Liverpool set the standards last season. The Premier League table provides some proof those standards have slipped on the pitch; so, too, the total of 18 defeats in all competitions. Yet the attention has been diverted to the standards off the pitch. Mohamed Salah said he felt the bond in the dressing room is changing; he spoke of his concerns about the mentality in the dressing room. A man whose chiselled physique is testament to his work ethic said players need to get in early to go the gym, which in turn will encourage others to.

For Arne Slot, the culture is not a problem; nor does he think it will be next season when Andy Robertson and Salah, two of the stalwarts of Jurgen Klopp’s great side, depart. Slot argued that there are enough cultural architects already in his side to weather the loss of two influential figures.

“What Mo is saying is that standards are really important for a football club,” said Slot. “I cannot agree more with him. I did not hear him say that the standards are not okay now. I’m not worried that the standards will be lower next season than they were this season, last season or the season before.”

That mention of those three campaigns may have been a coincidence. But if the accusation was flying around that Liverpool were afforded too many days off, they have had fewer this year than in their title-winning campaign under Slot, or their final year under Klopp. One interpretation of their slide this year is that the culture Klopp and his senior players imbued is being dissipated and diluted with time. Slot does not concur.

“I think they [standards] are in a good place right now,” he said. “I think it also makes sense that younger players – it doesn’t have to be the new players, it can be the seven-year-old that comes from the academy – usually get the example of players like Mo and others for them to understand and to know what it takes to play every three days at this level. I see – and I think – that our younger players have improved in this already. I am completely convinced that we have enough players next season – and, add to that, the ones that we will sign – to put the standards exactly into the place they are needed. The standards are not only important in the gym.”

That may be pertinent, too. The declining standard of Salah’s performance, from scoring 29 league goals last season to seven this, is a reason for Liverpool’s decline. Age has caught up with some, injury with others. There are others who have underperformed. But, Slot thinks, he has the right characters in the camp.

In interviews last week, Salah sounded nostalgic, reflecting on joining a club where the culture was set by men like Jordan Henderson and James Milner. Then Liverpool may not have just had the best team; they seemed to have the best dressing room, too. Now there is the chance that three of the four elder statesmen will go, with Slot saying that Virgil van Dijk will be at Anfield next season but, significantly or otherwise, not mentioning Alisson. There are questions about the future of Joe Gomez, the longest-serving player, and Curtis Jones, the local in the dressing room.

It may mean Dominik Szoboszlai, a leader in troubled times, becomes vice-captain. Others will also have to step up. Slot does not believe he needs to import players to set the standards in the summer; in any case, Robertson’s replacement is likely to be Kostas Tsimikas, returning from loan at Roma.

Nor, though, does he feel he needs to buy senior players. He sees culture setters in his current group. “I’m not saying that we need to sign them,” he said. “I am saying that we have them already. Senior players are not the only ones who set the standards at a club. If I look at Paris Saint-Germain: Desire Doue is 20, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is 25. Can they set standards for another generation or for a team? I don’t know what time they are in the gym, by the way. And this is what Mo did when he was 26. I don’t think it comes down to ages that only 32 or 33-year-old players can set standards.

“They have lived experiences and know what it takes to play at this level. But come on, we are not talking about Florian Wirtz or Hugo Ekitike or Alexander Isak and all these players we signed. They are not children, they are serious professionals that know what it takes to play at this level as well. They now know what it takes to play in the Premier League and Champions League at this level. It can only be better but it is not only down to 34-year-olds. They can definitely be a big help which they have been in the last two seasons and Virgil will still be next season as well. But standards are not only set by 34-year-olds. Standards can also be set by a 20-year-old, like Doue, or Salah who played for Liverpool when he was 26. That did not only start when he is what age he is now. It is not age related.”

Part of it has to come from Slot, too, as he readily agreed. “Players can help but it is definitely also that the manager sets standards as well,” he said. But his view is that the culture club, to borrow John Motson’s famous phrase in his commentary of the 1988 FA Cup final, will still have the right culture.

Southampton have been charged by the EFL following accusations of spying on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of their Championship play-off semi-final on Saturday.

