Pep Guardiola has admitted that Kalvin Phillips still ‘struggles’ in Manchester City‘s system but insists the midfielder ‘always wants to learn’.

Phillips, 27, has made just 23 appearances for the Treble winners since completing a £45million move from Leeds United back in 2022. 

Much had been expected of the England international, after strong performances at Leeds, however he has played a bit-part role for Guardiola’s side. 

Phillips, however, may get another chance to prove his worth on Wednesday night when Manchester City travel to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. 

With a number of injuries in the squad, Phillips will likely feature in the match and, ahead of the game, Guardiola opened up on the midfielder’s struggles.

Kalvin Phillips has struggled to live up to expectations since joining Manchester City

Pep Guardiola (R) admitted that the 27-year-old ‘struggles’ to fit into Man City’s tactical system

Reflecting on Phillips’ time with Leeds, Guardiola said: ‘Marcelo [Bielsa] gave Kalvin the best of Kalvin in his career,’ said Guardiola.

‘I’d love to have done with Kalvin what Marcelo has done to him. We have our own specific way to play and [he] sometimes struggles in a few things, while the previous [Leeds playing style] was perfect [for him]’.

During his eight years in the Leeds first-team, Phillips established himself as one of England’s strongest holding midfielders – leading City to launch a lucrative bid for him.

However, after making just 21 appearances in all competitions last season, there were rumours that Phillips could be on his way out during the summer window. 

‘The club spoke with him because he did not have many minutes,’ said Guardiola. ‘He said ‘no, I want to stay’.

‘We brought Kalvin here for his quality. He is open minded, always wants to learn and wants to help. This is what we want to try to do.’

The midfielder has started just two games in the Premier League since joining the club

City have been contending with persistent injury problems at the start of the campaign and are set to rest a number of stars at St James’ Park. 

Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias will not start the third-round game, with Phillips set to be given an opportunity to impress in Rodri’s absence.

‘The problem is the lack of rest – mentally especially,’ Guardiola added. ‘This is the problem. Two or three weeks off between seasons, it’s nothing.

‘The problem is a lack of rest, year on year. The Champions League will be longer in future and it is what it is. I complain a little bit here and then forget it’.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has offered some stern advice to both his teammates and fans as frustrations grow after multiple poor performances on offense.

Rodgers was making his weekly appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ when he said that he wasn’t a fan of the ‘little side conversations’ that took place during the 15-10 loss to the New England Patriots and said his teammates needed to ‘grow up.’

‘I think we need to hold our poise a little bit better across the board,’ Rodgers said. 

‘Just offensively, we need to not have some of those things happen on the sideline and to be a little better and to be a, just be a little better competitors.

‘Too many little side conversations, and we just need to grow up a little bit on offense and lock in and do our jobs and not point fingers at each other — and that’s everybody. Don’t point fingers at the coaching staff, don’t point fingers at each other. Just get back to work and get the job done.’ 

Aaron Rodgers said the Jets offense ‘needs to grow up’ amid rising frustration levels

Running back Michael Carter was seen yelling at his position coach on the sideline on Sunday

WR Garrett Wilson also had a animated conversation with quarterback Zach Wilson

Rodgers was in large part alluding to the animated conversations seen on the sidelines involving WR Garrett Wilson and RB Michael Carter.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback was forced to watch the game against New England from his home on Sunday as he continues the first steps in rehabbing the torn Achilles, he suffered only four plays into his Jets debut in Week 1.

New York pulled off a miraculous overtime win against the Buffalo Bills during that Week 1 game before dropping the next to contest after Zach Wilson filled in as the starter and the offense delivered putrid performances in both games.

‘I feel like if I was there, some of those things wouldn’t be happening,’ said Rodgers, who underwent Achilles surgery Sept. 13. ‘[I’m] not sure we’d be 3-0 — I don’t know that. 

‘I’d like to think there’s a possibility of that, but it’s more the side stuff that I don’t like and that I want to see us stick together through the tough times.’ 

The tough times were seemingly made worse very quickly as Jets legend and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath went full scorched earth in voicing his displeasure with Wilson’s performances, as well as the Jets lead decision makers for staying loyal to the struggling third-year QB.

Wilson was benched last year by head coach Robert Saleh on two separate occasions for poor play, however Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas decided on a plan to allow Wilson to backup Rodgers and learn from one of the games greats before regaining the starting role in after Rodgers eventually retired.

After that plan was quickly altered following Rodgers injury the Jets then chose not to bring in a veteran quarterback to challenge, if not replace, Wilson as the starter.

The Jets signed veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday 

Jets legend Joe Namath recently blasted Zach Wilson’s ‘disgusting’ production and coaches

Earlier on Tuesday the Jets completed the signing of veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian to the practice squad although he is far from considered a savior at the position due to his resume.

