Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had clearly done his homework on Plymouth, going into depth about why the Championship club would be a "tricky" opponent:

"They defend really aggressive up front. They allow you to go outside then after it is like a trigger, they make an incredible movement - the wing-backs jumping and the defenders to win the ball in the transitions that they do.

"And with the attacking midfielders they have inside, they link really well with the strikers.

"In the Championship, League One, League Two the set-pieces are the main thing that I think the Premier League learn from this type of league.

"They are solid and, of course, since the manager took over the results are there. They only lost a few games in their last 10 or 11 so yes, I expect a difficult game.

"We play at home - that is a little advantage compared with away. But these types of games we know they are tricky because these types of teams, what they do, they do really well.

"When they can apply it and do better [at it] than we want to do then you are in trouble."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Ruben Amorim's news conferences have quickly become appointment to view.

The Manchester United head coach confronts any situations head on and it doesn't seem to matter what controversy he causes.

Amorim said after Wednesday's 3-2 win over Ipswich that he would answer questions today about Alejandro Garnacho heading straight to the tunnel after he was substituted following Patrick Dorgu's first-half red card.

Since then, Roy Keane has launched a vicious verbal assault on current captain Bruno Fernandes.

Amorim is due to speak to the media shortly ahead of Sunday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Fulham.

Image source, BBC Sport

The Friday news conference conveyor belt never stops.

Coming up next we have Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and Manchester United's Ruben Amorim.

Updates as soon as we have them!

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on repeating the club's recent success and whether older players will be part of their future: "Never impossible but it is difficult because when you have done what we have done it was deemed impossible before we did what we have done. There are players here that their age is over 30 but they are part of the future of this club. Except Kevin [de Bruyne], and Kevin and the club will decide on his future everyone who has a contract for next season I expect him to be here. They are going to help us. Next season will be a lot of games. We cannot do it just with our new ones. They will be able to help and be part of our season."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola made it clear he was not going to talk about Javier Tabas and the European Commission, but a journalist did get an answer to the wider question of why Manchester City are a target for other people.

He said: "I don't know. It happened in the past with Uefa and in a few weeks it'll happen in the Premier League, the sentence [to the 115 charges], right? We wait, and after we talk."

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said that new signing Vitor Reis was in contention to start and gave his impression of the Brazilian defender: "He is young, he came from Brazil. He has incredible focus. Defenders there he have great physicality and conditioning, but also are so clever and intelligent, and this is one of the ones. He does not come for a short period, he comes for a long, long time. We are really pleased for the way he is training and behaving and the potential that he has."

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on whether Norway forward Oscar Bobb is ready to return from injury: "He is getting better training yesterday and today as well but have been [out] longer than we expect but hopefully he can finish his part and can help us in the last part of the season. We want to help him desperately. It is a tough period for him but always there is light at the end of the tunnel. Always has been like that in life - sport especially."

Manchester City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola started by being asked whether Plymouth were an unknown: "It is not unknown. If you are able to beat the best team in the country this season Liverpool. They went unbeaten also at Brentford then it is not unknown."

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Manchester City

Pep Guardiola is having absolutely nothing to do with the news that La Liga president Javier Tebas has reported Manchester City to the European Commission for alleged breaches of rules relating to state-owned companies.

First question on the subject: "Next".

Follow up question on the subject: "Next"

Same question, just slightly re-worded: "Next"

That's that, then.

Either Bruno Fernandes or Harry Maguire have been captain for the majority of Manchester United's games since February 2020.

Maguire boasts the better win ratio, leading United to 72 victories in his 124 games as captain.

Fernandes has managed two more wins - 74 - in his 146 matches as skipper.

Image source, Opta

Gary Neville's criticism of Bruno Fernandes' body language - "throwing his arms around, whinging at everyone" - has been echoed by other pundits during the Portugal midfielder's time as Manchester United captain.

Former United skipper Roy Keane has been one of Fernandes' most vocal critics, meaning his latest outburst comes as little surprise.

But do United's stats under Fernandes tally with Keane's assertion the Portugal midfielder does not have the leadership qualities necessary to lead the team?

Pep Guardiola is primed to speak to the media to preview Manchester City's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Plymouth.

Click play at the top of this page to watch. We will also drop the best bits into this text feed.

Image source, Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes appeared to gesture to the bench when Marcus Rashford was substituted in the 85th minute of Manchester United's 7-0 defeat at Liverpool in March 2023.

The inference was that Fernandes had questioned why he was not taken off instead - suggesting the Portugal midfielder wanted to be spared any further embarrassment.

"He is holding his hands up asking: 'Why am I not coming off?'" Neville said during the game, before later adding: "I have had enough of Fernandes throwing his arms around, whinging at everyone, holding his face when touched.

"That wasn't a captain's performance from a Manchester United player and I am sure Erik ten Hag will deal with that."

