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England are preparing to open their quest for Women’s World Cup glory in 2023, but can they dethrone the all-conquering USWNT?

The Lionesses have headed to Australia and New Zealand as reigning European champions and winners of the inaugural Finalissima from back in April. Sarina Wiegman’s side are – despite having to deal with a number of unfortunate injuries – expected to go well Down Under and will feel as though they are a match for anybody on their day.

The United States are, however, the current holders and four-time winners of FIFA’s flagship event, with an almighty effort required from somebody in order to wrestle a global crown from their clutches.

Can England do that and what will it take to halt the USWNT’s relentless march towards title number five?

GOAL put those questions to Lionesses legend Rachel Yankey.

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  Ready to roar!

  Quizzed on whether England are, player for player, a match for any other team in the tournament at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Yankey – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “Great question. I think it’s a good squad. Obviously if there weren’t injuries, it would probably be a different squad. I suppose throughout the three group games, we’ll see. I think the attack looks stronger than our defence – our defence is relatively unknown. You need time to form partnerships and obviously with players being injured and being out, that hasn’t been the case, but there is no reason why they can’t really go on and be strong. I think there will be more tinkering with this squad and group and the XI that starts than there was in the Euros.”

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  Fear factor

  Pressed on whether there are any chinks in the American armour that could be exposed by the likes of England – with any side harbouring ambitions of going all the way likely to have go through the USWNT at some stage – Yankey said: “Yeah. Again, I think their defence. I don’t think they have got the strongest defence that they could have had. I always think that the way English teams play, you always have a chance of beating the USA. Even teams that I played for, and knowing a few of the U.S. National Team when we were playing, they always had a fear against the English – in terms of how we play football. It was more back then the mentality of did we really believe that we were good enough?”

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  Believe!

  Ted Lasso, the star of the hit Apple TV+ show, was big on the power of belief at AFC Richmond and Yankey feels that quality could serve England well on the back of their recent successes. She added: “I think this squad, because they have won the Euros, actually will go into this World Cup believing that they are good enough, and that’s powerful. I wouldn’t be fearful of playing the U.S. Sometimes it’s easier to play the bigger nations. I know it’s a more difficult game, but you’re not playing against that underdog – not to say that there is complacency, but you have got to up your standard, you know that when you come across a team like Spain, like USA, France, Germany, you have got to be at your best because at any time they could beat you. I think this England team will be able to look back at their experiences from the Euros and that will put them in a really good place.”

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  Winning mentality

  England now know what it takes to win a major tournament, while coach Wiegman boasts two continental triumphs to her name. Yankey said when asked if that winning mentality is what separates the class of 2023 from the Lionesses of years gone by, with there a belief now that they can beat anybody: “100 per cent. That’s why, for me, players like Lucy Bronze, you need players like that – that never say die and always pushing on for the next thing. OK, she hasn’t got the captain’s armband, but she is definitely a leader in that team. You need your team to be strong off the pitch. In tournament football it’s about being close, having each other’s back, and it seems like they have that. Draw on the experiences from the Euros, you believe in the manager. When you are maybe questioning if that’s the right thing, well she has been there, done it and won the Euros twice. That gives you a bit more faith to listen to the words and to go out for the tactics and what you want to do.”

Antonio Conte is reportedly in talks with Spurs over their vacant managerial job…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who delivered a fresh update on Twitter.

He wrote:

“Tottenham have contacted Antonio Conte as candidate for Spurs job – not done but talks ongoing about potential project, contract and salary. Conte is one of the options in #THFC list.”

It comes just a day after the Guardian and Sky Sports journalist appeared on Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel, where he discussed the prospects of the former Chelsea boss being appointed in North London.

“He could be an opportunity for Tottenham if something happens in the next few days. He’s available on the market. He’s ready to train immediately after his separation from Inter [Milan],” said Romano.

“In my personal opinion, he would be perfect for what Spurs want. He has a habit of winning, he’s a serial winner. He’s fantastic wherever he goes.

“But he always wants, what I would call, an important participation from the club. You need to invest, you need to sign players that he wants. You need to go 100% together with this.”

Statement of intent

This would certainly be a massive statement of intent from Spurs as Conte has a proven track record of success in England, so much so that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed he was a “tactical master.”

Indeed, the 51-year-old Italian arrived at Chelsea with the club in a mess following their lowest finish since 1996 and in the very next season, he clinched the Premier League title before going onto win the FA Cup a year later.

