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Good morning football fans. It’s Tuesday, May. 12 - Football’s lawmakers are considering changing rules around corner kicks, Premier League title and relegation projections, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURE
Championship Promotion Play-off semi-final leg 2 (May 12): Southampton vs. Middlesbrough, agg 0-0, 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET. The draw in the first leg extended Middlesbrough’s unbeaten run against Southampton to five matches, and they are unbeaten in each of their last six away games in all competitions. Meanwhile, in all competitions under Tonda Eckert, Southampton have lost only once at home, and have won 13 of the other 18 matches. The winner of this tie will face Hull City in the final, which will be played on May 23.
Results…
Premier League: Tottenham 1-1 Leeds United (Table)
Championship play-off semi-final leg 2: Millwall 0-2 Hull City (agg 0-2)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Corner Changes Discussed
Football’s lawmakers will address grappling at corners after this summer’s World Cup. The issue, a recurring topic in the Premier League this season, will be examined by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) during its next discussions this autumn.
The spotlight fell on the issue after Sunday’s match between West Ham and Arsenal, where the Hammers’ goal was disallowed by VAR for a foul on goalkeeper David Raya. The decision had major implications for Arsenal’s title race and West Ham’s relegation battle, intensifying calls for clarity and consistency on grappling at corners. West Ham are reportedly contacting the referees’ body (PGMO) over the decision to disallow their late equaliser, seeking further explanation.
Regulating corners has become a major talking point due to their growing importance, especially in the Premier League. Data shows that this season has seen the most goals scored from corners (173) and the most inswinging corners (2,503) since 2018-19, with clubs capitalising on their effectiveness. In April, Arsenal set a new Premier League record for the most goals scored from corners in a single season with 17.
In response to questions from reporters, Fifa said it was aware of the growing trend of grappling at corners in the Premier League and that it “will deal with this in a very good way.” The governing body did not specify how.
Premier League Projections
Arsenal are 87.2% favourites to win the Premier League title, according to Opta’s prediction model. Following their 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side are five points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday (May 13).
Opta’s model also projects Arsenal winning both remaining fixtures against Burnley and Crystal Palace. However, the Gunners could win the title as early as Monday (May 18) if Man City drop points at home to Palace on Wednesday and Arsenal beat Burnley, leaving them seven points clear with Pep Guardiola’s side having only six points left to play for.
Following Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Leeds on Monday, they are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham. Spurs are projected to have a 15% chance of dropping to the Championship, while the Hammers have an 85% chance.
Pique’s Insider Trading
Former Spain and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been fined €200,000 for insider trading, reports the Financial Times. Pique is said to have bought shares in a health and safety company two days before it was revealed as a takeover target, with Spain’s market regulator calling this a “very serious incident.”
Pique made the investment in 2021, whilst he was out injured. He had bought 104,166 shares in Aspy Global Services on January 20, on the advice of a businessman who said another company, Atrys Health, was looking to acquire it. On January 26, Atrys made a €223m offer to buy Aspy. Between the day Pique bought shares and January 27, when he sold them, Aspy’s share price increased by nearly 20%.
Separately, after retiring from professional football in 2022, Pique founded the Kings League, a small-sided football competition. It has leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, and is now looking to expand into the United States.
POLL
Should referees give goalkeepers more protection from physical contact during corners?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> UEFA have announced the referee team for its club competition finals, with German referee Daniel Siebert taking charge of the men’s Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain; see the full list of officials (More)
> Chelsea are looking to appoint Xabi Alonso as the club’s new head coach (More) | Liverpool have revealed images of a permanent memorial at Anfield in tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva (More)
> Hansi Flick has verbally agreed with Barcelona to extend his contract until June 2028 with an option until 2029 (More) | Jose Mourinho is closer to becoming the next Real Madrid manager, per multiple reports (More)
> Ajax must finish fourth or above in the Eredivisie to avoid being forced to play away from their home ground for a play-off game due to a clash with Harry Styles’ upcoming tour (More)
> Beth Mead, who joined Arsenal Women in 2017, will leave the club at the end of the season when her contract expires (More)
Americas
> Lionel Scaloni has named his 55-player Argentina pre-squad, which includes Lionel Messi, despite the Argentina captain not yet officially confirming that he will play at the tournament (More)
> Neymar led Santos to a victory against Red Bull Bragantino in the Brazilian Serie A with a goal (More) | Neymar has also reportedly joined Brazil’s preliminary World Cup squad among 55 players pre-called up by manager Carlo Ancelotti (More)
> USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso is set to undergo surgery on his ankle and is now expected to miss the World Cup (More)
> NWSL’s Kansas City beat the Chicago Stars 3-0, and Bay FC played to a scoreless draw with the Utah Royals (More); see the NWSL Standings (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Nassr could win the Saudi Pro League if they beat second-placed rivals Al Hilal on Tuesday (May 12) in the league’s most important fixture of the season (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Did the referee make the right decision in overturning West Ham's equaliser against Arsenal?
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👍 Yes (56%)
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅♂️ Nope (40%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (4%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 J.M: “Of course they were right to overturn it! It was an incredibly clear foul on Raya that stopped him from holding the ball, which he would otherwise have claimed comfortably. Anyone saying it should not have been overturned is either a West Ham fan or has an enormous anti-Arsenal bias that has clouded their judgment, because not a single one of them would think that goal should stand if it happened against their team.”
👍 A.T: “The keeper was obviously impeded by the player. It is disingenuous to say otherwise. The real issue is the same as always, though, the law of the game not being consistently applied by referees. In one game, it’s given as a foul; in another game, it’s not. This was a foul, though. Let’s not pretend otherwise.”
🙅♂️ P.D: “I'm not convinced Raya was fouled - he was still able to comfortably get both hands on the ball, but let it slip through his hands. Even if he was, there was an earlier foul by Rice on Mavropanos that was completely ignored by the VAR - if the goal was disallowed, a penalty should have been awarded.”
EXTRA TIME
A list of dates for when each nation will announce their World Cup squads.
What are Fifa's rules on switching nationalities?
Predicting the Scottish Premiership title race finish.
The forgotten tales of US World Cup history.
The story behind Man City’s WSL title triumph.
What's the greatest comeback in football history?
How Flick’s reshaped Barca dominated La Liga again.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Marcus Rashford became the most recent English player to win the La Liga title. Can you name the five other English players to have won the Spanish top-flight?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I’m not a magician. But if I was, I would stay (at Barcelona).
Answer
Laurie Cunningham. Steve McManaman. David Beckham. Kieran Trippier. Jude Bellingham.
