PL Update: Newcastle dreaming of Champions League
Rebecca Lowe, Tim Howard, and Robbie Mustoe analyze an action-packed Sunday in Matchweek 36, including Newcastle's victory against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest's draw with Leicester, and Arsenal's draw with Liverpool.
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Chilled Cole Palmer ready to play ‘wherever' and win spot in England XI
Things that Cole Palmer is not bothered about – part 89. Golf. Which is a pity as he is spending a warm-weather training week with England at the magnificent Camiral Golf & Wellness resort; the expected venue for the 2031 Ryder Cup. Formula One. Palmer attended the Barcelona grand prix on Sunday with Thomas Tuchel and the rest of the England squad, which he thought was good. 'I went to the one in Abu Dhabi not long ago,' he says, presumably meaning the race in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. Who knows, who cares? 'But I fell asleep at that one.' Advertisement Related: Eberechi Eze on his bike as England's World Cup 2026 preparations heat up The searing heat in the United States, which Palmer will experience with Chelsea in the coming weeks at the Club World Cup. And then again next summer if and when England qualify for the World Cup, which is also being hosted by Canada and Mexico. 'It will play a part because I'm not used to it, but I don't think it will be a big problem,' he says. Oh, and southerners. Manchester's finest made a comment last summer about how he was finding them hard work after his first season at Chelsea. Has he come to terms with them now? 'No, they're all still moody,' he says. 'I think because it's so busy, they're all stressed. It must be a southern thing. I don't live in central London. Sometimes I go in but I couldn't live there.' If Palmer is a unique talent on the pitch, he is unique to interview, as well. Short shrift is his default setting; plenty of his answers are monosyllabic, some just a sound – hmmm. A shrug. It is impossible to ignore the quintessentially Manc vibe. Advertisement Palmer has a deadpan expression which wonders: 'Why are you asking me that?' Example: how is he spending his downtime at the Camiral? 'Play PlayStation … Fifa,' he replies. Like, seriously? As on the pitch, Palmer is cool, cold. He is highly entertaining. When was the last time Palmer was angry? 'Errr,' he says, after a typically long pause. 'I don't really know. Maybe when I'm playing PlayStation. I'm not just a robot like you guys in the media think I am … and don't show no emotion. Obviously when there's no cameras and I'm on the phone to my mates and I'm doing stuff I enjoy doing …' Palmer is asked where his temperament comes from. 'Maybe my dad,' he says. 'He's laidback like me. My mum says: 'Try and be a bit more involved and a bit more smiley and energetic.' Maybe she's like that but me and my dad are just too laidback, I think.' And yet nobody in the room at the Camiral, which is dominated by a beautiful Jack Nicklaus watercolour, can fail to be assaulted by Palmer's single-mindedness; the steel and hunger. It is there when he talks about Chelsea, how they proved the doubters wrong in the closing weeks of the domestic season to secure a return to the Champions League, sewing up qualification with the final-day victory at Nottingham Forest. Advertisement 'Because we had that little spell where we weren't too great … everyone was saying: 'They're not going to get Champions League,'' Palmer says. 'So to get it was good. We finished well. When we got it at Forest, it was like a relief.' Palmer has a Champions League winners' medal from 2022-23 with Manchester City, although he was an unused substitute in the final against Inter; indeed, he did not get off the bench in any of the knockout rounds. He has only made one start in the competition – in City's dead-rubber final group tie that season against Sevilla. This time, with Palmer having turbocharged his profile and influence, it stands to be different. 'I always say that I don't feel like a Champions League winner,' Palmer says. 'It doesn't really mean anything to me. When people say it … yeah, but I didn't play, I wasn't involved. Obviously I played in the group and stuff like that but it's not the same, is it? I've still got the medal, I've not thrown it away. But it's not like I feel like I've won it.' Palmer's focus is on England. Having missed Tuchel's first camp in March because of injury, he is determined to impress in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona. There is then the friendly against Senegal in Nottingham next Tuesday. Advertisement The issue for Tuchel is how best to accommodate Palmer when he also has Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. It is the same issue that his predecessor Gareth Southgate faced; ditto Lee Carsley, who was in interim charge before Tuchel took over. Southgate never started Palmer in a competitive game. He used him exclusively off the bench at Euro 2024 where the 23-year-old came on to score the equaliser in the final against Spain, a game that England would lose 2-1. Palmer has 11 caps to date; four as a starter. Foden has missed out on this camp because of injury. 'It's play well at my club … hopefully people can see it and I can turn into a starter for England,' Palmer says. 'Last season I played all wide [in midfield] and this season I've moved [more centrally]. Wherever he [Tuchel] puts me, I'll play.' Palmer's goal against Spain was the perfect illustration of his ability to live in the moment and seize it, oblivious to the pressure. It was a similar story in Chelsea's Conference League final win over Real Betis last week, albeit the stakes were not as high. One-nil down, Palmer said he was 'sick of going backwards and sideways'. So he trusted his skill, ran at Betis and made it happen with the assists for 2-1. Chelsea won 4-1. Advertisement Palmer is back on the up after an unfathomable dry spell from mid-January when he went 18 matches without a goal. The run ended with the penalty against Liverpool in the fourth-last game of the Premier Leagueseason. He finished with 15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. 'Things weren't happening for me and it went on a bit longer than I thought it would,' Palmer says. 'But I spoke to people about it and they explained it's going to happen. They said that when I get out of it, I'll be an even better player. When you go to Chelsea and you jump up and then you go into a dip, you think: 'What's going on?' But I didn't mind …' Palmer catches himself, and there is a rare line from him before he remembers who he is. 'Well, obviously, I did mind,' he says. 'But I didn't think: 'Ah, this is the end of the world.''
