
Rangers are also in talks with Dutch champions Feyenoord over a potential transfer for Brazilian forward Danilo, with the Ibrox club reported to have offered £5million for the 24-year-old.
“There’s talks in the background on that one but he’s Feyenoord’s player at the moment,” Beale said.
“They are building after a really successful campaign last year so we will keep that just between the two clubs and if there’s any news on it we will update. He is obviously a good player.”
Beale, whose side host Hamburg in a friendly on Saturday, stated that his recruitment both ways was not finished.
“We spoke about wanting the squad to be tighter,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition for places. With that, one or two players naturally will want some guarantees to play regularly, so there will be some change.”
Leon Bailey’s future with ambitious Aston Villa is up in the air with head coach Unai Emery seemingly keen to replace the Reggae Boy with one of his former team-mates.
He has produced inconsistent displays for the English Premier League (EPL) outfit since signing a four-year deal in August 2021. And his recent hit ‘n’ miss international performances during the CONCACAF Gold Cup did the 25-year-old no favours.
Emery has made a massive impact with the Villains, since replacing head coach Steven Gerrard last October, by steering them to seventh place in the EPL to earn a UEFA Europa Conference League play-off spot.
The wily Spaniard will be desperate to strengthen his squad, with Bayer Leverkusen and France star winger Moussa Diaby firmly on Emery’s radar.
The winger, who played under Emery at Paris Saint-Germain, is due to shortly kick-off pre-season training with the German Bundesliga side. If there’s going to be a deal it will be soon, and Bailey will be pondering his future.
It’s understood that a £42m offer has been tabled by Villa, which if accepted puts Bailey down the pecking order at the EPL club and effectively on the sidelines.
Bailey had previously been a wanted man by the likes of elite EPL clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United before he penned his £5.2million base salary contract with Villa.
However, only producing flashes of brilliance rather than on a persistent basis means that top teams aren’t likely to be interested as Bailey can’t consistently deliver the goods.
His performance during Jamaica’s timid 3-0 Gold Cup semi-final defeat to eventual champions Mexico, highlighted his inexplicable inconsistency for both club and country.
Bailey was largely ineffective against Mexico. He lost possession 17 times, won seven of the 14 tackles, was accurate with just two of his five crosses and produced only a single shot — which was off target.
Should he stay in the EPL then at least Everton and Wolves could step in, because they were reportedly clamouring for Bailey’s signature before he joined Villa.
He’s only made 35 appearances for Villa, having been out of favour under Gerrard as well as a string of injuries, bagging just five goals. So his value will not be particularly high despite his age, should Emery decide to shelve the Kingston-born winger.
Emery has demanded reliability from his squads wherever he has worked, and because Bailey seems incapable of this then Diaby could fill his boots.
Diaby was on target in Europe last season, notching two goals during the Champions League group stages and adding a further three in the Europa League knockout rounds.
Bailey, who is expected to shine in attack but rarely does, only managed one goal during Jamaica’s Gold Cup campaign. Following his extended international break, Bailey has been given extra holiday time by Emery before his pre-season return.
Whether Bailey will return to Villa lies very much in the balance, with a summer move potentially on the cards for the former Phoenix All Stars Academy product.
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou admits he is “not relaxed” by the uncertainty over the future of Harry Kane and wants the issue sorted as soon as possible.
England captain Kane has emerged as a prime transfer target for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this summer.
The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but, while Bayern continue to push to secure his services and have reportedly lodged two bids for the forward, Spurs’ stance remains the same, they have no intention of selling Kane.
Tottenham’s record goalscorer has also been offered a new contract that is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, the PA news agency understands, although reports claim
Kane will not sign a fresh deal this summer.
Postecoglou, who was appointed as new Spurs boss ahead of the new campaign, conceded the situation is not a welcome one. He told reporters, via football.london: “Fair to say I am not relaxed about it!
“It’s not something you go: ‘Ah, well, you know if it does or doesn’t happen!’ I mean it’s a very important part of this football club, not just the team, but the football club.
