No Saliba, no problem - Konsa stepping up for Arsenal

Ezri Konsa scored his first goal for Arsenal in Saturday’s win over Everton

When Arsenal confirmed in July that William Saliba would miss an “extended period” with a long-term back issue, you can forgive fans for panicking.

The Frenchman has formed a formidable pairing with Gabriel Magalhaes as part of the Gunners’ well-drilled backline that conceded just 27 league goals last season as they lifted the Premier League title.

Eight games into the new season and Saliba still hasn’t featured, but Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League as they sit level on points at the summit.

That form is testament to the performances of Ezri Konsa, who has stepped up in Saliba’s absence and been given his chance to shine.

Before Arsenal signed the 29-year-old for £55m from Aston Villa in August, questions were asked. Is it too much money? Do the Gunners need him with Cristhian Mosquera already in the squad? Why bring in Konsa and not a forward?

But now, the debate is whether Konsa and Gabriel are the best partnership in world football, not just the Premier League.

Arsenal already had seven senior defenders on the books when they signed Konsa.

And add in the fact they already had one of the most solid partnerships in world football too, it can be understood why there was confusion about such a big outlay.

Arsenal have changed their recruitment strategy, focusing on signings in the peak of their career as they look to capitalise on their win window and continue to lift silverware.

Konsa is exactly what they are looking for - in his prime.

The defender made 286 appearances for Villa after joining in July 2019 from Brentford and helped them win the Europa League in May, the club’s first European trophy since 1982.

He has established himself as a first-choice starter for England and started seven of their eight games at the World Cup.

His former Aston Villa team-mate, Morgan Rogers - who himself made a big-money move this summer when he joined Chelsea for £117m - said at the World Cup that Konsa does not get the credit he deserves and that he is “one of the best centre-backs in football”.

Konsa is an imposing figure, quick across the ground, and his aggression in challenges has impressed supporters.

Having signed on the opening day of the season, Arteta has praised the way the centre-back has settled in as “unbelievable”.

“He’s gone to a huge club like Arsenal with no pre-season when Saliba is here, with other players that are already here,” Arteta added of Konsa’s start.

“To position yourself in that manner, with that naturality I would say, and performing at the level that he’s doing and building already a chemistry and a balance with Gabi that seems so solid, it’s very difficult to do and we are really lucky to have him.”

The stats back up Arteta’s claim.

Individually, Konsa had the best pass-completion rate of any player in the Premier League last season and he tops the chart again this season with 96% success rate from his 324 passes.

He also ranked top for success rate among all Premier League outfielders to contest 20 or more ground duels during the last campaign and is currently ranked 12th for this in 2026-27.

Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in five of their eight games, with no team keeping more in the Premier League this season.

After joining just hours before their season-opener against Coventry, Konsa has started six of those matches, while he came on for his debut in their second match against former club Villa after Mosquera picked up an injury.

“The two of them [Saliba and Gabriel] were on the Ballon D’or list as the best defenders in world football,” former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said on Match of the Day.

“He has not been overshadowed at all by the people he has played alongside.”

And Konsa produced another impressive performance when he scored his first goal for Arsenal against Everton on Saturday.

“I’ve come to this stadium for many seasons, I know how tough it is to play against us. It’s not surprising to me,” Konsa said of Arsenal’s strong start to the season.

“We are champions and to be champions you’ve got to win games consistently. This is our home and we want to win as many games here as possible.”

In his 200th Premier League appearance, Gabriel scored his 21st goal in the competition for Arsenal

Nine starts, seven wins, five clean sheets, two goals between them - the partnership of Konsa and Gabriel could not be going much better.

The pair both scored as the Gunners beat Everton and it was the first time that Arsenal had two centre-backs score in a Premier League match since February 2024, which coincidentally also came against a David Moyes team (Gabriel and Saliba against West Ham).

Konsa has also started all three of Arsenal’s games alongside Gabriel in the Champions League and the Gunners are unbeaten as the formidable partnership continues to flourish.

The England international has said that Gabriel made “my life easy since I’ve joined the club and it’s been a pleasure playing alongside him”.

Gabriel’s regular partner Saliba still has no date for a return but is currently doing individual training work on grass.

