Wrexham assistant manager Steve Parkin believes Ryan Reynolds will have “enjoyed” a winning return to Wales and is backing Paul Mullin to get goals.

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• Hollywood star back at SToK Racecourse
• Witnessed another welcome win
• Star striker waiting on first goal of 2023-24

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  One of the Dragons’ famous co-owners was at SToK Racecourse on Saturday for a 3-0 victory over Grimsby. Reynolds, along with fellow Hollywood star Rob McElhenney, is a regular visitor to British shores, but saw Wrexham come unstuck against MK Dons when making their long-awaited return to the Football League back in August.

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  Parkin is pleased to have given Reynolds something to smile about this time around, despite placing little emphasis on his presence, saying of a fourth successive win for the Dragons across all competitions, via : “To be honest we don't pay much attention to that. We are comfortable with the cameras around the place now, we are used to the people here and we trust them. We just get on with our job. It is always nice to put a good display on when the owners are here and I am sure Ryan enjoyed it. But it is about just making sure you get those three points in the bag and keep climbing the table.”

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Paul Mullin, last season’s 47-goal top scorer, made his first start of the season against Grimsby after recovering from a punctured lung. He is yet to open his account for 2023-24, but Parkin believes that is a matter of time. He added: “When Paul first came back he was off the pace but he had a really good week training. For him to play the way he played, alright he has not scored but he got in tremendously good areas. We got some really good balls down the side to him and he was a real threat all day. The Grimsby centre-backs know they have been in a real game so we are delighted with his display. He is a confident lad in front of goal, he missed a couple but that won’t affect him, it never has done before. We are glad we have got him back and we are glad with the performance and the contribution from the whole squad which was really important.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Wrexham will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Stockport, with Phil Parkinson’s side up to fourth in the League Two table after taking 15 points from their eight games so far.

Manchester City defender Rico Lewis posted a brilliant photo of himself as a toddler wearing an England kit after making his Three Lions debut.

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Lewis makes England debutSays it's an honour to play for Three LionsImpresses in North Macedonia drawWHAT HAPPENED?

Gareth Southgate handed Lewis his senior England debut on Monday against North Macedonia and saw the 19-year-old go on to pick up the player of the match award. Lewis has now reflected on his maiden bow on social media with an epic photograph showing him in full Three Lions kit as a very young child.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far. It is an honor of a lifetime to represent England," he posted alongside the picture on Instagram.

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Lewis certainly impressed his manager against North Macedonia. Southgate said after the 1-1 draw that he felt the Manchester City youngster was "excellent" and the decision to award a penalty against him was "very, very harsh." Lewis will be hoping he can now make a late push for England's Euro 2024 squad and his versatility will make him an attractive option. The youngster can play in both full-back positions as well as in midfield.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rico Lewis has become the second-youngest Manchester City player to feature for England (18 years, 364 days), behind only Micah Richards in 2006 (18 years, 144 days).

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RICO LEWIS?

Lewis will now return to City and will be aiming for more Premier League starts in a bid to boost his international hopes. The teenager has made five appearances in the top flight so far this season but only two of those outings have been as a starter. The Cityzens return to action on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash with Liverpool.

Folarin Balogun has explained his celebration after scoring a first goal for Monaco, while Adi Hutter has talked up the striker’s “other skills”.

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• Made immediate impact off the bench vs Lorient
• Found the target inside three minutes
• Shared the moment with travelling supporters

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international stepped off the bench to make an immediate impact during a Ligue 1 meeting with Lorient on Sunday. He had been on the pitch less than three minutes when firing a left-footed effort from a tight angle into the back of the net.

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  Balogun, who hit 21 goals while on loan at Reims from Arsenal last season, is now up and running for Monaco and told the of why he chose to celebrate with the away support. He said: “When I scored, I knew the fans were near. So I wanted us all to be together to celebrate this goal. It’s the first time I scored in front of our fans so I wanted to show all my gratitude.”

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Balogun has been acquired by Monaco to deliver end product, but head coach Hutter claims the 22-year-old beings much more than that to the fold. He said of seeing the American open his goal account: “I’m very happy for him and for his first goal with the club, I think it’s deserved. He had already scored with the USMNT during the international break. He is a player who brings other skills to the attacking third. But we also have players like Wissam Ben Yedder, Myron Boadu, Takumi Minamino and Aleksandr Golovin who can also bring us things offensively.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Balogun joined Monaco in a transfer deal worth an initial €30 million (£26m/$32m), with the decision taken to sever ties with Premier League giants Arsenal as he looks to find the regular game time that will aid his ongoing development with club and country.