The 31-year-old Siemian has a career record of 13-17, with 42 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. His only seasons as a starter came in 2016 and 2017 with the Denver Broncos and has since been released from several backup roles.

Siemian was the Jets backup in 2019 and filled in for then QB Sam Darnold who was dealing with mononucleosis, but only lasted one quarter before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

Before adding Siemian, the Jets were linked with several other QBs including Colin Kaepernick who recently had a letter he sent to the Jets asking for a chance to prove himself made public by award-winning rapper J Cole. 

Barcelona are preparing to go over a month without one of their key players and alarming numbers have shown they can ill-afford to go without him. 

Xavi Hernandez’s side have enjoyed a fast start to the season, and the LaLiga titleholders currently sit atop the table after six match days. 

Saturday’s tie against Celta Vigo saw them claw back a win from two goals down, after an efficient brace from Robert Lewandowski sparked a comeback capped by a late winner courtesy of Manchester City outcast Joao Cancelo. 

But an injury to Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong will have cast a pall around the Blaugrana, as will news that the former Ajax player could be out for up to seven weeks. 

De Jong was replaced by wonderkid Gavi during the first half of the home tie, and the club has released a statement confirming an injury to the ‘tibiofibular syndesmosis in his right ankle’. 

Barcelona must go without one of their key players for over a month after he picked up injury

Frenkie de Jong was substituted in the first half against Celta Vigo and has been diagnosed with an ankle injury

The Blaugrana have won just six matches that De Jong has been unavailable for since 2019

Whilst there is no specific timeframe for his recovery, the player’s absence could spark concern for his head coach. 

As per Spanish outlet Sport, Barca have won just six of the matches that De Jong has been unavailable for selection for since his 2019 move to Ajax. 

The Dutchman has only missed 16 matches due to injury in total since his transfer across the four seasons he has spent in Catalonia, and without him, the side has registered seven draws and three defeats. 

Over the ties, Barcelona have also struggled for goals, scoring just 18 over the ties where he has been unavailable for selection, whilst conceding 13. 

The lion’s share of the wins without the 26-year-old came in his first season, when he was struggling to settle into the side, with four wins and three draws coming during his seven absences. 

De Jong was available for the entirety of the 2020/21 season, but in 2021/22, Barca won none of the three games he was unavailble for, drawing two and losing one. 

During the club’s title-winning season last term, he missed seven games in october and April, with the team frustrated during the period to see out two wins, two draws and two defeats. 

The midfielder has started every match during the Blaugrana’s campaign this season, scoring a crucial goal during the team’s 4-3 showdown with Villarreal at the end of August.    

Despite a tumultuous start to his time at the Camp Nou – which saw him frequently linked to a move away from his ‘dream club’ to join Manchester United – De Jong has settled under Xavi and become a stalwart in the club legend’s side. 

Head coach Xavi Hernandez described his midfielder’s injury as a ‘big loss’ to the titleholders

The head coach had an understandably pessimistic response to his injury on Saturday, calling De Jong ‘a key player’. 

‘It’s a big loss,’ he shared after the final whistle. ‘It’s a tough one because of the way we play and the level he has been at. He’s a key player for us, he has been really good since last season.’

But Xavi looked for the silver lining after the incident, adding: ‘We have options to come in for him, so hopefully we won’t suffer too much. 

‘We will see how he is after the (October) international break. That’s all we can say for now.’

The Kelce and Swift partnership has got the whole of America talking this week but it was a different pairing of the same names that caught the eye for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

A day after Taylor Swift went to see her rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce play for the Kansas City Chiefs, Jason Kelce – Travis’s older brother – was combining with his Philadelphia Eagles teammate D’Andre Swift.

The irony was not lost on football fans nor the Eagles themselves – they shared a video of Kelce and Swift high-fiving before the game with the caption: ‘Our favorite Kelce x Swift duo’.

Swift himself carried the ball 26 yards on one play, jumping over Antoine Winfield in the process, after Kelce made a crucial block to keep his path clear. 

Taylor herself may well be cheering the two on from home, as well. While she was celebrating a Chiefs victory on Sunday she has previously made no secret of the fact that the Eagles are her team.

Philadelphia Eagles saw the funny side with a Kelce and Swift lining up for them on Monday

It comes after Taylor Swift was seen for the first time with rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce

She even recently confirmed that the lyrics in her song ‘Gold Rush’  – ‘padding ‘cross your wooden floor with my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door’ reference being an Eagles fan.

Some fans thought Swift, born in Pennsylvania, was referencing the band The Eagles but she clarified the lyric at a show in the Eagles stadium this year.

‘I don’t know how large the debate was, but I did see the debate,’ Swift said. ‘I have a lyric that says, ‘With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door.’ I saw some people wondering if it was the band the Eagles or the team the Eagles.

