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Premier League latest: O’Neil ‘demands better’ plus build-up and reaction

Get Involved – Are Arsenal the new Stoke?published at 14:40 Greenwich Mean
GMT#bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)Remember the stick Liverpool got when hiring a throw-in coach some years ago? They went from 45% to 68% possession from throw ins, the highest in the PL. Everyone should have wanted possession improvement but didn’t do much about it. I now see Arsenal being taunted because they score a lot from corners. Absolutely insane! Everyone would like to score from corners, wouldn’t they? Goals are rather important in football, if I’m not completely wrong. I think the thing that might irritate people is that Arsenal seem to have the right mix of deliveries and executors combined with blocking and crowding exactly on the border of what is being allowed. Step up, the rest of you, and start scoring from corners yourselves.OdenImage source,Getty Images80Share
Why is the new Club World Cup controversial?published at 14:37 Greenwich Mean Time14:37
GMTFifa is currently facing legal action, external from player unions and leagues about the scheduling of the tournament.Global players’ union Fifpro and the top European Leagues say the international football calendar is “oversaturated” and “risks player safety and wellbeing”.Several players – including Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Manchester City’s Rodri – have raised concerns about player wellbeing amid an increasingly jam-packed football calendar.There are just five weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match of the 2025-2026 season, which is scheduled for 16 August.The Club World Cup will also partially overlap with Women’s Euro 2025, which runs from 2-27 July.17Share
Which clubs are taking part and who is seeded?published at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time14:34
GMTPot 1: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Flamengo, Palmeiras, River Plate, FluminensePot 2: Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Juventus, SalzburgPot 3: Al Hilal, Ulsan, Al Ahly, Wydad, Monterrey, Club Leon, Boca Juniors, BotafogoPot 4: Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Mamelodi Sundowns, Pachuca, Seattle Sounders, Auckland City, Inter MiamiThe format will work like the 2022 World Cup – the 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with the top two in each group qualifying for the knock-outs.420Share
Why is Lionel Messi involved?published at Greenwich Mean
GMTOne spot in the tournament is reserved for a team from the host nation.Fifa opted to award that place to Inter Miami for winning the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, the trophy given out to the team which has the best regular-season record. The Floridians then lost in the MLS play-offs, meaning they are not this season’s champions.The decision to invite Inter Miami to the Club World Cup before the MLS campaign was concluded has been interpreted by some as an attempt on Fifa’s part to ensure Lionel Messi, who joined the team in 2023, will play in a tournament that has attracted little public enthusiasm so far.Image source,Getty Images420Share
How have teams qualified for the Club World Cup?published at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time14:28
GMTTeams from each of the six international football confederations will be at the Club World Cup: Asia (AFC), Africa (Caf), North and Central America (Concacaf), South America (Conmebol), Oceania (OFC) and Europe (Uefa).There are 12 places available for European clubs – the highest quota of the confederations. These places are decided by clubs’ Champions League performances over the past four seasons.Other European teams have qualified through a Uefa ranking system determined by clubs’ performances over the four seasons.There are four club places each for Asia, Africa and also the North and Central America federation.Six places are awarded to South American clubs, and one to Oceania.415Share
Follow the Club World Cup draw tonightpublished at 14:25 Greenwich Mean Time14:25 GMT
The draw for the revamped Club World Cup will take place at 18:00 GMT on Thursday, 5 December.You can follow live text updates of the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.Image source,Getty Images832Share
get involvedGet Involved – Gary O’Neil’s future at Wolvespublished at 14:22 Greenwich Mean Time14:22 GMT
#bbcfootball, WhatsApp 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply)Bournemouth were slated by the press for getting rid of Gary O’Neil but almost every Bournemouth fan at the time could see that his style of football was poor, he wasn’t unlocking the full potential of our squad and we’d been on a long losing streak since we had confirmed safety. So it comes as no surprise that he’s been found out at this level and Wolves want him gone!Matt, BournemouthObviously GON did a relatively good job last year after Lop left us in the lurch. But this season (admittedly without a replacement CB) we’ve shipped way too many goals and we’re in danger of being left adrift. There doesn’t seem to be a working plan to fix the rot so let’s cut losses, thanks Gary, but bring in David Moyes or Graham Potter, please!Rob, Wolves fan4310Share
‘At Brentford we want everybody to feel at home’published at 14:18 Greenwich Mean Time14:18
GMTBrentfordBrentford CEO Jon Varney spoke about rainbow armbands on 5 Live Breakfast: “It’s not a situation that has been presented to us before [players not wearing rainbow armbands]. We’re talking about hypotheticals. What I can say is that these matters are really personal to each individual and therefore it is difficult to make any sweeping statements.”At Brentford, we want everybody to feel at home, we want to open our doors and make our fans feel really welcome, regardless of their faith or their background. It’s something that we’ve considered in the past. I think it’s really important that we support the policies and the activities that the Premier League are doing and they are focusing on groups of people that previously haven’t felt welcomed at football matches. I think we are in a brilliant situation and have a fantastic platform to promote more diversity at football grounds and we would continue to support that.”Image source,Getty Images3114Share
‘It’s really important to have that pro-active approach’published at 14:15 Greenwich Mean
Time14:15 GMTBBC 5 Live BreakfastMore from Premier League Player Care Officer Hugo Scheckter on rainbow armbands: “I think it is always a challenge in any professional team schedule to find time for anything. You’ve got training, you’ve got recovery, you’ve got analysis meetings and then you’ve got education and discussion sessions as well as everything else so it’s always hard to find time but I think for me, it’s really important to have that pro-active approach where you are explaining what you are going to do in advance and then seeking feedback at that point in planning stages and really getting them to buy into it.”Because so many times a t-shirt is thrown on them or they’re told to hold something up and take a photo. But if you really want change, having people who are really championing the cause, who really believe in something, is far more powerful than having one or two people, who for any reason, don’t want to support it, really undermining the conversation and taking all the bandwidth.”1533Share
‘This comes down to a lack of conversation with the athletes directly’published at 14:11 Greenwich
Mean Time14:11 GMTBBC 5 Live BreakfastPremier League Player Care Officer Hugo Scheckter on rainbow armbands: “There’s a lot of focus on the negativity, rather than the positivity which is 18 clubs doing it impeccably. I think, for me, this comes down to a lack of conversation with the athletes directly, in terms of explaining what the campaign is about, understanding what their reaction is going to be before it, answering any questions, really getting them engaged because I think there is a real tendency to say we are doing this and that’s that.”I’ve seen that in the past where people don’t understand it, players don’t understand it and then they reject it, not because they don’t agree with it, but because they don’t really understand it.”Image source,Getty Images1748Share
‘Applaud the ones who wear rainbow armband’published at 14:08 Greenwich Mean Time14:08 GMTThomas Hitzlsperger