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It’s quite remarkable that Conte has left Serie A champions Inter Milan just weeks after securing their first title in 11 years but one team’s loss is another’s gain, and Levy should be drooling over the prospect of adding a coach of his calibre to his club.

As Romano claims, if the Lilywhites chairman was to appoint the former Juventus boss, then it would surely suggest that he’s prepared to back him in the transfer market, only further suggesting that the North London strugglers mean business this year.

On the above evidence, Spurs and Conte will only come together if the 51-year-old can spend and boy will he need to invest wisely as this current squad is in dire need of an overhaul.

There is also the matter of Harry Kane’s future to work out after he expressed his desire to leave the club this summer, so perhaps the funds will be there after all.

It’s not every day that a nine-time major trophy winner is on the market. Levy must push ahead with plans to hire Conte, he seems perfect for the club.

AND in other news, How Levy can build Pochettino his dream Spurs squad with £170m spending spree…

Despite their 1-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham at Wembley over the weekend, it has still been a positive period in the season for Newcastle United and their manager Rafael Benitez.

The Spaniard recently watched his side beat Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 on the day the club were able to agree a deal with Atlanta United for primary target Miguel Almiron.

And things could be about to get even better for Benitez and the St. James’ Park faithful.

The Breakdown

Speaking to Chronicle Live, Benitez confirmed that Mohamed Diame, Paul Dummett and Ki Sung-yueng are all close to returning to full fitness following their respective injuries and could be in line to be selected for the trip to Wolves next Monday.

After picking up so many injuries around the new year period, the return of the trio will come as a massive boost to Benitez as he looks to steer the Tyneside club to Premier League safety once again, something which he looks capable of easily doing.

Following a dismal start to the season, Newcastle now find themselves out of the relegation zone, albeit by just two points, having gained some big wins including their most recent one against Manchester City.

Ultimately, following that and the addition of Almiron, the mood at St. James’ Park has drastically improved with the return of Dummett and co only expected to add to that as the Magpies look to secure more victories in front of their home crowd.

Once a football club falls into a trap of poor results it’s easy to blame those at board level; that’s certainly been the case at Celtic this season.

The Bhoys have dominated for so long at the top of Scottish football with Parkhead constantly being filled with new trophies.

However, as we know, all good things must come to an end. A historic ten in a row has escaped the Hoops and they’ve now been usurped by their biggest and fiercest rivals.

Celtic may have won the treble last term under Neil Lennon but you can trace back their disastrous 2020/21 campaign to when he was appointed. Peter Lawwell and the boardroom weren’t ambitious enough and used a £10m compensation fee for Brendan Rodgers to lure Lennon back to the club instead.

His management was poor this term but Lawwell has hardly covered himself in glory either. The same goes for the recently departed Nick Hammond.

He left his role with Celtic a few weeks ago and is set to be followed by Lawwell who will retire from his duties as CEO in the summer.

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Dominic McKay is due to replace him but the former Chief of Scottish rugby has already begun his work behind the scenes.

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager has accelerated since he walked through the door but unfortunately, McKay is already on the verge of his first major mistake in the transfer market.

This has been an area of the club that they’ve fallen short in during recent years. Hammond and Lawwell brought both Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti to the club last season for instance.

The former has been a disaster between the sticks after a £4.5m move while Ajeti has found the net on just six occasions following the completion of a £5m deal.

Though, it would appear that Celtic never learn their lesson. The latest on the transfer front is that they are trying to finalise a swoop for Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy.

The Irishman has been on their radar dating back to last summer and now the Hoops hierarchy are in advanced discussions to sign him.

McCarthy is out of contract in a few months so won’t set them back in a similar way that Barkas and Ajeti did but it still doesn’t make it a worthwhile move.

Scott Brown will be leaving a heap of experience behind when he goes to Aberdeen but Celtic already have younger options to fill his spot. Ismaila Soro has been chomping at the bit for more minutes while Luca Connell hasn’t earned a single first-team appearance since signing from Bolton in 2019.

Add Liam Shaw into the equation and you have a trio of young midfielders ready to make an impact in the Bhoys midfield.

McCarthy is now 30 years of age and hasn’t played much football at all this season. The Palace general has featured on 13 occasions in the English Premier League, providing evidence that he hasn’t really set the world alight.

Brown has been one of Celtic’s biggest problems this season, being surpassed by quick and dynamic forwards on a regular basis. Take Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos last weekend for example who ran riot up against the midfield stalwart.

