Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw said he knows clubs “cut off the head of the manager” if results do not meet expectations.

De Pauw, who was appointed in June after Carla Ward stepped down at the end of last season, is still searching for his first win in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

Villa sit 10th in the table with two points after six games – their worst start to a WSL campaign.

“It’s also football and a performance-driven company. So yeah, they cut off the head of the manager,” De Pauw said.

The Dutchman has overseen just one competitive win – a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace the Women’s League Cup – during his seven games in charge at Villa.

However, his side have pushed reigning champions Chelsea and leaders Manchester City close in the league, losing both games by just one goal.

“If the performance drops and the results don’t come, then you know what happens,” De Pauw added.

“I try to stay unattached to that because I know I can look myself in the mirror and the staff can look themselves in the mirror, that we do everything about it.

“We know we work hard and we leave no stone unturned before every game.”

De Pauw, who is new to the league after leaving Bayer Leverkusen at the end of last season, said he has spoken to experienced players like Jordan Nobbs about the difficulties of the WSL.

“I speak a lot with them because they know this league better than than most.

“Jordan knows it better than everybody, and she says it will come. So I trust also that it will come, but it has to come soon.”

Villa will hope to end their winless run on Sunday when they travel to Manchester United, who are unbeaten in the league this season.

“That’s the next step we have got to take, to take something from the game and not only rattle the cage, but bring the cage home and bring the points home,” De Pauw said.

The extent of the women’s team’s financial situation was most apparent during the summer.

Sorensen said they turned down a pre-season trip to Australia, not because of finances but logistics. However, he admitted it was “a gamble we can’t afford”.

Everton had to sell highly-rated Sweden midfielder Hanna Bennison to Juventus in order to bring in much-needed funds.

They missed out on players in the Japanese market – who Sorensen said he had scouted years previously – because top clubs offered higher salaries.

Stringent rules on non-EU players coming to the WSL can also be a barrier for clubs like Everton. Foreign players have to meet certain requirements to be eligible to play in England and that limits the talent pool – something West Ham have also endured.

Sevilla duo Inma Gabarro and Toni Payne were among Everton’s highest-profile signings, while existing WSL-based players Honoka Hayashi, Melissa Lawley and Veatriki Sarri were seen as ‘low-risk’ options who did not need time to adapt.

Sorensen said during the summer transfer window the club “can’t just go out and spend a lot of money so we have to be super-smart”.

In reality, the budget for the women’s team has not decreased since 2021 – when former manager Willie Kirk targeted a top-three finish.

However, the market has become more expensive since then. Transfer fees are now common, while player salaries have increased.

Everton Women’s chief executive officer Alan McTavish, director of football Kevin Thelwell and Sorensen are already working on recruitment for January – but fans are growing impatient and want the lack of squad depth addressing.

“Immediate investment in recruitment is essential. We have such a ridiculously unbalanced squad,” said supporter MacFarlane.

“The pressure on these players is huge, especially on some of the younger players, having to play out of position all over the pitch – this simply is not good enough.”

MacFarlane also calls for future development of the club’s Walton Hall Park stadium, which he says will help “grow the fanbase and attract new supporters”.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is “planning to crush some rehab” in his recovery from two surgeries.

Kershaw posted on Instagram that he had foot and knee procedures on Wednesday. He thanked Drs. Kenneth Jung and Neal ElAttrache for performing the operations.

“Planning to crush some rehab and be as good as can be come next year,” Kershaw posted on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Kershaw is 212-94 with a 2.50 ERA in 429 starts and three relief appearances over 17 seasons — all with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He declined a $10 million player option in favor of free agency, but he is expected to return to L.A. after vowing to do so at multiple points during and after the Dodgers’ run to a 2024 World Series championship.

Kershaw was hurt for much of last season, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA over seven starts. He was sidelined throughout the postseason.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Clayton Kershaw

Los Angeles Dodgers

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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has challenged midfielder Curtis Jones to add consistency to his game because “the best players in the world show up every three days”.

Jones has been in impressive form recently, scoring in a league win against Chelsea and providing a brilliant pass in setting up Luis Diaz for a goal in Tuesday’s 4-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

He has again been called up to the England squad for games in November. The uncapped 23-year-old was drafted in as an injury replacement at the last England camp but withdrew because of the birth of his daughter.

“With Curtis maybe it’s not me who did it because he became a father and I had nothing to do with that,” said Slot.