Lionel Messi is giving little away when it comes to an international retirement date, with the Argentine icon told he “knows how far he can go”.

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• All-time great has earned 178 caps
• Has passed a century of international goals
• Unclear when he will hang up his boots

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who is expected to land an eighth Golden Ball in 2023, has previously stated that he has no plans to represent his country at the 2026 World Cup. If he were to miss that event in the United States, Canada and Mexico, then he would not form part of Argentina’s global title defence.

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  Others have suggested that Messi will be talked into prolonging his career for at least another three years, with Albiceleste boss Lionel Scaloni leaving the door open for the all-time great to make himself available for selection.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Another World Cup winner – 1978 coach Cesar Luis Menotti – has now offered his advice to Messi, with the legendary Argentine tactician telling when asked how much longer his illustrious countryman can play on for: “Messi knows how far he can go and what he feels about playing. He is at a beautiful age to decide what to do and what not to do. He has been accompanied by success and by great team-mates on great teams.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Messi has taken in 178 appearances for Argentina, scoring 106 goals, and is expected to form part of their squad at the 2024 Copa America – another tournament that they will enter as defending champions. He has an option in his contract at MLS side Inter Miami for 2026 should he wish to remain in the United States for a World Cup that will be co-hosted by America.

Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to charge at a Brazilian police officer and try to take away his baton during ugly scenes at the Maracana.

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Martinez charged at police officerViolence broke out between police & fansArgentina beat Brazil 1-0WHAT HAPPENED?

As reported by the , the Aston Villa goalkeeper leaped up and tried to take away the baton from a Brazilian police officer's hand amid crowd violence at the Maracana stadium right before Brazil and Argentina's 2026 World Cup qualifying game.

Violence broke out between the fans just before kick-off, leading to the reigning World Cup champions walking off the field. The two sides eventually returned to get the game underway 30 minutes later.

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Apparently, the violence started when the home crowd started booing the visiting team's national anthem. The local police intervened, but the violence only increased. Martinez took it upon himself to try and stop the chaos in the stands, with several of his Argentina team-mates attempting to haul him back, and the squad eventually made their way down the tunnel.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The match eventually went in the visitors' favour as Nicolas Otamendi's strike helped the world champions edge out their rivals. This was Selecao's third defeat in six games and it left them languishing down in sixth in the CONMEBOL qualifying table with just seven points. From the same number of games, La Albiceleste have 15 points and sit at the summit. The next set of qualifying games will not take place until September next year, after the Copa America.

Erling Haaland has enjoyed a social media meme a day after his furious referee rant during Manchester City's clash with Tottenham.

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Haaland reacts to hilarious memeWas left fuming against TottenhamMissed several chances as Man City were held WHAT HAPPENED?

The Norwegian was left fuming during Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as he felt that Jack Grealish had been denied the chance to score a fourth goal for the club and seal victory in a dramatic game.

A thrilling encounter went down to the wire, with Grealish played through on goal in stoppage time, only for referee Simon Hooper to stop the game for a foul on Haaland. Hooper had appeared to wave play on initially, leaving the goal machine to angrily approach the referee on the pitch. At full-time Haaland also told Spurs' Giovanni Lo Celso to “f*ck off” as he stormed down the tunnel.

AdvertisementWHAT ERLING HAALAND SAID

The 23-year-old seemed to have cooled down after his outburst on the pitch as he shared a meme of himself on X with the caption, "Wtf that made me smile for the first time today."

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While the Cityzens might feel that they were robbed of a chance to score a late winner, they did not have the best of outings against Ange Postecoglou's side. The champions came back from behind to go 2-1 up in the first half but then conceded their lead twice in the second and were extremely wasteful in front of goal.

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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

Pep Guardiola's side, who are now three points behind league leaders Arsenal, will aim to get back to winning ways on Wednesday when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The Argentine returns to north London for the first time on Monday, but the man in the opposing dugout is ensuring Spurs are finally moving on

Mauricio Pochettino finally makes his long-awaited return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, but in circumstances that few could have predicted; rather than a heralded return to the home dugout after four years away, he will be taking his seat as the away manager, in charge of Spurs' fierce London rivals Chelsea.

That would have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Tottenham support if not for his Australian counterpart, Ange Postecoglou, who has turned the north Londoners' fortunes around and guided them to the upper echelons of the Premier League table. In doing so, has helped the club to finally move on from Pochettino, ending years of clamour for his return. His early success is made all the sweeter by Chelsea's coinciding struggles.