The last thing Celtic need right now is another ageing player taking up a high proportion of wages.

The Hoops are at a point where they need to look at younger alternatives for their squad, not players like McCarthy.

AND in other news, Imagine him under Howe: Celtic must unleash 6 ft 3 brute who “competes for everything”…

Crystal Palace are interested in appointing Rafael Benitez as Roy Hodgson’s successor at Selhurst Park, and the south London outfit should do all they can to persuade the Spaniard to take charge.

Hodgson announced his imminent exit from the Eagles dugout earlier in the week after four successful seasons with the capital club, and who Steve Parish picks to replace the former England boss is guaranteed to have a huge impact over their immediate prospects.

The former England boss guided Palace to Premier League safety with ease throughout his tenure, finishing as high as 11th in 2017/18, but there was a growing feeling that the 73-year-old had taken them as far as he could.

Now that Hodgson’s departure has been confirmed, talk has turned to who could possibly take over the reins, with several big names such as Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker linked with the soon-to-be-vacant role.

However, according to the Daily Record, the Palace hierarchy are also keen to explore the possibility of appointing Benitez as the ex-Real Madrid, Inter and Chelsea boss looks for his next management position.

The 61-year-old Spanish manager made history by ending Valencia’s 31-year wait for a La Liga crown back in 2002 and arguably went one better three years later, guiding Liverpool to the most dramatic Champions League victory in the competition’s history in Istanbul.

With all due respect to Palace, it’s not often that a club of their stature has the opportunity to appoint a head coach of Benitez’s calibre and quality, and it would be a masterstroke if Parish could pull this off.

It’s set to be a turbulent summer at Selhurst Park, with over a dozen players approaching the end of their current contracts, meaning an experienced head is more suited to the job a hand. And Parish admitted the task of finding the right man to replace Hodgson is a daunting one.

“I don’t think we should underestimate the size of the challenge. We can see with teams that have been promoted already, we have a quality league next year, but equally, it is a fantastic opportunity for somebody.

“This is a London club, and it is an exciting time to be around it, the academy is developing, and the catchment area for talent we know is outstanding. The staff are amazing, and we have now pursued plans for a new main stand with vigour through this difficult time,” he added in an interview with Sky Sports.

“It’s daunting, but we have been through this before. We are in better shape than ever before as a club to make this transition, that isn’t to say it doesn’t come with pitfalls and dangers.”

Hiring a young, forward-thinking boss who plays attractive football may please many Palace fans and football romantics, but in reality, now may not bethe time for that in south London. The Eagles are approaching a crossroads, and with so much upheaval in the playing squad set to occur over the summer, they need an experienced leader to guide them through.

Benitez has won 12 major honors throughout his managerial career, and steering Palace successfully through this transitional period would be another significant success story.

And, in other news…Parish masterclass: Palace must swoop for 19-goal gem dubbed the new Thierry Henry – opinion

Russell Martin is desperate to sign Sunderland centre-forward Will Grigg this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Speaking after Milton Keynes Dons 5-0 win over Swindon Town on Saturday, Martin stated his desire to sign Grigg – who is currently on loan at the League One side – permanently this summer.

As cited by MK Citizen, Martin said: “We’d like to keep him, he fits in with what we’re doing but he has a contract with another club. He has another year, and Sunderland could be in this league still. We’ll be right in the mix to try and keep him. We’ll have to wait and see.”

On Grigg’s performance in the fixture, in which the 29-year-old bagged four of MK Don’s five goals, Martin remarked: “Today, he got the goals he deserved. He’s playing in a way that he hasn’t been asked to do before. He deserved the goals because he is so humble, has no ego, puts the team ahead of himself.”

Why should Sunderland sell?

While it is undeniable that Grigg has impressed during his loan spell, with the Northern Ireland international scoring eight goals and providing three assists over his 18 appearances for MK Dons, this form is a far cry from anything the striker has managed since joining Sunderland in a £3.06 million deal from Wigan Athletic back in 2019.

This season, Grigg managed no goals or assists over his nine League One appearances for Lee Johnson’s side before departing the club in January, while, in total, he has scored just eight times in 61 appearances for the Black Cats.

This means that, not even factoring in his £6,000-per-week salary, the centre-forward’s goals have cost Sunderland around £382,500 per strike, an extraordinary amount of football for a team who are still playing their football in the third tier of the English pyramid.