‘I love the band the Eagles, but guys, come on. I’m from Philly. Of course it’s the team.’

The NFL saw the funny side when Jason arrived for Monday night’s game with his headphones on, tweeting video with the caption: ‘Wonder what Jason Kelce is listening to…’

Travis’s Chiefs would have left Swift heartbroken in February when they beat Jason’s Eagles in the Super Bowl.

But now it appears that pop’s biggest star has a second team after watching Travis and the Chiefs on Sunday.

She was in a suite at the Arrowhead Stadium, next to his mom Donna, to cheer him on as the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 41-10. 

Lionel Messi‘s move to the MLS came with the costly pain of having to leave the family’s pet Bordeaux Mastiff at his home in Barcelona.

The decision to leave behind Hulk was due in part to the seven-year-old mutt’s health, Argentine comedian Migue Granados revealed this weekend after recording an interview with the 2023 World Cup champion at his home in Miami.

Granados learned of the family decision after joking that he was going to stuff Abu, their pet poodle, into a backpack and ask for a large ransom following last Thursday’s interview for his program on OLGA, a streaming network.

But he was surprised that Hulk was nowhere to be seen.

‘I asked him where that bull was and he told me, ‘He’s in Barcelona, Hulk is there. He is a little old. So, we had to leave him in the house we have there in Barcelona,’ Granados shared.

Lionel Messi plays with the family’s seven-year-old Bordeaux Mastiff, Hulk, who didn’t join them on the move from Barcelona to Miami this summer. The Argentine soccer star told comedian Migue Granados that he took into consideration the pooch’s age and health as the reason why it was better for him to stay behind at his home in Spain where he’s take care of

Lionel Messi welcomed Hulk to his family in 2016

The 36-year-old Messi welcomed Hulk into the family as a pup in 2016, sharing a picture of him hugging the pooch on Instagram.

‘New member of my family,’ Messi wrote at the time. ‘Thanks, love, for this beautiful gift.’

He and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo regularly shared pictures and videos of the dog on social media, but haven’t done so since 2021 when Messi was playing for PSG and traveled back to Spain to recover from an injury.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner took into consideration the amount of stress the cross-continent move in July would take on Hulk at this point in his life.

Messi told Granados that Hulk ‘is on the verge’ of perhaps needing to be put to sleep.

Argentine World Soccer champion Lionel Messi rests at his Barcelona home with the family pet dog, Hulk, a seven-year-old Bordeaux Mastiff

Lionel Messi pet Bordeaux Mastiff, Hulk, is seven years old. They have a life span of five to eight years, but in some cases there are some who live up to 11

Lionel Messi plays with the family’s seven-year-old Bordeaux Mastiff, Hulk, at his home in Barcelona, where the dog remains under the care of a staff

Bordeaux Mastiffs can grow to be 27 inches tall and weigh 110 pounds. They have a life span of five to eight years, although some make it to 11. 

For now, Hulk is being looked after by the staff at the luxurious home in Castelldefels, a suburb 12 miles away from Cam Nou. Messi, meanwhile, has become the face of MLS in the US as he plays for Inter Miami CF.

During the interview, Messi shared the family wakes up on school days at 7am for a group breakfast and drops off his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

He and his wife then return home for a nap or to catch up on their favorite shows. On other days he heads over for a morning workout with Inter Miami.  Around 3pm they both pick up the children before taking Thiago and Mateo to soccer practice at the club’s academy.

Messi also revealed the possibility of expanding the family.

‘We would like,’ he said. ‘We are not in the search, but we would like it if the girl arrives.’

Gary Neville has slammed Mikel Arteta for his lack of ‘composure’ during Arsenal’s draw in the north London derby. 

Arteta’s side were held to a 2-2 draw with rivals Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, after Bukayo Saka‘s brace was cancelled out by Son Heung-Min‘s double.

For both goals, Arsenal struck first before Spurs fired back in quick succession – with the Son’s second coming just one minute after Saka’s. 

And, reflecting on the match, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville suggested that Arteta’s antics on the sideline did little to help his team’s chances in the match. 

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast said: ‘I want to see a composure from this Arsenal team and that’s difficult because the manager’s on the sideline jumping around like you wouldn’t believe. 

Gary Neville (above) dissected Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with rivals Tottenham during his podcast

Neville suggested Mikel Arteta’s touch-line antics did little to help Arsenal hold their lead

Tottenham scored both of their goals just moments after Arsenal had struck in the game 

‘I want to see passion, but I want to see composure and a coldness, and that feels like a contradiction. But I want to see it in the right moments at the right times.

‘When they scored that second goal, Saka’s penalty, which was a beautiful penalty, celebrate it, give your fans something because they want to see it means something.