Image source, Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes was officially named as Manchester United club captain in July 2023, replacing Harry Maguire days after then manager Erik ten Hag officially stripped the England defender of the captaincy.

Fernandes had captained United over the previous season, with varying degrees of success.

He stepped into the role after Maguire was dropped from the starting XI following a period of poor form and rumours that he was being put up for transfer.

Ten Hag's decision to promote Fernandes was met with criticism, especially after a 7-0 defeat at Liverpool in March 2023, when the Portugal midfielder was singled out as a "disgrace" by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

"It was a shambles, epitomised by captain Bruno Fernandes, who has been embarrassing at times," said the former United defender, who was unimpressed by his body language.

Image source, Getty Images

In a to-and-fro on The Overlap with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who attempted to defend Bruno Fernandes' track record as captain of Manchester United, Roy Keane compared the Portuguese midfielder's leadership style to that of former Gunners skipper Tony Adams.

"Talent it not enough," argued Keane. "You keep going back to talent. Bruno's a talented player but talent is not enough...Tony Adams was a fighter. You've got young players who have to look at somebody and go 'I like what he does'. They all can't put the ball into the top of the net from 25 yards, I get that. But you want somebody who is going 'lads are you with me?'."

Keane added: "He's [Fernandes] got more talent than I could ever dream of, but talent is not enough to be a player at a big club. Tony Adams is the captain we expect. Was Tony Adams the most talented player in the Arsenal dressing room? Leadership to me is about action...it's about taking responsibility."

Image source, Getty Images

As mentioned earlier in the round-up of today's newspapers, many of the tabloids have seized upon comments made by former Manchester United captain Roy Keane about the club's current skipper Bruno Fernandes in the latest episode of The Overlap.

Keane, when explaining what he wanted to see from a captain of the club, said that Fernandes' undoubted talent was not enough, calling the Portuguese midfielder a "bluffer" for his lackadaisical efforts at closing people down, and referred to the entire United team as imposters.

Celtic and Rangers have released statements regarding the away fans agreement.

Celtic: "We can confirm that following the previous SPFL determination from last year and with necessary requirements being addressed, away supporters will be present at the next two Glasgow derby matches this season at Celtic Park (March 16) and Ibrox Allocations will be around 4% of saleable capacity at both stadia. Further ticket information will be provided in due course."

Rangers: "Rangers supporters will be able to attend our match with Celtic on March 16, with the two clubs agreeing for a reciprocal percentage of tickets to be allocated to away fans .Approximately 4%of saleable capacity at both stadia will be given to the visiting club, with everyone at Rangers looking forward to having the backing of our supporters in the East End of Glasgow in just over a fortnight’s time. The arrangement will then be repeated for the Old Firm derby at Ibrox following the split. Specific ticketing information will be communicated to eligible supporters in due course."

Chris McLaughlin
BBC Scotland Sports News Correspondent

Celtic and Rangers have come to an agreement that will see away fans being allowed to attend Old Firm matches again.

Only supporters of the home team have been allowed into the fixture since 2023, following concerns over security. Both clubs have now agreed to an allocation of just over 4%.

It means around 2,400 Rangers fans will get tickets for the next derby match at Celtic Park on 16 March.

The dispute dates back to 2018 when Rangers cut Celtic’s allocation due to pressure from fans of the Ibrox club.

It’s understood Celtic are keen for the situation to return to the allocation numbers that were in place before the dispute, but their rivals say that would cause too much disruption to season ticket holders.

Image source, Getty Images

In the 2023-24 season, David Coote says he officiated more than 90 games around the world, followed by the European Championship and then the Olympics, and struggled with the pressure and stress of his work, adding: "The physical and psychological demands on match officials is really significant.

"I don't recognise myself in the cocaine video. I can't resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position - escaping."

Coote told the Sun he is over his drug habit after having therapy and felt "a huge sense of shame" for what happened.

"I'm guilty of doing what I did, but I'm trying to be the best person that I can be now. I've taken steps to try and be the best I can be both from a physical and a mental wellbeing [perspective]," he added.

"To other people who are in my situation, I'd say seek help and talk to somebody because if you bottle it up like I have done, it has to come out in some way."

On 13 November, the Sun published photos it says were taken during last year's European Championship, alleging that they appeared to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled up US bank note.

Coote told the Sun he has been in an "incredibly dark place" since the photographs of him at the Euros were published and he was "not sure I'd here today" without the support of family and colleagues.

On 27 November, the FA opened a new investigation following an allegation that Coote had discussed giving a yellow card before a Championship match between Leeds and West Brom in 2019. He has always denied these allegations.

On 9 December, he was sacked following a thorough investigation by the PGMOL.

Discussing the events that led up to his sacking, he says his mum died suddenly in 2023 and at the same time his uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

While this investigation has now been concluded by Uefa, his conduct is still under investigation by the Football Association.

Image source, Getty Images