As such, regardless of whether Sunderland achieve promotion or not this season, Johnson should do all he can to see that Martin does indeed manage to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent basis this summer, as it is abundantly clear that Grigg and Sunderland are not compatible with each other whatsoever.

Furthermore, while Grigg is in a fine run of form whilst out on loan, perhaps the Black Cats will be able to claw back slightly more of the rather astonishing transfer fee they paid for him, in comparison to how much they could have asked for when he was failing to do the business at the Stadium of Light.

In other news: Move over Sanderson: SAFC could save millions by unleashing “lovely” rarely-seen beast – opinion

Celtic’s pursuit of a new manager is now in its ninth week but we are still no closer to discovering who Neil Lennon’s successor will be at Parkhead.

The Bhoys have had a number of head coaches on their radar but a deal still eludes the club’s hierarchy.

What’s the word?

One of the names on Celtic’s shortlist has seemingly been American coach Jesse Marsch.

He’s currently in charge of RB Salzburg and admitted a few months ago that it was an honour to be linked with the Hoops job.

Journalist Christian Falk revealed soon after that he wouldn’t be heading to Glasgow and indeed, that is now on the verge of being confirmed.

A number of other teams have been interested in securing Marsch’s services with Tottenham and Frankfurt making contact in recent days.

However, after Julian Nagelsmann decided to leave RB Leipzig to become Bayern Munich boss, it has left the door open for him to move to another Red Bull associated side.

Taking to Twitter, the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano dealt a crushing blow to Celtic’s ambitions, saying: “Jesse Marsch is set to become the new RB Leipzig manager – ten Hag was also in the list.”

Disappointing news

With the idea of Eddie Howe arriving in Scotland becoming slimmer by the day, it surely won’t be too long before majority shareholder Dermot Desmond starts searching for other options.

Unfortunately, he won’t be able to target Marsch anymore.

This is a great shame for everyone at Celtic because out of the vast majority of candidates to be linked with the role, he was one of the most eye-catching.

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He might not have the experience or honours of a certain Jose Mourinho but he’s proven adaptable and flexible in recent years with Salzburg.

After all, what Celtic need right now is a manager who can dominate the domestic scene but then prepare suitably for European football.

With a win rate of 67% under his belt, he certainly knows how to crush opponents and the way he took the game to Liverpool, losing 4-3 in the 2019/20 Champions League, shows he can adapt to playing bigger and better sides away from the Austrian Bundesliga.

They finished third in their group that season, ending up on seven points in a pool that included the holders at the time and Napoli. They only lost 3-2 to Atletico Madrid in this season’s Champions League too.

Celtic have long been underwhelming in Europe and ended their Europa League run this term having conceded 19 times in just six games.

Marsch, therefore, could have taken the Bhoys to a different level and made them a more respectable unit in Europe. Take into consideration his idea of pressing and it only adds further glamour to the idea of bringing him to Celtic.

Once more, that could have made them a tougher outfit to break down, something we alluded to when discussing why the club should consider Oostende boss Alexander Blessin.

Both coaches came through the ranks at Leipzig, learning the ways of Ralf Rangnick, the father of the modern-day press.

It’s a big blow to lose out on him when he was so willing to leave Salzburg; Desmond should be gutted.

AND in other news, Forget Howe: Celtic should hire jaw-dropping 47 y/o instead, he’s shades of Rodgers…

Tottenham Hotspur squandered another game from a leading position last weekend as Newcastle United snagged a draw late on.

Jose Mourinho’s side have now missed out on a total of 15 points this season from winning positions, a haul which would have seen them sit in second place behind runaway leaders Manchester City.

It comes as another devastating blow and it will surely increase the pressure on the Portuguese boss, who was brought in to lead the north London outfit to silverware. A place in the top four is now looking increasingly out of reach, whilst Spurs are already out of the FA Cup and Europa League prematurely.

His destiny could well hinge on their performance in the Carabao Cup final this month against the aforementioned Citizens.

Mourinho has now tempted fate, blaming his players for their ongoing struggles in the public eye; and according to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann remains the top target to replace him should Daniel Levy pull the trigger.

However, the tough negotiator could well be barking up the wrong tree. As impressive as the young managerial gem is, guiding the Bundesliga outfit to a title challenge against Bayern Munich this term, he has no experience outside of Germany.

Instead, the north Londoners should look to another mooted target in Brendan Rodgers.