In their brief time in charge of their respective London foes, Postecoglou and Pochettino have enjoyed/endured contrasting fortunes, but Monday night will be a significant waypoint on both of their journeys. So, how do the two tacticians compare so far, and what lies ahead?

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  Forging a togetherness

  Both managers entered clubs that were close to breaking point in the summer, inheriting unhappy, disjointed squads that had underperformed significantly under the previous incumbents. Something that evidently topped their lists of priorities and underpinned their work throughout the summer and into the opening weeks of this season, then, was restoring some unity and fostering a togetherness. Both seem to have succeeded in good time.

  Speaking recently, Pochettino said: "When you have an unsettled squad, always it's difficult and you lose time and then you need time to recover the time you lose. That's where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need [something] extra, which is mental — a connection. It's energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad. We need time to build that togetherness that you need when you are competing at this level."

  Talking about the unity at Tottenham, newly-named club captain Son Heung-min said: "This is [being a] part of family. We are getting really, really tight in the changing room. Everyone is working for each other, running for each other, fighting for each other."

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  Two elite man-managers

  As renowned man-managers, it's little surprise that both have already managed to lift the gloom in their respective dressing rooms, but it seems to be a story of two very different approaches that have both yielded success.

  Pochettino clearly likes to be hands-on and familiar with his Chelsea players, and his handling of Mykhailo Mudryk – who was bereft of confidence when the manager arrived but has had his self-esteem restored over the weeks and months since – is a shining example of that. The Argentine has taken the Ukrainian under his wing, worked with him on a one-on-one basis, even playing crossbar challenge with the winger, and provided support as both a manager and a friend.

  Postecoglou, meanwhile, has been watchful from a distance, giving the Tottenham players more responsibility off the field as a collective in an attempt to empower them as individuals. The Australian said recently: "A lot of it has to be player-driven. I can sit there and paint the prettiest of pictures but they need to believe in it, they have to buy into it. As I keep saying, it’s their dressing room. They go there every day. I don’t go into the dressing room. And the environment is going to be key to us being successful."

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  Contrasting fortunes

  That is largely where the similarities between the two coaches' journeys to this point end. After a slow start and having ridden their luck at times, Postecoglou has his side battling right at the top of the Premier League as we enter November and – more importantly in the eyes of many a Spurs fan – they are back to playing the front-footed, attacking brand of football last seen under (you guessed it) Pochettino.

  Things have not been so smooth for Pochettino and Chelsea. On his return to English football, the Tottenham favourite oversaw the Blues' worst start to a season in 45 yearsin the midst of an injury crisis. There were always the shoots of recovery, though, as Chelsea vastly underperformed their xG, and they enjoyed a timely resurgence in October as they hallmarks of Pochettino's MO began to shine through.

  However, a dire home defeat to Brentford seems to have knocked them back to square one.

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  Targeted changes vs complete overhaul

  One of the main obstacles to immediate success for Pochettino – as was always likely to be the case – has been integrating a raft of new signings after overseeing a fire sale of unhappy and unwanted players.

  His north London counterpart benefitted from very few of the club's regular first-team starters moving on, and Postecoglou signed off on just a few targeted signings to improve the side in certain areas of the pitch, such as James Maddison.

  Pochettino, meanwhile, has had to contend with 21 outgoings, including the likes of Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante, whom he surely would have wanted to work with, as well as 11 newcomers – the vast majority of whom were young and unproven in the Premier League. Getting them to gel was never going to be instantaneous, and the head coach has already lamented the amount of business done in the summer. "At the moment, I think we are a young team, a young team means too many changes in the summer because of the circumstances and we are suffering – sometimes good and bad results, but performances are consistent," he said.

  When you also factor in the malaise that enveloped Stamford Bridge throughout a nightmarish 2022-23 campaign on and off the field, it is little surprise that it has taken four months to see even the earliest signs of improvement at Chelsea.

  That is not to detract from Postecoglou's work, however; three of Tottenham's main summer signings in Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario, as well as returning loanee Destiny Udogie, have all been performing at an exceptional level from the off, which is a complete anomaly in the unpredictable world of transfer dealings.

Former Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo has detailed to pressures of playing in Catalonia, taking aim at former boss Ronald Koeman.

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Signed in 2019, never cracked first teamReceived threats after disappointing debutCriticised Koeman for management styleWHAT HAPPENED?

