Xisco Munoz apologised to Sheffield Wednesday’s supporters and said he would give it “until my last second” after a 1-0 defeat at West Brom left the Sky Bet Championship’s bottom team with the worst start in their history.
John Swift’s 13th-minute goal left the Owls with an eighth loss from the first 10 games of the Sky Bet Championship season, and they are already seven points adrift of the safety line.
Manager Munoz, 43, who led Watford to the Premier League in 2020-21, has taken just two points all season and none have come outside Yorkshire. Wednesday are also without a goal in 312 minutes of football.
“I understand the fans and I can only say sorry because it’s tough for everybody,” said the Spaniard.
“But as a manager, I can say we will continue until my last second.
“This is my life and I try to give my best to my players until my last minute.”
Munoz suggested he is running out of options after trying different permutations.
“We tried to change the formation and the players – I have used 24 or 25 players this season,” he added.
“We can play 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2 but right now, we’re not finding the solutions.”
Munoz insisted he will keep persevering trying to find a winning formula.
“We need to continue trying to find what is better for us, we need to find which players we can use for the next game, what can hurt the opponent and how we can make better of these situations,” added the Spaniard.
“We played against a difficult style and a good team but the difference was nothing.”
West Brom made it five games unbeaten, during which they have kept four clean sheets and climbed to fifth.
Swift lashed home the only goal from six yards after Darnell Furlong played the ball down the right, Akin Famewo missed the chance to cut it out and Jed Wallace crossed low.
But just after the goal, Wednesday’s Juan Delgado missed Ashley Fletcher’s cross from point-blank range, then Tyreeq Bakinson’s curling shot was clawed away by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan saluted match-winner Swift, who scored his fifth goal of the season.
“When a player of his quality is mentally ready to compete he can be the difference,” he said.
Corberan admitted Albion found it hard going to find more goals.
“You change the feeling and change the game when you score from the opportunities you have,” he said.
“It was difficult to combat them from the set-pieces because they had a very physical team and when we won the second balls in the set-pieces, we couldn’t score the second goal to change the game.
“After one second ball and one set-piece, it led to two big opportunities that led Alex (Palmer) to achieve the clean sheet and the three points.”
PFJL and Malta team up on Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme
The Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) has collaborated with Malta to introduce the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme, a junior-level training initiative offering opportunities for young talents to further ignite passion for the sport and channel true Jamaican energy.
Targeting youths under seventeen years of age, this programme aims to provide a pathway for young players to progress into local, international or regional clubs and academies. The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 8, during the official media launch at the JFF Captain Horace Burrell Center of Excellence at The University of the West Indies.
In his remarks, CEO of the PFJL, Owen Hill, expressed, “We are excited about the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme prospects and look forward to developing our local talent and, by extension, allowing the players to be globally adaptable. To our partner Malta, we salute you for stepping up to the plate, believing in us and most importantly, believing in our youth. The team at Professional Football Jamaica Limited promises you that we will make this programme worth your while. On behalf of the PFJL board of directors and management, I thank you for being here and for your continued support as we continue to raise the bar.”
Through this programme, clubs will have the opportunity to participate using their best junior players between the ages of 15 to 17 and will involve four Premier League Clubs: Arnett Gardens, Waterhouse, Portmore United, and Harbour View.
PFJL, in collaboration with these clubs, will administer three football festivals where teams will compete in an equitable format to determine the champions on the day. The games will follow traditional football competition rules and will be hosted over three consecutive months, starting on May 25 and ending on July 27, where the teams will compete against each other.
The Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme aims to take a multifaceted approach by not only developing the technical skills and abilities of Jamaica’s youth footballers but also strengthen the local capacity for elite youth coaches through mandatory coaching education and football education. Coaches are required to be enrolled in a B Licensed Programme or higher to ensure that players are trained effectively. Moreover, individual clubs and player development plans will be implemented with structured coaching education.
"We are happy to partner with Professional Football Jamaica Limited for the launch of the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme, which is a part of our pilot programme, Malta Sparks. Through this campaign, we aim to bring local caregivers together, energise them, celebrate with them, strengthen their bonds within the community, and foster a profound sense of belonging. In collaboration with PFJL, we have a lineup of impactful workshops led by experts to equip players and their parents/guardians with the essential tools to improve their personal and social development skills. We look forward to the success stories and opportunities that will unfold for the talented young footballers participating in the Elite Under-17 Development Football Programme,” expressed Malta Brand Manager, Jodi-Ann Campbell.