In contrary to Law’s claim, 90min believe that the Leicester City manager is actually Spurs’ first choice, with Nagelsmann featuring on a shortlist alongside the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, Diego Simeone, Massimiliano Allegri and even Carlo Ancelotti.

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Under the 48-year-old’s stewardship, the Foxes have contended for Champions League qualification and a top four berth, which is ultimately where Spurs should be.

You’d struggle to argue against Leicester usurping the Lilywhites as a club in recent times – they’ve even won the Premier League more recently than Spurs’ last success, their 2008 League Cup triumph.

One major benefit to Rodgers is his shrewd eye for recruitment, something which has largely contributed towards their success. Not many could have predicted the Midlands outfit to continue to thrive after selling the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire, but they have.

Whilst his progression of seemingly average talents like Kelechi Iheanacho have earned high praise indeed. Dean Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that the 48-year-old has done an “unbelievable” job in that sense.

Similarly, Peterborough chairman Barry Fry is the latest name to wax lyrical about Rodgers, claiming in an exclusive interview with FFC that the former Chelsea coach is “very ambitious” and “well-respected.”

If Levy is to move on from Mourinho this summer, then it’s clear that someone like the Leicester boss can get their lofty ambitions back on track. It does seem like the perfect fit, too.

After somewhat failing at Liverpool, he rebuilt his reputation at Celtic by winning multiple trophies, and has continued to rise at the King Power Stadium. His experience in the English game will be far better than what Nagelsmann can bring – that’s the right appointment to make, Mr Levy.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Vinicius: Levy could take Spurs to new level with swoop for “gifted” £38m gem…

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that youngster Joe Gelhardt can prove his worth in the next few months.

The Whites have enjoyed a successful first season back in the Premier League, sitting 11th in the table with nine matches remaining. There is no threat of relegation for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who have been a breath of fresh air in the top flight, with very few of their games proving to be dull.

In Gelhardt, Leeds having a hugely promising young talent who is pushing to make his first team debut for the club, having joined from Wigan Athletic last August.

Robinson tips Gelhardt to feature

Someone who thinks this is now a great chance for the 18-year-old to shine is Robinson, with the ex-England ‘keeper telling MOT Leeds News that this is Gelhardt’s opportunity to show Bielsa he can be trusted moving forward:

“It just shows how far he’s come in the last 12 months and what the manager thinks of him.

“I don’t think he’s going to start games if Patrick Bamford is fit but this is his big opportunity for the manager to take a look at him in the Premier League.

“He might influence Bielsa’s transfer activity in the summer. This is his opportunity to prove that he doesn’t need to sign another striker in the summer.

“Bielsa has hinted that he’ll get minutes so he obviously thinks very highly of him.

“This is his opportunity to show what he can do. Leeds are definitely safe already, they’ve got more than enough points and it gives Bielsa the opportunity to take a look at his talented youngsters.”

Transfer tavern take

Bielsa will no doubt be eyeing up reinforcements this summer, but if Gelhardt impresses in the remaining games of the season, it may turn his manager’s head.

The teenager is an attacking player with seemingly huge potential and, having frequently been on the bench for the first team in recent weeks, it will be exciting to see him handed an opportunity between now and May if he gets his opportunity.

In other news, a former Leeds star believes the club should sign a Premier League defender this summer – find out who it is here.

Lee Ryder has confirmed on his official Twitter page that a deal is ‘almost done’ for Newcastle United to sign Matthew Bondswell from RB Leipzig.

The Chronicle journalist had confirmed earlier in the week that the St James’ Park outfit were in talks to sign the England under-18 international on a free transfer but faced competition from other sides in the Premier League.

Nonetheless, it looks as if the Magpies have beaten off that competition and Bondswell should arrive soon.

Bondswell one for the future

Bondswell certainly seems a player for the future at the Tyneside club (should he sign) being just 18 years of age, but he has a lot of potential to make it to the very top of the beautiful game.

Stefan Krause, who is the Leipzig reporter for Bild, has recently told The Chronicle that he is ‘highly-rated’, while the Bundesliga website has compared him to Bayern Munich star and UEFA Champions League winner David Alaba, saying that he has a ‘God-given athleticism’, a ‘cultured left foot’ and a ‘malleability’ which allows him to play in a number of different roles in the side.

Bondswell is clearly highly-regarded, and so it looks as if Steve Bruce’s team have got themselves a bargain on their hands on a free transfer, assuming this reported deal gets over the finish line.

In other news, find out what arbitration claim on the potential NUFC takeover has been dropped by a sports law specialist!