When asked whether there is less pressure on Saliba rushing to get back, Arteta was keen to remind everyone of his quality.

“William is not fit and we are desperate to have him back because we know what he offers,” he said.

“We are really lucky to have that and I’m sure when Mosquera plays that he will be the same because they have something special those boys.

“The way we train them, the way they want to improve as well and how they look after each other. That’s the beauty of our team.”

The next challenge for Konsa will be when Saliba returns.

But with his ability to play right-back too, he doesn’t only have one route into the starting XI.

Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or wait - how he bucked the trend

Harry Kane broke Bayern Munich’s goalscoring record for a season in his third campaign at the club.

Harry Kane has become the first English player to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001 after being crowned the world’s best player at a ceremony in London.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker is the fifth Englishman to win in total, with Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) the others.

Denis Law of Scotland (1964) and Northern Ireland’s George Best (1968) are the other winners from the United Kingdom.

Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe finished second, while Barcelona and Spain attacker Lamine Yamal completed the top three.

“Not many people would have thought it, and maybe even I wouldn’t have thought I’d be this far,” Kane told Dazn.

“I had to go through many ups and downs, especially early in my career. I was never the person that people thought was going to be the superstar like some of the guys now.”

“I had to bide my time and work hard, a lot of times it was me against my own mind and I had to come through it, I had to show self-belief, determination.”

“I think that grounded me even when I did make it at the highest level to keep improving and keep getting better.”

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he was “delighted” to see Kane win the award as he hailed the forward’s success as a “huge honour”.

Prince William, meanwhile, said the former Tottenham Hotspur player was a “brilliant captain” and “remarkable player”.

Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most a Bayern player has ever struck in one campaign. Including England matches, it was 73 goals - plus eight assists - in 65 matches.

Only one player at a club in Europe’s top five leagues has ever scored more goals in a season.

But he wins it despite not lifting either of football’s biggest prizes last season, having lost in both the World Cup and Champions League semi-finals.

Remarkably the Three Lions captain becomes the first Bayern player to win the Ballon d’Or since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.

To celebrate Kane’s success, the Wembley arches were lit up in gold on Monday night.

In terms of trophies, Kane may have ‘only’ lifted the German double last season. But that more than doubled his career trophy total - having also won the Bundesliga the season before.

But in terms of individual output Kane - whose previous best Ballon d’Or finish was 10th - was unmatched last season.

His 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern was 19 more than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues managed.

In fact it was the most anyone has recorded since Cristiano Ronaldo also notched 61 for Real Madrid 11 years ago.

He was the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 36 goals - 17 clear of anyone else. In the Champions League he scored 14 for the beaten semi-finalists.

In the German Cup he scored 10 goals, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Stuttgart in the final, and he also netted once in the German Super Cup.

No player has ever scored so many goals in a season for Bayern, a club who have had legendary goalscorers like Gerd Muller, Rummenigge and more recently Robert Lewandowski in their ranks.

Kane’s 12 goals for England last season - including six at the World Cup - take him up to a total of 73.

Only one player in history from Europe’s top leagues has scored more in a season, Lionel Messi’s 82 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2011-12.

Next on the list are Muller (72 in 1972-73), Cristiano Ronaldo (66 in both 2011-12 and 2014-15), former Brazil striker Ronaldo (66 in 1996-97), Erling Haaland (64 in 2022-23) and Luis Suarez (64 in 2015-16).

Former England striker Alan Shearer recently told BBC Sport: “The winner of the Ballon d’Or should be Harry Kane. His numbers for the last 12 to 18 months have been absolutely sensational for Bayern and for England. For that reason, he should get it.”

Another ex-Three Lions player Danny Murphy added: “His goalscoring has been relentless, brilliant. He’s had one of the best seasons of his career and it’ll be a great reward for him if he gets the trophy. He’s been brilliant at Bayern Munich since he’s been there, adapted really well and he’s been the best centre forward in the world for the last 12 months.”

The Ballon d’Or was only available to European players from its formation in 1956 until 1995 when it was opened up to everyone.

Since then in four of the seven World Cup years, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded to a world champion - including Messi in 2023 (as the 2022 World Cup was in the winter).

However, that was the first time since 2006 it had happened, with Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric all winning since then despite not winning the World Cup that year.