Former Aston Villa midfielder for BBC SportI have seen so much progress. Just the fact that I was able to share my story and come out as gay in 2014 and my involvement in different aspects of the sport I love is part of that.We have come a long way but it’s misguided not to appreciate that we aren’t – and may never be – in a perfect scenario, given the way society is mirrored by football.To be clear – if clarity is in fact needed – the rainbow armband’s objective is not to promote homosexuality. It is supposed to help fight discrimination.So let’s switch the direction of focus.A rejection of the armband can arguably have a negative effect on the community.The near majority of captains wear the armbands, players wear warm-up shirts and jackets in rainbow colours.Let’s applaud them for taking a stance against division and fighting discrimination and look at the positive developments over the years.Former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger came out as gay shortly after ending his playing career a decade ago, saying he wanted to “move the discussion about homosexuality among professional sportspeople forwards”. You can read his full column for BBC Sport here.6979Share
Premier League focusing on Rainbow Laces positivitypublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time14:05 GMTSimon Stone

BBC Sport’s chief football news reporterThere has been a lot of noise about the reaction of Ipswich skipper Sam Morsy and his Crystal Palace counterpart Marc Guehi to this week’s Premier League initiative around inclusivity and promoting LGBTQ+ issues.Speaking to the Premier League, they are more concerned about the 18 top flight captains who did wear the armband and all the other initiatives that have been done around the clubs, including Ipswich and Crystal Palace, than any negativity.The league’s view is they want to champion inclusivity and just because individuals may not share exactly the same views is not a reason to step away from involvement.Image source,Getty Images2169