Fulham 0-4 Manchester City: Gvardiol double helps to send champions top
Manchester City moved ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table with a dominant 4-0 win over Fulham, with Josko Gvardiol scoring twice at Craven Cottage.
Pep Guardiola's champions knew a victory in Saturday's early kick-off would pile the pressure on Arsenal ahead of their trip to Manchester United on Sunday, and they made no mistake.
Gvardiol scored in both halves to make it five goals in his last seven games across all competitions, while Player of the Season candidate Phil Foden netted his 25th of the campaign as City ate into Arsenal's superior goal difference.
Julian Alvarez then added a late fourth from the penalty spot after Issa Diop received his second yellow card, and City know two further victories over Tottenham and West Ham next week will secure the title.
Fulham, meanwhile, stay 13th with 44 points, their winless run stretching to four matches.
The hosts’ energetic start quickly fell flat when City struck from their first real attack 13 minutes in, Gvardiol driving inside from the left to exchange passes with Kevin De Bruyne before skipping past Issa Diop and stroking his finish into the bottom-left corner.
Marco Silva cut an animated figure as City smothered their hosts from then on, with Foden testing Bernd Leno from range.
The champions should have had a second on the stroke of half-time as De Bruyne's wonderful cross found Manuel Akanji totally unmarked at the far post. However, rather using his head, the centre-back sent an awkward volley spinning over the crossbar.
Fulham very briefly improved after introducing Adama Traore at the break, but they were hit with a sucker punch just before the hour as Joao Palhinha's tackle on Bernardo Silva sent the ball straight to Foden, who drilled home on his weaker right foot.
Erling Haaland completely miscued his shot when played through by De Bruyne shortly afterwards, but City had their third with 19 minutes to play.
Silva curled a cross to the far post, where Gvardiol stretched to prod his shot under Leno, who then made a strong save to keep out Jeremy Doku's long-range strike.
However, Fulham did concede a fourth deep into stoppage time, with Diop's reckless lunge on Alvarez earning him his second caution and allowing the Argentine to tuck home from 12 yards.
De Bruyne climbs assist charts
Much of Gvardiol's opener was his own work, the defender showing great composure to beat Leno after motoring infield from the touchline, but he was helped on his way by a fine one-touch pass from De Bruyne – the 19th of a flowing move.
That was the Belgian's 111th assist in the Premier League, taking him level with Cesc Fabregas in second place in the all-time rankings. Only United great Ryan Giggs, with 162, has more in the competition's history.
De Bruyne has also contributed to at least one goal in each of his last five away games in the competition, netting three and teeing up five in that time.
If he can maintain his fine form over the next eight days, City's chances of winning an unprecedented fourth straight title will be greatly enhanced.
Toothless Fulham seeing season fizzle out
Fulham boss Silva was not a happy man at half-time, hooking both Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid after seeing his side fail to record a shot of any description in the opening period.
Though the introduction of Traore added more impetus to their flat frontline, they never truly looked like threatening City as they tallied a measly 0.12 expected goals (xG) throughout the contest.
While Silva denied suggestions his team were "on the beach" on Friday, they have certainly tailed off in recent weeks, their hopes of a top-half finish evaporating due to a run of one win in eight games (three draws, four defeats).
Celtic 2-1 Rangers: Hoops claim bragging rights in Old Firm
Celtic move six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 2-1 win over 10-man Rangers at Celtic Park.
John Lundstram scored an own goal in the first half to double Celtic's lead shortly after Matt O'Riley opened the scoring before the Englishman was sent off on the stroke of half-time for a late lunge on Alistair Johnston.
Celtic could not add to their advantage in the second half as O'Riley saw a penalty saved by Jack Butland before Daizen Maeda had two goals disallowed by the offside flag.
With two games left of the season, Celtic's title charge remains in their own hands, with Rangers having to hope they slip up to give them a chance of finishing top.
Data Debrief:
Celtic have avoided defeat in all four Old Firm derbies in the Scottish Premiership this season (W3 D1), doing so for the first time since 2017-18.
Rangers have had five players sent off in the Scottish Premiership this campaign, more than any other team in the competition. Lundstram is responsible for two of those.
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