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Tonali breaks silence on Newcastle future, confirms Italy strategy
Newcastle star Sandro Tonali confirms he's happy at the club and doesn't want to 'break the bonds' he's built: 'I've found people who care about me, and I care about them.' Tonali is preparing for Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Norway on June 6. Advertisement The Azzurri trained at Coverciano this morning and will depart for Oslo this evening. Tonali spoke to Sky Sport Italia about the Azzurri's approach against Norway, but also discussed his future at Newcastle, sending a clear transfer message. Read more – New Italy injury blow as Kean set to miss World Cup qualifying games 'I'm happy where I am now. I've found people who care about me, and I care about them. I don't want to break any of the bonds I've built,' he said. Tonali 'happy' at Newcastle NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Chelsea FC at St James' Park on May 11, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by) 'I've had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I'm happy where I am.' However, the Newcastle star misses the Italian atmosphere when he's away. 'Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit, but I always come back with the national team and I always give my best,' Tonali added. Advertisement 'There's a group here that wants to be together and needs to be here, united. There's a desire to face these ten days as a real team, staying close and trying not to make things harder for ourselves. That's often where the teams struggle, and we're trying to keep things simple.' Tonali won the EFL Cup with his club in March, beating Federico Chiesa's Liverpool in the Final. Sandro Tonali celebrates on the Wembley pitch after winning the EFL Cup final with Newcastle in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. (Picture @NUFC via X) 'It was beautiful because it was hard,' said Tonali. 'We weren't the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren't the favourites in almost every match, but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn't done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.' Advertisement The Azzurri will make their debut in the World Cup qualifiers against Norway tomorrow. Erling Haaland's country has already won two games out of two in Group I. Italy's tactic against Norway epa11976764 Italy's midfielder Sandro Tonali (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 20 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro 'We need to be smart and understand that against players of this quality, we have to take the ball away from them and try to keep it as much as possible. 'The match is long, 90 minutes is a long time, and both teams will want possession for extended periods. We don't want to let them control the game, and we need to start the match with that mindset. We know playing away is more difficult, but we're ready for anything. We're Italy and we must be prepared to face any team.' Advertisement Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo previously suggested that the Azzurri would need to keep possession for longer than Norway to secure a positive result in their upcoming meeting. Tonali scored six goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances across all competitions with Newcastle this season.
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3 hours ago
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Ex-England international relishes seeing better representation for young girls in football
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat Former England international Carly Telford loves hearing young girls talk about female role models in football having grown-up with only men visible at elite level in sport. Telford, from County Durham, achieved 27 caps in an England shirt and appeared in three FA Cup finals with Leeds United, Chelsea and Notts County. Advertisement She lacked visible representation during her youth but since taking on her post-playing role working at Chelsea Women as a Commercial Manager, she can see new opportunities for young girls. 'I basically didn't have any female role models until I was a lot older,' she said. 'If I was asked that question as a youngster, I would have said David Beckham or David Ginola. 'I was in a school last week, and we were doing the trophy tour for the FA Cup. I sat down next to a group of girls, and I said, 'Oh, who are your role models?' and they said Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James and that is just so normal for them. Advertisement 'To see them writing their names down, wishing them good luck, it's just so inspiring for them to be like, I see myself in her, or I want to be like her one day.' A study by Sure in 2024 found that 58% of girls say that having a female role model strengthens their passion for football. Telford, who was part of a panel discussing the issue at Stamford Bridge this week, has been able to become the role model for others that she never had, spending eight years at WSL heavyweights Chelsea during her career. 'It's mad. I sometimes forget it, until someone's like, 'Can you sign my T-shirt? Can you sign my boot?','' she said. Advertisement 'It's almost like a responsibility as well in the best kind of way. I didn't want to be a footballer for any other reason, I just loved it. I genuinely do. If you ask most of the girls who play the game, it's all for the love of it. 'The responsibility that comes with that is to always turn up as who you are, because there's always going to be a young girl, a group of girls that will be like, 'Oh, I sound like her, I look like her, I play the position she does.' 'Not all of us have a smooth journey. Just because when you get to the top, it looks like it's all great, and Instagram and TikTok can make it look all fun, actually it's a difficult role. 'There's a lot of rejection, sometimes confidence is low, you're not selected. There's a lot of things that you have to deal with but that also helps you prepare for life outside.' Advertisement For Telford, that authenticity is key in allowing girls to connect with players and create role models who speak to wider aspects of life beyond elite football. 'Role models should allow girls to aspire to be Lionesses and want to be the best of the best, but also empower them to feel confident, to feel like they can do it, and that gives them life skills in the longer term as well,' she added. Visibility plays a vital role in inspiring young girls in sports, but it alone isn't enough. Increased visibility needs to be paired with real world grassroots investment – like Sure's Breaking Limits Programme – find out more here
