Manchester United

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Our lunchtime news conference bonanza is set to get under way with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag the first to take questions from journalists this afternoon.

The Red Devils face Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday.

We'll get the Dutchman's assessment of the Championship side, any team news and what he thinks of the Football Association's decision to scrap FA Cup replays and more besides.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

There is general debate about whether Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will remain at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season.

Some feel Ten Hag should keep his job because the issues at United go far deeper than the manager, others argue he is part of the problem and the Dutchman has not delivered either enough positive results or a coherent style of play.

Both of these views have merit.

What is beyond debate is that failure to reach a second successive FA Cup final by losing to a Coventry side who are probably not even going to reach the Championship play-offs would be a massive blow, both to United and Ten Hag.

FA Cup

The FA said they were "focused on how to make all of our competitions stronger" despite "having fewer dates available" and "wanting to maintain player welfare".

"The changes to the Emirates FA Cup achieve this by returning it to a weekend competition on every round, and ensuring that we have exclusive broadcast slots in an increasingly congested calendar," the statement said.

The FA said the number of televised games in the early rounds will be increased which "will lead to additional guaranteed broadcast revenue for EFL and National League teams" and pledged to "review the prize money annually" with representatives from the EFL and Premier League.

"We understand the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours, and we will be sharing more details with clubs very shortly to explain the additional revenue opportunities in the early rounds," the statement added.

"We will keep this under review as the new calendar begins to ensure that EFL and National League clubs do not lose out."

FA Cup

Before we hear from Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag about this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals, the Football Association have today issued a lengthy statement following the reaction to their decision to scrap FA Cup replays. We will attempt to break it down to examine the key elements.

The governing body say they have "listened to the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours" and would like to "outline the approval process which was undertaken for the 2024-25 professional game football calendar".

"We have been discussing the calendar for the 2024-25 season with the Premier League and EFL for well over a year," the statement said.

"Removing Emirates FA Cup replays was discussed in the early meetings and all parties accepted that they could not continue."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Former Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink on Unai Emery: "What's been so impressive is that he's got an authority about him, and he's done it quietly. Villa have snuck up on the blind side a little bit and surprised people with how they've progressed.

"He's just doing a quiet job and he's a very good manager, which is a concern as well because if they don't consistently get into the Champions League, one of the bigger boys from Europe might try to poach him.

"That's why they need Champions League football again. With that standard of football, you keep your best players like [Emiliano] Martinez and attract Champions League level footballers to the club."

An impressive season for Aston Villa will now continue with a Europa Conference League semi-final with Olympiakos, while Unai Emery's team will aim to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Villa finished 14th in 2021–22 before manager Steven Gerrard was replaced by Emery in October 2022. The Spaniard led them to a seventh-placed finish, enough to ensure that this season they would play in Europe for the first time since 2010–11.

Now they have reached a European semi-final for the first time since 1982 - when they went on to win the European Cup - so how much of Villa's transformation is down to their boss Emery?

Earlier this month the Football News Show took a look at what's happened at Villa Park. Click here to watch.

Image source, EPA

BBC Radio 5 Live

Former goalkeeper Nigel Spink, one of Aston Villa's European Cup winners from 1982: "Would you take an automatic Champions League place over winning this cup? I think they're pretty much guaranteed of being in the Champions League next year so let's go for the final. Let's win something and put us lot from '82 to bed, with a new victory and something else to celebrate.

"I learnt in football that there's more disappointments than there are celebrations so when they come along you've got to take them."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Former Aston Villa goalkeeper Nigel Spink on current keeper Emiliano Martinez's heroics in the penalty shootout: "He's unbelievable, his antics. He's just like Bruce Grobbelaar, he is that kind of character.

"You take away all those antics and he is a fantastic goalkeeper, arguably the world's number one at the moment. But he's got that added extrovert character that comes out in these situations.

"I always used to think the goalkeeper had the edge because there was no pressure on a goalkeeper. You should score from 12 yards. But he makes it that much more difficult for ta penalty taker with his antics."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Aston Villa fan Ricky Cheema of the Punjabi Villains supporters club: "I'm absolutely delighted. The game last night was a tough game to watch. In the first leg we were cruising then we conceded a goal and we thought 'oh no, it's going to be a tough night at Lille'. It was - after winning at Arsenal you could see the players where leggy, it was hard, but we just about managed to get over the line.

