Pep Guardiola refused to be drawn into a row with England boss Gareth Southgate over the injuries that have ruled John Stones and Kyle Walker out of Manchester City’s crucial Premier League title clash with Arsenal.
Whether Arsenal’s season is looked back upon positively or negatively now rests on one pivotal game: Sunday’s Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup final against Chelsea.
The Spaniard is staying at Bayer Leverkusen after rejecting the chance to manage Liverpool or Bayern Munich – but there is sense to playing the long game, and it could be Real Madrid who benefit most