‘But there should be two or three senior players in that group saying, ‘Right, come on. Switch on now, we’re ready and we’re going to see this through’. Your mentality kicks in of knowing when a game’s in danger’.

After the break, Saka struck from the spot following a Cristian Romero handball before Son levelled one minute later.

The South Korean placed his effort into the Arsenal goal after James Maddison stole the ball off Jorginho deep inside the hosts’ half. 

The celebrations had barely ended before the Spurs captain levelled the scoring, and it lead to Neville questioning Arsenal’s ‘mentality’. 

Neville continued: ‘Rice had gone off at half-time and that presented a danger, so should Jorginho have been left there almost last man on the ball for Son’s second equaliser? Maybe, maybe not.

‘He should have done better himself, of course, but when you concede a goal a minute after one going in, that’s what I’m talking about, that mentality. They didn’t get set again.’

Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsdale’s father has hit back at Jamie Carragher after the Sky Sports pundit claimed he was ‘laughing’ at the Arsenal goalkeeper on Sunday afternoon.

James Maddison (L) stole the ball off Jorginho (R) to help create Tottenham’s second goal

Bukayo Saka scored a brace on the day but was unable to secure his side all three points

Ramsdale was an unused substitute during the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with rivals Tottenham, with summer signing David Raya being preferred to the England international. 

And, despite the fact he may be losing out on his No.1 spot at the Emirates, Ramsdale showed a heap of support for his team-mate during the tense North London Derby.

During post-match analysis, on Sky, Carragher said: ‘I thought it was like the Oscars, you know when someone loses the Oscar and they start clapping and smiling for the other person. I was laughing when I saw that. He’s absolutely devastated with that really.’ 

Later that evening, Nick Ramsdale replied to a Tweet about Carragher’s comments and said: ‘You are a Disgrace!! Show some class!! My lad has’.

Collingwood star Josh Daicos has revealed the number of grand final tickets players receive – as Pies chief executive Craig Kelly calls for Ticketek to ‘improve their system’ and wants an increase in allocation for club members.

Daicos was interviewed on Nova 100’s Ben, Liam & Belle Melbourne breakfast show on Monday morning, where he was asked by Ben how many tickets he’d received for this weekend’s AFL grand final at the MCG.

‘Well, we’re fortunate enough to get, usually during the season we get 4 each, and then for Grand Final we get 8,’ said Daicos.

Liam questioned the footy star if other players received the same amount.

‘No, everyone’s getting that it makes it handy,’ said Daicos.

Josh Daicos says players get 8 tickets for family and friends if they make the grand final

Collingwood boss has called for more seats to be allocated for big clubs

‘But it does help having obviously Nick because that means that you know to have those tickets mum and dad go to and then we’ve got more or less for maybe a mate or a cousin.’

Meanwhile, Collingwood boss Craig Kelly has called on the AFL to increase club member allocating from 17,000 to 20,000 to meet the growing demands of the league’s biggest clubs that have memberships in excess of 100,000.

Amid the fight for tickets to the decider, Collingwood members who had forked out thousands in membership dollars were given standing room tickets when they should have been allocated a seat by ticket agency Ticketek.

Others who were selected to receive tickets via a ballot had money taken out of their accounts before being allocated tickets, while other members’ credit cards were rejected in what has become an annual problem with grand final ticket delivery.

Kelly addressed the issue on Monday and while he said all Collingwood members who were guaranteed grand final tickets would get them, he called for change to the system and how many tickets competing clubs were allocated.

‘We believe members who contribute their hard earned should be rewarded with a fair opportunity to witness our team on the biggest stage,’ he said in a club statement.

‘We have been working through the situation overnight and have some updates for you.

‘Every single priority one (P1) member who registered for the grand final ballot will receive a ticket to the 2023 AFL grand final.

Craig Kelly said all Pies members who were guaranteed grand final tickets would get them

‘There were 37 P1 Members who did not select the standing room option and, as such, missed out on tickets through the automated ballot – we will sort each of those 37 members directly to ensure they have a seat.

‘Anyone who is a P1 member and were given a standing room ticket – that will be changed from standing room to an allocated seat.

‘We call on Ticketek to improve their system so that the moment funds are taken out of bank accounts, tickets are released to members immediately.

‘We know grand finals are a case of high demand and limited availability, which is why we call on the AFL to increase competing club allocations from 17,000 to at least 20,000 tickets.

‘We want to assure all members that we are actively engaging with the AFL, MCC, Ticketek, and other stakeholders to push for changes and improve this system and access for our most dedicated members.’

Despite the mistakes, Ticketek was adamant it had fulfilled its role in the ballot allocation.

‘Ticketek wants to assure all Collingwood members that the ballot process for the AFL grand final ran as planned, without any issues, and as per the instruction from the AFL, Collingwood Football Club and the MCG,’ a statement from the agency said.

The grand final is a sellout.