“So, you’ve got to deal with it, and I think, for everyone concerned, we don’t want to be doing it for too long. I don’t think that is good for anyone. I don’t think it is good for Harry, I don’t think it is good for the club, because as laser focused as we want to be, you end up sort of repeating yourself along the way.
“But the flip side of that is I don’t want to put a deadline on it, because that adds even more pressure. You want these things to happen for the right reasons. The reality of it is he’s still a contracted player at our football club, so that’s the way I see him.
“It’s not like his contract is ending on the 12th [of August] and he’s got to make a decision, he’s got another year.”
The Women’s World Cup continued with three games taking place on the second day of the tournament.
Spain and Switzerland got their campaigns off to a winning start against Costa Rica and the Philippines respectively.
However, Canada were forced to share the spoils with Nigeria after Christine Sinclair’s spot-kick was saved.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at Friday’s action.
Dominant Spain
Spain started their campaign by easing to a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica.
Valeria del Campo’s own goal was followed by strikes from Aitana Bonmati and Esther Gonzalez in the next six minutes.
Jenni Hermoso also had a penalty saved by Daniela Solera before half-time, meaning that there has been a spot-kick awarded in all five games in the tournament so far.
The match also marked the return of double Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who played the final 13 minutes of the game following her return from an ACL injury.
Missed chances for Canada
It was not the start to the tournament that Canada were hoping for after being held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria in Group B.
In a tense clash, veteran Sinclair had the opportunity to put Canada ahead from the penalty spot, but she was denied by brilliant diving save from Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
The Super Eagles had Deborah Abiodun sent-off in the final stages of the game.
Nnadozie’s stellar performance earned praise from Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum.
He said: “Chiamaka has done this before and I will say this and I will embarrass her in front of you all, but I think she’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now.”
Swiss top Group A
Switzerland take the advantage into the next round of fixtures after they beat the Philippines 2-0 to top Group A.
It was a tough start for the Filipinas on their World Cup debut after Katrina Guillou had her effort ruled out for offside in the 16th minute.
Ramona Bachmann then put the Swiss ahead with a penalty before the break and Seraina Piubel secured victory with her strike in the 64th minute.
Switzerland are level with co-hosts New Zealand on three points and will face Norway next on Tuesday.
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Group E: USA v Vietnam (2am, Eden Park, Auckland)
Group C: Zambia v Japan (8am, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton)
Group D: England v Haiti (10.30am, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane)
Group D: Denmark v China (1pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth)
all times BST
England goalkeeper Mary Earps has expressed her dismay over the “very hurtful” decision not to put her replica shirt on sale ahead of the World Cup.
The Manchester United star was named the world’s best goalkeeper in women’s football by FIFA in February, and was also appointed vice-captain by England boss Sarina Wiegman for this global showpiece.
Earps claimed she only realised her shirt would not be made available by manufacturer Nike in April, and said she has since been “fighting behind closed doors” to find a solution before England open their campaign on Saturday against Haiti but to no avail.
The Euro 2022 champion said: “I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try. It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful.
“It is very, on a personal level, it is obviously hugely hurtful considering the last 12 months especially – and also I think there has been an incredible rise in goalkeeping participation over that year.
“I go into grassroots clubs and I am asked to bribe people to go into goal, and I have been to more clubs recently and that’s not been the case.
“A lot of that has come off the back of the Euros but also some of my success this year.
“For my own family and friends and loved ones not to be able to buy my shirt, they are going to come out and wear normal clothes and I know that sounds like: ‘Oh Mary, what a horrible problem,’ but on a personal level that is really hard.
“You know, (England captain) Millie (Bright) spoke to me a couple of weeks ago or maybe a bit longer and said: ‘Mary, my niece is desperate to get your shirt, where can I get it?’. I was like: ‘Yeah you can’t, it doesn’t exist’.
“I think that is a huge problem, and I think it is a scary message that is being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that you are not important.
“(Kids) are going to say: ‘Mum, dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ And they say: ‘I can’t but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23 or a Rachel Daly 9.’ And so what you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important but you can be a striker if you want.”
England men’s keeper Jordan Pickford also does not have a replica goalkeeper shirt available for purchase on the England store.
