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Barcelona are languishing in 12th place in LaLiga following an abject start to the season in which they have won only two of six games played so far. Ronald Koeman's (inset) men host Real Betis on Saturday and seek a first win in an astonishing five games. Barcelona struggled badly in their 2-1 Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday,

MATT BARLOW: Jose Mourinho is not happy about releasing three of his Tottenham players, including recently fit-again Gareth Bale, to work under Arsenal coach Albert Stuivenberg at Wales. Stuivenberg, an assistant to Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, has been on the coaching staff of Ryan Giggs at Wales since 2018. He will have greater responsibility for three games this month, starting with a friendly against the USA in Swansea on Thursday because Giggs is absent after his arrest and allegations of assault.

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has been described as a 'bully' by Mark Allen after starting a bizarre row with the Northern Irishman at the Champion of Champions on Thursday night. Allen had racked up a 5-3 lead in their best of 11 tie before O'Sullivan voiced his frustrations that his opponent was distracting him, with a back and forth argument breaking out for more than a minute before the referee desperately attempted to intervene. O'Sullivan was about to take his shot during the quarter-final in Milton Keynes when he started gesturing to Allen to 'sit down' as he observed in the far corner. 'Can you sit still? You're standing up and moving in my eyeline,' he said.

Jurgen Klopp insists that Liverpool's trip to title rivals Manchester City on Sunday is the 'most difficult game in the world of football'.  The two title favourites will lock horns for the first time this season at the Etihad Stadium and it is not lost on Klopp just how difficult it will be against Pep Guardiola's side. Reigning champions of Liverpool have started far stronger this season, heading to Manchester top of the table while City are slumped in 10th with three wins from their opening six games.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (inset second left) is now the odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked with 15th-placed Manchester United coming off the back off two defeats in a week against Istanbul Basaksehir and Arsenal. It doesn't get any easier just yet for the Old Trafford boss either, with this relentless season throwing up a dangerous trip to Everton next in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off. Everton sit in fourth in the table after a strong start to the season and they pose a threat that Solskjaer clearly takes very seriously, having rested a number of his key players in Istanbul. Should they win on Saturday, that move will be justified. That is not to say that Solskjaer's team selection is straightforward, far from it. In fact, no one knows what team he will pick, with so many stars out of form, including Paul Pogba (main picture, centre), Donny van de Beek (inset left) and Anthony Martial, top left). Here are the selection conundrums he must solve to get the three points on Saturday...

Three weeks ago Chelsea were in disarray defensively. They let three goals in against Southampton to squander a victory and were three goals down inside 27 minutes at West Brom. Frank Lampard's exceptional work in the summer transfer market looked like it was going to be undone by a defensive unit that couldn't provide the platform his devastating new attack needed. But fast forward to today and the Blues have kept five straight clean sheets and look to have finally found a settled backline.

Former Liverpool and Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is training with a semi-professional team in the FOURTH tier of Italian football after being released by Brescia at the end of last season. Now 30, Balotelli is a free agent and looking for a new club, and to keep his fitness levels up has been spending time at Franciacorta, a team who play in the Serie D Girone B semi-pro league not far from his hometown of Brescia. The striker returned to Brescia for the 2019-20 season, but failed to keep them in the top flight of Italian football as had been hoped.

Jamie Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp will drop Liverpool's hat-trick hero Diogo Jota in favour of Roberto Firmino for Sunday's showdown against Manchester City. Jota's excellent start to Liverpool life went up a gear on Tuesday when he propelled Klopp's men to a 5-0 victory over Atalanta with a hat-trick in the Champions League encounter. Firmino, in contrast, has found goals hard to come by this season, scoring just once. In fact, he only has two goals in his last 20 appearances, which stretches back to football's restart since the coronavirus lockdown.

ADRIAN KAJUMBA: There is a room upstairs in the pavilion at Southampton's impressive training ground which has gained a reputation of almost mythical proportions. It is where Ralph Hasenhuttl's colleagues know he is most likely to be if they cannot find him elsewhere, in his office, the canteen or on the training ground with his coaching staff continuing to drill his team into a relentless pressing machine. It is the analysis suite that is known as Southampton's 'black box.'

Sportsmail understands there would be significant support from inside the United dressing room for former Tottenham boss Pochettino to take the reins if it is decided Solskjaer's reign should come to an end. Pochettino has been out of work for almost a year following his sacking at Spurs - but his appearance on Sky Sports on Monday night was a clear sign that he is now ready to return to the dugout. Indeed, it is understood the Argentine has had a conversation with at least one high profile club in recent weeks with a view to a potential return to work.

Mohamed Elyounoussi was spotted checking his phone by the TV cameras after being substituted for Leigh Griffiths - who pulled a goal back in the 64th minute during Celtics' 4-1 loss. Manager Neil Lennon was furious to hear of Elyounoussi's actions in his post-match interview and insists he will 'deal' with the winger.

As he heads back to Goodison Park this weekend under mounting pressure, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have every right to feel slightly uneasy about his position as Manchester United manager. It was there in April last year that Solskjaer reached what was until recently his lowest point, losing 4-0 to an Everton side significantly inferior to the one he will face at lunchtime on Saturday. He may also be aware that Goodison was the scene of David Moyes's last stand as United manager in 2014 when a figure dressed as the Grim Reaper popped up close to the away dugout and proved rather prophetic.

Such is Barcelona's precarious financial position at the moment that they have already transfer listed five players for the January window, according to a report in Spain. Barca have a staggering wage bill that is crippling the club - one that they are in urgent need of slashing by around £171million. And to help them achieve both goals they have already earmarked those within the current first-team squad who can leave come the beginning of 2021 as they cannot buy players unless they sell first. According to Mundo Deportivo; Ousmane Dembele, Martin Braithwaite, Carles Alena, Junior Firpo and Samuel Umtiti (L-R) are all deemed expendable.

Teofimo Lopez (right) said Deontay Wilder (inset) needs to spend more time focusing on his own fitness and 'go back to the gym' instead of continuing his relentless tirade against Tyson Fury (left). The Gypsy King took Wilder's WBC heavyweight title in a blockbuster fight in February, and Wilder has since posted a video accusing Fury of putting 'something the size and shape of an egg-weight' in his gloves, which left a dent in his head.

Kai Havertz posted a selfie with his dog on Instagram on Thursday (left) as he continues to self-isolate following his positive Covid-test. The £71m star (right), signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, tested positive for coronavirus on Monday and has been self-isolating since, missing the Blues' 3-0 win against Rennes in the Champions League on Wednesday. Manager Frank Lampard (inset, top-right) detailed that the rest of the group tested negative again after Havertz, 21, contracted the virus but the Blues boss added that Havertz's symptoms had 'escalated' in the past few days.