Firpo arrived in Catalunya as an apparent back-up to Jordi Alba. However, he never found his footing for Barca, struggling for minutes, and experiencing difficulties on and off the pitch during a turbulent two-year spell. Firpo detailed the difficulties of playing for one of Europe's biggest clubs in an interview with .

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FIRPO SAID ABOUT HIS FIRST START

The full-back admitted his Barca career got off to a poor start, when he was removed from the game at half-time of his full debut: "Starting like this, with a mistake in my first game as a starter… and on top of that the coach took me off at half-time. That makes you start off on a very bad foot and with criticism. As much as I didn't try to read them, nowadays everything reaches you, especially with social networks. After that game I had thousands of comments and insults, thousands of private messages and threats."

WHAT HE SAID ABOUT WHY HE DIDN'T LEAVE THE CLUB

After his first season, Firpo had a good option to go to Inter, but spurned it due to his newborn son's health problems: "My second child was born with lung problems and I made the decision to stay in Barcelona. The medical services were very good and I did not want to make a move between countries after such a complicated time entering and leaving the hospital.

"I slept in the hospital, I went to train and returned to the hospital. My son Jasson was in the ICU and only one of my wife and I could go visit him for about 5 or 10 minutes two or three times a day."

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GettyWHAT HE SAID ABOUT RONALD KOEMAN

After agreeing to stay at the club, Firpo clashed with new boss Koeman, who forced him out of the side: "Koeman gave me an answer in which he was not being honest: he told me that I was contaminating the group, so I stopped trying."

Bruno Fernandes says he would "love" to play alongside Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves at Manchester United.

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• United linked with 19-year-old
• Already a full Portugal international
• Fernandes rates teenager highly

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United have been linked with a potential swoop to sign Neves from Benfica as they look to reinforce their midfield, and Fernandes has talked up his compatriot's abilities. Already a full Portugal international, the teenager has made 38 appearances for the Primeira Liga giants, playing in both central and defensive midfield.

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  Neves has come through Benfica's youth system and has a contract that runs until 2028, meaning the club will be in no rush to sell. They are also in a strong negotiating position and are unlikely to let a top young talent leave on the cheap.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Fernandes was asked about the possibility of United signing Neves, and he replied: "It has to be the Man United coach who says whether he has a place or not. He’s a great player, I don’t know if he would have a place or not. It depends on the coach and his ideas.

  "But he’s an excellent player and an excellent kid, very professional, he will have a bright future wherever he goes. I would love to have him by my side. Because he has quality and will have a bright future. It depends on him. What I want most is the best for him."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  United could potentially look to table a bid for Neves in January, but a summer deal appears more likely. Erik ten Hag has struggled to find a balance in midfield this season, with new signings Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount both struggling to make their mark at Old Trafford.

Diego Gomez and Robert Taylor stole the show for Inter Miami as Lionel Messi and co. began their 2024 MLS campaign with a victory.

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• Inter Miami defeats Real Salt Lake 2-0
• Messi & Suarez scoreless
• Diego Gomez and Robert Taylor on scoresheet

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  TELL ME MORE

  Robert Taylor opened the scoring for Inter Miami in the 39th minute after they had dominated much of the first half. Minutes before the Finnish international's goal, Messi nearly scored a worldie of a free-kick, with it just being cleared off the line.

  Going into halftime up a goal, the Herons played confidently the rest of the match. However, RSL came out with fire in their eyes after the break and arguably could have scored three or four times. Their lack of clinical finishing is what cost them on Wednesday evening.

  In the 83rd minute, a moment of magic saw Messi and old friend Luis Suarez combine to set up youngster Diego Gomez for the dagger, making it 2-0 on the night.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  This was the first time since August 2020 that former Barcelona teammates Messi, Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets shared a locker room together for a competitive match.

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  THE MVP

  Robert Taylor: The winger has been rumored to be available on a transfer this offseason, and Wednesday proved why, if Miami does not want him, another MLS side should pounce immediately. His goal came via a goalkeeper error, sure, but the moment was about being in the right place and the right time – and he did exactly that. He's earned himself another start on Sunday against the Galaxy.

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• THE BIG LOSER

  Pablo Mastroeni: The RSL boss has long been the subject of criticism, from both fans and pundits and even the casual viewers. His side always seem to sneak into the playoffs and produce an impressive result or two, but the way his club played Wednesday is why that criticism exists. They were dry and stagnant, their entire team was sluggish and their performance was not up standard. However, there were moments that were so incredibly bright – but those moments came from individuals, not tactics or formations. This result is, unfortunately, on Pablo.