Earps claimed she offered to fund the shirts herself and that the Football Association (FA) has supported her efforts, but said she was ultimately forced to produce her own limited edition t-shirt because she at the very least “wanted to create something that people could have for themselves” at the World Cup.
The PA news agency understands that while the FA is involved in the design of England kits, the manufacturer ultimately determines the commercial direction of what is produced.
PA has contacted Nike for comment.
England’s unlikely World Cup mascot will be watching the Lionesses from his forever home as Dave the cat settles into his new surroundings.
While football might not have come home from Qatar, stray cat Dave did after the friendly feline became a firm favourite of the squad as he roamed freely around England’s Al Wakrah training base.
Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker were pictured with Dave on most evenings and the latter said the team would adopt the cat if Gareth Southgate’s men won the World Cup.
Despite their quarter-final exit at the hands of France, Dave was still given the chance to travel to the UK and was eventually rehomed by the Football Association’s media operations manager Anna Bush and her family.
“There was a discussion around wanting Dave to end up with a family with young children, so I put my hand up and volunteered and my children are absolutely delighted,” she told the PA news agency.
“They’ve never had a pet before and what a first pet to have! They (the players) are aware and delighted. He’s got a new home and a family to look after him.”
He left Al Wakrah in December, just two hours after the squad had departed for home, and headed to a veterinary clinic where he had blood tests and vaccinations.
After being in quarantine for months he was welcomed by his new family, instantly taking to his surroundings and showing he picked up a keen eye for football after his stint as England’s top cat.
While Dave lived the life of a stray during the men’s World Cup, he can watch the women attempt to follow up their Euros success from last summer in the comfort of his new home.
The Bush family even have a way of making sure Dave – who now has his own Instagram page – is part of any success Down Under as he offers up his match predictions, with a little incentive to back Sarina Wiegman and her team.
“He has settled in so well,” added Bush.
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“He loves the surrounding area and loves it in the sun – he is finding his feet and absolutely loves watching my two boys play football in the garden.
“One of them actually coloured in both of the crests ahead of the Champions League and wanted Manchester City to win so he put a few treats down (on the City crest) and so Dave predicted that Man City were going to win the Champions League final and they did!
“Now we have to start doing that for the Women’s World Cup I suppose – bring on England on Saturday.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman vowed the Lionesses would do “everything” they can to bring home a first World Cup when they begin their campaign against Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday.
Wiegman also provided a welcome update on captain Millie Bright, who is fit to start tomorrow’s contest after concerns she was still recovering from the knee injury she sustained in March which required surgery.
The World Cup trophy is one that has so far eluded both England and Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to the final four years ago in France but fell to defeat at the hands of the United States.
Asked if England could lift the trophy this year, she said: “We’re here and we have a dream, and of course there’s always a chance to win the World Cup, and many more countries can win the World Cup I think, but of course we’re going to give our everything starting tomorrow.”
FIFA world number four England are ranked 49 places above Saturday opponents Haiti, who beat Chile in the qualifying play-off to reach a maiden World Cup.
The Lionesses are heavy favourites to top Group D, which also includes 13th-ranked Denmark and number 14 China.
Wiegman, however, was quick to dismiss the idea that facing lower-ranked opposition puts England in a position of having more to lose, perhaps more so than when they kicked off their winning Euro 2022 campaign against Austria last summer.
“The pressure is always something. Everyone expected England to win anyway. This is for tomorrow and also last year, and that was also for the Austria game for the European Championships,” she added.
“So that’s not different. What we’re just trying to do is play our game and focus on what we have to do and how we can win, and that’s basically what we do all the time, so bring it back to what actions we need to take as a team.”
Wiegman said she has “basically decided” on her starting XI for tomorrow but would not reveal whether or not the players had already been informed.
The Lionesses begin their sixth World Cup still having not come to an agreement with the Football Association over issues surrounding performance-based bonus payments and commercial structures.
On Tuesday, Bright posted a statement on Twitter on behalf of the team which said they were “disappointed that a resolution has still not been achieved” but would “pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament”.