This is only the fifth time in the past 20 years that the Ballon d’Or has not gone to a player who has won either the World Cup, the Champions League or a European Championship/Copa America - with Kane joining Messi (three times) and Ronaldo.

Lamine Yamal, who won the World Cup with Spain, had been one of the favourites but lost out to Kane.

Last year, winning the Champions League helped PSG and France’s Ousmane Dembele to the crown.

Kane may have just won the Ballon d’Or but some are already wondering if he is in a good place to retain it next year.

The striker has scored 10 goals in his opening 12 games for Bayern this season.

Throw in six goals in four Nations League games for England and that is a total of 16 in 16 matches so far.

Bayern are unbeaten in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season.

If they were to win a Treble - and Kane keeps scoring at about a goal a game - it would be tough to look past him, especially in a season with no World Cup, European Championship or Copa America.

The last player other than Messi or Ronaldo to win it two years in a row was Marco van Basten in 1988 and 1989.

However, Lamine Yamal will be hoping to make it to the top, having now finished second and third over the past two years.

He has started the season in electric form, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 13 games for Barcelona in La Liga and the Champions League.

And Barca are currently favourites to win the Champions League, which could ultimately end up being a deciding factor.

He would be the youngest player to win the Ballon d’Or - aged 20 - if he does lift it next year.

Real Madrid’s Mbappe will also fancy his chances of winning for the first time, with 14 goals in 13 appearances for club and country.

The youngest winner remains Brazilian Ronaldo, who was 21 when he won in 1997.

Arsenal, who have never had a Ballon d’Or winner, and Paris St-Germain are two of the other frontrunners to win the Champions League.

Mourinho keeps Clasico midas touch 13 years on as La Liga heats up

Jose Mourinho has done it again.

The Real Madrid manager celebrated Kylian Mbappe’s late winner at Barcelona on Sunday with a trademark knee slide, as he maintained his midas touch over their bitter rivals.

Mourinho has become just the third Real boss to go six El Clasicos in a row without defeat - 13 years after he last led Los Blancos in this fixture.

Four wins and two draws in his past six matches in charge of Real Madrid against Barcelona puts him up there with Miguel Munoz (1962 to 1965) and Vicente del Bosque (2001 to 2003).

It was also just a second victory in eight games against Barcelona for Real, with the return of Mourinho to the fixture haunting the reigning champions.

And more importantly for Mourinho, Mbappe’s double in Real’s 2-1 win ended Barcelona’s nine-game unbeaten domestic run with a crucial Clasico victory at the Camp Nou.

A Real defeat would have allowed Barcelona to establish a commanding nine-point advantage but the result has transformed the top of La Liga, bringing Mourinho’s side to within three points of their rivals.

“In my view, Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid play to win La Liga,” Mourinho said.

“We could win with luck, but we won with calmness and with all merit,” he said. “It’s a very strong group. Everyone works very hard. Everyone was ready to win.”

“The credit goes to the players. When you win, the credit goes to the players. But when you lose, the blame falls on you. And that’s why we see coaches being sacked from their positions every week.”

The Portuguese has now won six and lost six El Clasicos across his two stints as manager.

He said: “I’ve learned that I have an extraordinary group, with the quality and mindset to play.”

“In midfield, having a mix of talents gives us more than just having two players with similar characteristics. This mix of talents gives us balance when defending and quality when we go on the attack.”

“We’ve beaten several teams by four or more goals, but this is Barca, and the players put on a great performance. We need to continue like this and don’t go over the moon after this win.”

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick said he did not want to give excuses for the defeat but admitted his team lacked fresh legs after a demanding few weeks.

“We missed the freshness,” he said. “It’s not easy for our players. We have to recover well, train well and we have to respond from this defeat.”

“In big games, small things are important and they decide the games and today, it wasn’t on our side.”

“I can see that today we were not fresh and this is what we have to change.”

Real Madrid have now won five consecutive games in all competitions.

End approaching for Carrick but Man Utd fans make clear who they blame

There was an air of inevitability about Michael Carrick’s walk around Old Trafford after the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth.

It is not unusual for Carrick to applaud the Manchester United fans. If anything, his acknowledgements were not as pronounced as they were in Como after the equally devastating loss.