The charge comes after Middlesbrough lodged a complaint regarding alleged unauthorised filming by an individual connected to Southampton ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Riverside Stadium.

The dispute between the clubs brings back memories from 2019 when Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United were fined £200,000 by the EFL.

An EFL statement on Friday night read: “Southampton Football Club has today been charged with a breach of EFL Regulations, and the matter will be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission.

“This follows a request from the EFL for the club’s observations after a complaint from Middlesbrough relating to alleged unauthorised filming on private property ahead of the two clubs meeting in Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final first leg.

“The charges relate to the following Regulations: EFL Regulation 3.4, which requires clubs to act towards each other with the utmost good faith; and EFL Regulation 127, which prohibits any club from observing, or attempting to observe, another club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match between the two clubs.

“Under EFL Regulations, Southampton would ordinarily have 14 days to respond to the charges.

“However, given the nature of the matter, the EFL will ask the Independent Disciplinary Commission to shorten the response period and to list a hearing at the earliest opportunity.

“The League will make no further comment whilst proceedings are ongoing. ”

In 2019, a Leeds member of staff was caught acting suspiciously outside Derby County’s training ground before facing Frank Lampard’s side on 10 January, with the club later apologising.

Manager Marcelo Bielsa later admitted when discussing the 2019 incident that he sent a member of staff to watch training sessions of every opponent during the 2018/19 season, with the EFL stating that Leeds failed to treat teams with “good faith”.

Having expressed a keen interest in fighting the winner, Oleksandr Usyk has delivered his final verdict on Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois.

The pair will headline a Queensberry Promotions pay-per-view card later today, with Wardley making the first defence of his WBO world title at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

He was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion towards the end of last year, immediately after Usyk decided to vacate the belt rather than face his then-mandatory challenger.

Since then, though, the Ukrainian has included the winner of tonight’s intriguing clash in his three-fight plan, fully expecting to defeat kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23.

He has, of course, already faced Dubois on two separate occasions, both encounters ending inside the distance as Usyk proved a level or two above.

The latest of these relieved Dubois of his IBF title last July, while also ending an impressive run of stoppages over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.

It would therefore be of more interest, from both an Usyk and a fan perspective, for the heavyweight king to face Wardley after their respective outings this month.

Perhaps this is partly why the 39-year-old is backing Wardley this weekend, telling BBC Sport that he expects his former sparring partner to retain his WBO title.

“I think Wardley win. I want Fabio win because I think he deserves to win this fight. Good guy – I like him.”

While Wardley, too, is eager for their potential showdown to materialise later this year, Usyk is facing pressure to address his WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel following his fight with Verhoeven later this month.

Triple H and his WWE creative regime are just inches away from their first Premium Live Event post-WrestleMania 42: Backlash 2026. The card for the PLE already looks promising with five promising must-see matches.

There’s already buzz about the show this weekend, and fans are sharing their predictions. Roman Reigns is once again at the top of the food chain, having officially wrapped that gold belt around his waist. The Original Tribal Chief had a perfect game plan for himself this year, kicking off the year by winning the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble. Without wasting any time, he picked CM Punk to face at WrestleMania 42.

At the Granddaddy of Them All, Reigns showcased that he is hungry for glory, giving a glimpse of his OG Tribal Chief run. After competing in a thirty-minute-plus classic match, The OTC managed to overpower The Best in the World and pinned him, becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.

On the post-Mania edition of Monday Night RAW, Jacob Fatu, who has been riding a massive wave of success and is also coming off a massive win over Drew McIntyre, issued a challenge to The OTC to face him at Backlash 2026 with the World Heavyweight Championship up for grabs.

Initially, Reigns refused, but Fatu crossed the line and caught him in a Tongan Death Grip, which infuriated the Tribal Chief to accept his challenge. Throughout their build, the Samoan Werewolf has gained a major upper hand and showcased why he is by far one of the toughest opponents The OTC has ever faced in his iconic career.

The other four matches on the card are as follows: Trick Williams will be facing Sami Zayn in a rematch for the United States Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker, IYO SKY vs. Asuka, and Danhause & mystery partner will lock horns with The Miz and Kit Wilson.