The skipper, who will wear a FIFA-sanctioned ‘Unite for Inclusion’ armband in Saturday’s contest, reiterated that those discussions are now fully parked.
“Obviously it’s not a situation everyone wants to be in, but I think as players we’re not just programmed to play football,” Bright said.
“Sometimes we have to have these conversations. But we have a very professional group and football is always at the front of everything. So as players now our heads are in the game, they always have been on the game.
“Everything is on hold with those sorts of questions. We’ll address the situation at a later date, but for now it’s all about the tournament.”
Earlier, Haiti manager Nicolas Delepine took a lighthearted stab at the Lionesses, who have not scored in their last three matches including the behind-closed-doors training game with Canada on the Sunshine Coast a week ago which ended in a goalless draw not for official records.
He told a press conference: “It’s going to be a difficult game, for sure. And if I have to talk about the strengths of England, I’ll be here all day.
“In big competitions England are tough opponents. They played well in the European Championships.
“We’re expecting a high intensity game. They are a difficult team to play against, they are attacking with threats everywhere but they maybe have a problem with finishing.”
Jamaica’s assistant coach Xavier Gilbert is not denying that France will pose a challenge for his Reggae Girlz outfit to start their Fifa Women’s World Cup campaign. But he is hopeful that they will be able to overcome the daunting task and secure their first ever point at the global showpiece.
Gilbert’s cautious optimism came, as he was heartened by the Girlz lively training session, which he believes is a good indicator of the team’s mental and physical readiness ahead of Sunday’s opening Group F fixture against the fifth-ranked French team.
Well aware that France will be no pushovers, Gilbert, an assistant to Head coach Lorne Donaldson, is backing the 43rd-ranked Girlz to give their more illustrious opponents a run for their money when they take the field at the Sydney Football Stadium.
“We have been analyzing the French team from before they got here and their (0-1) loss to Australia kind of confirmed some of the things that we already knew. They really don’t change their style of play; they kept pressing and the Australian faced them front on. But that was a part of their preparation, so we still have to be mindful of how they attack and how they defend, and we just have to execute our game plan,” Gilbert said.
“Nothing is wrong with dreaming, but I honestly think we really have a good chance of getting something from the game, especially if we play smart and contain them, it will get easier for us. We do have quality players who can match up against them, there is no doubt about that.
“Psychologically our top striker [Khadija “Bunny” Shaw] is raring to go and they know that she can be a handful, so their efforts to contain her, might leave an opening for others in the attacking front to capitalise and those are some of things we want to exploit,” he added.
With two good sessions now under their belts, including a competitive squad match at the Victoria State Training Centre on Thursday, Gilbert explained that the focus now is to iron out a few finer tactical details to ensure an efficient execution against, France, in particular.
“The Girlz were buzzing from the other day, and it showed in this session which is a good indication that they are ready and raring to go. The session was pretty much how we can exploit some weak areas in the French tactics and also how to curtail some of their strengths based on how we defend, especially in the wide areas.
“We know they are going to counter press a lot and then try and force us through the middle and they also play a lot in transition. So, this session was pretty much to look at countering some of the things that they have been doing over the last few games and how we anticipate they are going to attack us,” the tactician shared.
He pointed out that the Reggae Girlz 1-0 win over Morocco in their first and only warm-up encounter, also provided good insight where gauging the team was concerned.
“We did our analysis and showed them some clips of the things that we did well because part of that game was to fix some of the things that we want to do against the French team. We did some of that, and even the goal, was as a result of what we did before in terms of our attacking thrust. So, there were a lot of positives that came from that game in terms of how we want to operate going forward,” Gilbert noted.
Finally, Gilbert revealed that all concerns regarding Jody Brown’s knock which she picked up in the Morocco friendly, have been allayed, as the diminutive winger was fully integrated into the team’s session and brought up to speed on tactics.
“She is good, it is just about managing and ensuring that we have a full team, and everybody is available for selection ahead of our first game. But she will be fine, the nature of the injury is nothing to be alarmed about,” Gilbert declared.
After their contest with France, the Girlz will do battle against Panama on July 29 at Perth Rectangular Stadium and then close the group stages against Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, on August 2.
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