Fixtures

Everton midfielder Izzy Christiansen has called for action to address the amount of Women's Super League games lost to bad weather after "a dark weekend" for the women's game. Chelsea's league contest with Liverpool was abandoned by match officials after six minutes due to a frozen pitch on Sunday , while two other fixtures - Brighton vs Arsenal and Tottenham vs Leicester - fell foul to the freezing conditions. Christiansen said a long-term solution is required to avoid a repeat of the "shocking" situation at Kingsmeadow and not damage the momentum and integrity of the game that has been growing exponentially following the Lionesses' Euros success last summer. "Action needs to be taken, possibly an investigation into what's actually happened and why and how the FA and clubs move forward to make sure this doesn't happen again in the future," Christiansen told Sky Sports. Chelsea-Liverpool postponement 'unprofessional' | 'It can't happen again' Man Utd … [Read more...] about Women’s Super League postponements: Everton’s Izzy Christiansen calls for action after ‘dark weekend’

The decision to abandon the Women's Super League contest between Chelsea and Liverpool at Kingsmeadow after six minutes due to a frozen pitch on Sunday has been branded 'unprofessional' by Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith. Both Chelsea manager Emma Hayes and Liverpool counterpart Matt Beard were in agreement that the match should not have gone ahead, while Smith went further with her criticism. Speaking on Monday morning's Football Show on Sky Sports News , Smith said: " I can't actually believe what happened in terms of the game starting and then being stopped as the pitch was unplayable. "The staff, the managers, the players warming up could all see that it was frozen. And you have to think of player safety. "When the goalkeeper is asking for extra padding as when she's diving, the ground is rock hard, the players were slipping all over the place, for it to go ahead for six or seven minutes and then to cancel it, I'm concerned it was allowed to happen. … [Read more...] about Chelsea Women vs Liverpool Women: WSL match abandoned after just six minutes due to frozen pitch

From a blockbuster tie between Man City and Arsenal to Tottenham's trophy dream and Wrexham's Hollywood story, we pick out the FA Cup fourth-round talking points... Is it time for Pep's apprentice to become the master? Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola have been friends for more than two decades, colleagues at Barcelona and City and now, for the first time, title rivals. Arteta's links to Guardiola predate even before his professional debut. Both progressed through Barcelona's La Masia youth system - where despite being 11 years Pep's junior, the now-Arsenal boss was already weighed down by comparisons to the legendary midfielder and their remarkably similar styles of play. Guardiola took the teenager under his wing, offering him guidance and striking up a chord which would last for more than two decades, to the present day. But while Pep had gone on to make the middle of the Nou Camp pitch his own, Arteta - stuck behind the generational duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta … [Read more...] about FA Cup fourth round: Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Wrexham stories to look out for

Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola have been friends for more than two decades, colleagues at Barcelona and City and now, for the first time, title rivals. Just over three years since leaving Pep's City for his old club Arsenal, Arteta has achieved the uphill task of making the Gunners worthy opponents for his former employers. And for one week, the Premier League title race has been put on hold as attention turns to the FA Cup, with Arsenal chasing a domestic double at the expense of Arteta's old boss. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Arteta says Arsenal's title battle with Guardiola will not have an impact on their friendship This is the only competition where he has beaten Guardiola as a manager, but Arsenal's five-point lead in the Premier League suggests the wider hoodoo is lifting. On Friday night, their long-standing friendship will be put on hold for the Gunners' first encounter with the league champions this season, … [Read more...] about Man City vs Arsenal: Mikel Arteta finally threatens to match mentor and ‘idol’ Pep Guardiola