That being said, the card for this PLE is packed, and to add more fuel to the hype train for the 2026 WWE Backlash Premium Live Event, we will take a look at five last-minute predictions:

#5. Kairi Sane helps IYO SKY beat Asuka

Following WrestleMania 42, the Stamford-based promotion dropped bombshells by releasing 20-plus talents. Amongst all the releases, one of the most shocking budget cuts was of Damage CTRL’s The Pirate Princess, who was let go by the company on April 24.

The fans didn’t receive her release well and started a campaign on X/Twitter called “WeWantKairi,” and were also caught chanting the same on WWE RAW. Triple H and his creative team are known for listening to fans. Prime example was bringing back R-Truth after social media backlash after initially firing him.

A few days back, a report emerged stating that there is a belief within the company that Sane could at least make an appearance at Backlash. If that’s true, she might finally get her revenge on Asuka for constantly bullying her by turning a babyface and helping SKY to beat the Empress of Tomorrow, ending her stint with the promotion, and completing her storyline.

#4. Sami Zayn turns heel and wins the WWE United States Championship

WWE has been high on the Zayn-Williams saga. Them closing the go-home edition of Friday Night SmackDown WWE Backlash is just proof of it. Tonight, fans witnessed Gingerbread Man’s funeral on the show. Trick presented a tribute to Gingerbread Man with a song; the entire ring was decorated with background singers, and Gingerbread Man was inside the casket.

Zayn had had enough, and he came out and snapped at Williams and waved the WWE United States Champion above his head, signaling he would regain. In a shocking ending, the Gingerbreak Man woke up, removed his mask, and revealed himself as Lil Yachty, who attacked Sami with the stick, revealing it all as a trap for the Honorary Uce. The rapper stood tall with the US Champion.

It appears Zayn could end up winning the United States Title, as there has been a long-standing rule in the company that the star who gains the upper hand on the go-home episode ahead of PLE ends up losing. The Honorary Uce has been showing signs of a heel turn; his snapping at Williams also drew heat from the crowd, which is a major spoiler for his heel turn.

Zayn could finally turn heel this weekend and win the United States Championship.

#3. Bronson Reed returns to help Bron Breakker

The past few months have been tough for The Vision faction as two of its major members, Reed and Breakker, sustained injuries and were put on the shelf, landing the heel Paul Heyman-led stable into major trouble.

Bron made his massive return to the Stamford-based promotion at WrestleMania 42 and attacked Seth Rollins, costing him his match against Gunther. Now, WWE has booked Breakker and Rollins in a singles match. Bronson Reed has recently posted four watch emojis on his official Instagram story, hinting at his return at Backlash.

In a shocking turn of events, the Australian star may return in Tampa and help Breakker beat Rollins, turning their feud even more personal as their rivalry won’t end with just one match; it will be deeper and more personal. For the same reason, the company needs time.

#2. The Usos turn heel on Roman Reigns after the match

Jey and Jimmy Uso are at The Original Tribal Chief’s corner and have reformed the OG Bloodline with him following his World Heavyweight Championship win.

Even the go-home edition of Friday Night SmackDown saw The Usos sending the final warning to Jacob Fatu, telling him how Tribal Chief would destroy him this weekend. But in Tampa, fans could witness a big betrayal where Jey and Jimmy Uso may finally turn heel on The OTC. He manages to retain his title, kicking off the Bloodline saga yet again, adding an entirely new perspective to the PLE.

This heel turn could finally lead to The Rock vs. Roman Reigns saga, where he could be revealed as the true mastermind behind the Usos turning heel by WWE SummerSlam 2026.

#1. Jelly Roll sides with Danhausen

The rapper Jelly Roll has been trying to be in WWE as much as he can. He was seen on television more often during the Road to WrestleMania 42. Roll also took Pat McAfee at Mania Saturday, before Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton began.

For those unaware, Jelly also had a history with The Miz and Kit Wilson. He even captured his first singles match win over Kit on WWE SmackDown earlier this year.

Given the rapper’s history with The A-Lister and Wilson, Danhausen, who is actively looking for a tag partner, could bring Jelly Roll as his tag team partner for WWE Backlash, adding mainstream eyes to the PLE.