“You never know if that plays a part or not but, since the moment he became a father, he started putting great performances in.

“He did it in pre-season but then his performances dropped a little bit. Since he became a father, he’s outstanding again. It might have to do a bit with that but, in general, I think it has to do with how the team plays.”

In the summer, Jones spoke about how Slot’s style of play suited him “because I can get on the ball more and be free” after the Dutchman replaced Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.

“He has a lot of quality on the ball,” added Slot. “He’s never afraid to do something special with it. Sometimes that leads to situations when, in my opinion, he touched that ball a bit too much because sometimes he’s a bit too over-confident.

“He combines this with an incredibly hard work-rate and we can trust him in defence. He’s quite complete but for him now it’s all about consistency. The best players in the world show up every three days.”

Liverpool are top of the Premier League table, with a two-point lead over champions Manchester City going into Saturday’s game against Aston Villa and, after four wins in four, are also top of the Champions League group in its new format this season.

Slot has guided the Reds to 14 wins in his first 16 games since replacing Slot but insists no-one at the club is getting carried away.

“We are there to do our work and become better players on a daily basis or keep having the same level,” he said.

“It’s not the first time that this club is where it is at the moment. I think for most of these players it is a normal situation and I don’t think they get carried away at all by us being top of the league at the moment.

“They know how small the margins are when it comes to our results and the amount of points we are ahead of the other teams.”

He added: “I’m not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don’t talk about expectations.

“The only expectations I have is that they put the same effort in on a daily basis. That’s the only thing we focus on.”

Heading into the 2024 season, the Ravens were the favorites to win the AFC North at +110, with the Bengals just behind them at +180. The Browns were tabbed at +600 followed by the Steelers at +1100.

Ten weeks into the season, a lot has changed.

Entering this week, Baltimore was a -185 favorite to win the division after a strong 6-3 start, followed by the Steelers at +200 after a surprising 6-2 start. The Bengals sat in third at +900 with a 4-5 record, followed by the Browns who are all but guaranteed to not have a chance at the division crown at 2-7. 

But in this week’s Thursday night football matchup, it was a clash between Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow— and it did not disappoint. 

The two quarterbacks combined for eight touchdown passes and over 700 yards passing, with Ja’Marr Chase hauling in 264 receiving yards and three touchdown catches for the Bengals.

Cincinnati scored with 38 seconds left in the game with a chance to tie it up with an extra point, but Zac Taylor decided to go for two to try and end the game in regulation. 

The Bengals would fail to convert, giving the Ravens a one-point win.

Let’s take a look at how the odds have changed after Baltimore’s 35-34 win, according to DraftKings Sportsbook as of Nov. 8.

ODDS TO WIN AFC NORTH:

Baltimore Ravens: -300 (bet $10 to win $13.33 total)

Pittsburgh Steelers: +225 (bet $10 to win $32.50 total)

Cincinnati Bengals: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)

Cleveland Browns: +70000 (bet $10 to win $7,010 total)

In summary, Baltimore’s odds to win the division shortened from -185 to -300 after Thursday’s result, while Cincinnati’s lengthened immensely— going from +900 to +3500. While the division title might be out of reach, the playoffs aren’t totally out of the question. Three teams did make the playoffs last year after a 4-6 start (Rams, Packers, Buccaneers).  

Cincinnati is currently +135 to make the playoffs and -160 to miss.

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Rogers joined Middlesbrough in a £1.5m deal in July 2023 and had a mixed start to the season. Eyebrows were raised when Aston Villa paid £8m plus add-ons for him just seven months later.

“It was pretty easy when I found out the team who wanted me,” says Rogers.

“It was tough leaving Middlesbrough because it was a fresh start. I felt close to the team and coaches, but when a team like Villa comes in it is impossible to say no. Being a lad from Birmingham it was the perfect reality. I couldn’t say no.”

After taking a few months to find his feet, this season Rogers has started all 12 of Villa’s games in the league and Champions League, including the Bayern match.

“I have always had that belief and wanted to get to the highest level of football,” he says.

“[Playing in the] Champions League – it is crazy. The feeling doesn’t wear off. To be a part of that is something I didn’t expect to happen so quickly.

“It is mad and surreal to feel I am playing against that level and calibre of player. It’s cool and exciting. I love football so much, so stuff like that still excites me.

“The Bayern game – stars from one to 11, all of them are superstars and it was a surreal moment to think I am on the pitch with them.”