But after eight games without a win, the worst run since 2015-16 and two horrific defeats in a week, the end is approaching for Carrick, with his bosses in serious talks about his future.

However, if anyone in a senior position at the club thinks the issues at Old Trafford will be solved simply by changing the head coach and, more importantly, the fans will be appeased by a new face in the dugout, the reaction from the stands on an awful day on and off the pitch would have very clearly told them otherwise.

On Friday, as he looked back on that 4-1 loss to Como and ahead to Bournemouth, Carrick said: “We’ll be a different team on Sunday. We have to be a different team on Sunday.”

Sadly, they weren’t.

Carrick could not answer if he will still be in charge for next Saturday’s trip to Chelsea. He does not know.

“The responsibility is mine,” he said. “What else can I say really right now? I totally understand the situation. I’m not expecting anything either way. I love this place and I’ll always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club.”

United’s fans delivered their own verdict on the performance as Carrick disappeared down the tunnel to the dressing room.

After repeatedly singing the former midfielder’s name, as soon as he was out of view they turned on the players. The booing lasted until the last of them, Diogo Dalot, left the pitch. They simply feel they are either not good enough or don’t care enough, or both.

But there was more, much more.

The game was less than a minute old when the first anti-Glazer and anti-Sir Jim Ratcliffe songs were heard.

The Glazer family have been public enemy number one among the United faithful ever since their leveraged takeover in 2005.

The debt they initially landed on the club has now grown to over £1.15bn, according to their latest accounts. The amount it has cost in interest is £852m, according to respected football finance blogger Swiss Ramble. In the last financial year, the interest payment was £37m, an increase from £34m the previous year.

The argument is, that money could have been used far more productively to sign better players.

There had been hope Ratcliffe, a boyhood United fan, would change that when he struck a deal with the Glazers to become a minority shareholder on Christmas Eve 2023.

Instead, a succession of decisions have led to major questions over his handling of the club.

On the management side, United’s hierarchy eventually backed Erik ten Hag after talking with alternatives in the wake of the shock 2024 FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, spending over £200m on the likes of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte.

Last week, Ten Hag told the Athletic the club went back on a promise not to sell homegrown Scotland international Scott McTominay to fund Ugarte’s £50m move from Paris St-Germain. They sacked the Dutchman in October 2024.

After that they persuaded Ruben Amorim to leave Sporting mid-season, when he wanted to wait until the summer.

They stuck with him after an unprecedented 15th-place finish, and again after United lost to League Two Grimsby in the EFL Cup, then sacked him in January when he clashed with director of football Jason Wilcox over playing style.

That led to Carrick’s arrival to the end of the season, which turned into a permanent appointment after he guided the club back into the Champions League after a two-year absence.

A third dismissal in three seasons would not reflect well on anyone.

The ‘Standards’ banner that was held up on the Stretford End showing the images of legendary skippers Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane was there to remind the executives running the club of the history they should be aspiring to.

Wilcox has largely operated behind the scenes but he could not fail to hear the obscenities being sung against him during today’s game, nor the boos as he climbed into the vehicle taking him away from the stadium nearly two hours after the final whistle.

Recruited from a similar role at Southampton following the Ratcliffe takeover and elevated in status following the dismissal of Dan Ashworth, amid the decision to recruit Amorim, the 55-year-old is blamed by many fans for the club’s recent recruitment, even though the budget was set at a much higher level.

Sat next to him at Old Trafford to watch the Bournemouth debacle unfold was chief executive Omar Berrada, who worked with Wilcox at Manchester City.

Having senior figures steeped in City’s recent history was always a potential problem if results didn’t go well. Berrada played no part in the recent Premier League proceedings that found City guilty of multiple breaches of financial rules, but the link is clear, and United’s fans sang about that at Old Trafford as well.

If that wasn’t enough, a ticket touting investigation launched in the summer led to condemnation from all United’s major fan groups. The club argued they were trying to catch touts, while fans felt it was an attempt to drive regular match-goers out in favour of more corporate sales. The club are adamant that is not the case, but the argument is falling on deaf ears.