"Emiliano Martinez is like a modern-day [Bruce] Grobbelaar. He knows how to play pantomime with the fans and players, and always comes out on top. With him in goal, as long as we could put the ball in the net, we're always going to be in favoured [in a shootout]."

Image source, EPA

BBC Radio 5 Live

Former goalkeeper Nigel Spink, who was part of Aston Villa's European Cup-winning team of 1982: "In a knockout cup competition, it is the result that counts but it was a leggy performance. As a team, it looked like they were not quite at 100%, so I'm just grateful they could drag themselves through. As dramatic as it is with penalties, the result is the end game.

"Villa supporters were probably nervous when Lille went 2-0 up but the one thing that's happened this season is that they've always been able to nick a goal from somewhere. You knew they can force a goal. Lille went more defensive, which allowed Villa into the game more, and they threw everything at the game in the last 15 minutes."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

With only Aston Villa reaching the semi-finals of European competition, it has been a below-par season for English clubs.

There will be no emotional reunion with former club Liverpool for Xabi Alonso in the Europa League final in Dublin next month. Alonso recognises the competition is fierce, but he expects English clubs to be a force again next term.

“It’s not normal that only one English club goes to the semi-final,” he said. “It can happen but I don’t think next year will be the same because the English league has great players.

“I am happy the Bundesligha is competitive and Italy deserve to be where they are.”

It has been confirmed Serie A will be granted a fifth Champions League place, with Germany also set to benefit in next season’s expanded 36-team competition.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Ricky Cheema of the Punjabi Villains supporters club on whether he'd rather see Aston Villa, who are currently fourth in the Premier League, clinch Champions League qualification or win the Europa Conference League: "I believe fifth position is out of sight now, for an automatic spot in the Champions League.

"Personally, it's winning a cup. If we can do that, fantastic. That's an achievement in itself. If we can do both it would be the greatest season we've had since the start of the Premier League."

Mo, a proud Kloppite: Quite a harsh message from Dave @10.56.There is an argument to be had that being pipped to title by a point and then goal difference 2 seasons in a row, by a team that has been massively accused of cheating, is not quite Klopp's fault. We would've hoped for more, but after a long-term absence of success, we Liverpool fans are quite satisfied. Onto the next step.

Jeremy, Bristol: In response to Dave 10:56, I believe the opposite, Klopp may have even overachieved. Look at the signings Liverpool have made over the years: Robertson from a relegated Hull, Salah who was previously a Chelsea reject and Wijnaldum from a relegated Newcastle. He transformed these players into world-class individuals and won the UCL and Premier League with them. All that was done during Man City's dominant era under Guardiola. And with a lower net spend than West Ham and Aston Villa.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

England do still have an outside chance of securing a fifth Champions League spot next season but it would now take an unlikely sequence of results for it to become reality.

Despite being knocked out of the Europa League last night, Liverpool and West Ham gained three points thanks to their win in Atalanta and draw against Bayer Leverkusen, respectively.

Aston Villa also gained a point by reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals despite needing penalties to beat Lille after losing the tie 2-1 after extra-time.

Those four points are divided by eight – the number of English teams who played in Europe this season – taking their overall tally to 17.375.

Leverkusen got two points – one for the draw and one for reaching the semi-finals – to move Germany’s tally to 17.928.

It means if Aston Villa won both legs of their semi-final and then the final and the three German teams who have reached the semi-final of European competition this season lost both legs and were eliminated, England would get the fifth spot.

Simon Gleave
Head of sports analysis, Nielsen Gracenote

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham were drawn against the second best team in the Europa League (last week, Bayer Leverkusen were ninth on our ranking while the Hammers were 28th) and were heavy underdogs with only a 29% chance of going through.

Liverpool's exit is obviously a big shock and the chance that all four would go out was very small but three of them had some of the toughest draws possible. Villa had a tough draw too as Lille were the second best team remaining in the competition.

Even though English clubs were favourites to win each competition, we calculated that there was a 67% chance that they would win either 0 or 1 which is now the reality.

Oden: Agree with Dan (09:37), this season is more than OK compared to what most balanced fans expected. It was supposed to be a year where Jurgen Klopp would build something for a real push on the Premier League title (and cups) next season. I feel him leaving a year early is more worrying than our current results.