The same is also true of plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium. The club conducted a survey which they said showed the majority of respondents were in favour of a new ground. The stadium is likely to cost in excess of £2bn and United spent £63.5m on land for it earlier this year.

Some supporters simply don’t believe those figures. The Stretford End impolitely told Ratcliffe they had no interest in a new stadium as well today.

Carrick may take responsibility for poor results but there is far more than that causing unrest at Manchester United just now.

Isak finally living up to price tag as Liverpool patience rewarded

It has been a long time coming but Alexander Isak might finally be living up to his price tag.

The Sweden striker arrived at Anfield amid huge fanfare in August 2025 when he signed from Newcastle for a British record £125m.

But a combination of a slow start and then suffering a broken leg in December meant his first season at the Reds became something of a nightmare - scoring just four goals in 22 games.

This season has been a different story. Isak’s goal against Brighton on Sunday helped Liverpool to an impressive 2-0 win against the Premier League’s in-form side, taking his tally to six for the campaign already.

The 27-year-old is averaging almost a goal per game and has scored more than half of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season.

Like last weekend at Brentford, Isak didn’t necessarily set the game alight, but again it was another crucial goal from the Swede. His strike gave Liverpool breathing space against a Brighton team that had 64% possession and actually ended the game with a higher xG than Andoni Iraola’s side.

In the end, Liverpool saw the game out and this was arguably their finest display in the league under Iraola, who secured his first league win at Anfield at the fourth time of asking.

Only Erling Haaland (nine) has scored more Premier League goals this season than Isak and when Liverpool signed him from Newcastle these were the numbers they expected.

During Isak’s struggles in an injury-plagued campaign in 2025-26, the belief inside the club was that this was a long-term signing and any judgement would be reserved for when he was fully fit. Judging by recent performances, that patience is proving to be warranted.

“Today, the performance was really good against a really good team,” Isak said.

“The first half is really what we want to be about - winning balls and the intensity.”

The exciting thing for Iraola and Liverpool is that Isak is nowhere near his best yet, and that should be a cause of worry for the rest of the top flight. It is Arsenal next up in the league.

“Alex [Isak] is threatening, especially if we can get him in those positions and we can provide him good crosses. In this case, it’s a matter of Bradley [Barcola] winning the duel and being faster than the opposition to get us in that position,” said Iraola.

Isak is averaging 0.95 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.

For Iraola, this was a fourth win in a row since the loss to Manchester City at Anfield a fortnight ago.

The fans who braved the conditions after Storm Boelo were treated to a display where Liverpool were aggressive from the outset and defended really well to keep a Brighton side that scored 15 league goals in their previous four games at bay.

Bar an early chance for Yasin Ayari, which the Swede blazed over, Fabian Hurzeler’s side didn’t have any major chances of note.

Ronald Araujo was again immense and the Liverpool backline kept their fourth clean sheet in eight league games this season.

Interestingly, Liverpool’s possession of 35.6% was their second lowest on record (since 2003-04) in a Premier League home win.

Iraola’s Bournemouth side certainly preferred to have less of the ball and this was a reminder that, with the quality at his disposal going forward, Liverpool are perhaps fine with teams coming to Anfield and having more of the ball, especially if it means the opposition aren’t set up in a low block.

Both Florian Wirtz and Barcola were excellent and Cody Gakpo threatened all afternoon too, with Wirtz unlucky not to be credited for the goal when his strike took a deflection off Pascal Gross and gave Liverpool the lead.

Slowly but surely, his confidence is increasing in a Liverpool shirt and it is clear to see the impact he has on a game.

The German just needs the numbers to improve on his end and Liverpool will hope that he isn’t set for a spell on the sidelines after he was substituted in the second half.

“Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch with a small twist of the ankle,” said Iraola. “It doesn’t look very big but we are playing every three days so we need to see where he is.”

As for Barcola, there is a style to his play that can energise a crowd and the way he won possession for Isak’s goal felt like it ticked off exactly what Iraola wanted with the high press and sheer desire to win the ball back.

That left Isak to finish instinctively and Barcola imitated Isak’s celebration, just like they did last weekend in west London, as Liverpool moved up to fourth.

Theirs is a combination that cost the Reds a total of £248m but if they can keep on combining and winning games, that will do just fine for Iraola and Liverpool.