Neymar has clarified his omission from the Santos squad after watching his side slump to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against bitter rivals Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil. The 34-year-old forward was left out of Wednesday's round-of-16 first leg entirely, sparking intense scrutiny following the Peixe's toothless display at Nubank Parque.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has challenged marquee signing Savio to add regular goals to his game following an impressive debut in Wednesday's 5-1 Carabao Cup rout of Charlton Athletic. The £85m Brazilian winger came off the bench to score late on, but his manager insisted he must reach double figures to be considered elite.
Everton striker Thierno Barry has set his sights on a breakthrough campaign after netting his first hat-trick for the club in Wednesday's 4-0 Carabao Cup demolition of Preston North End. The forward struck three times at Deepdale to steer David Moyes' side into the third round, following up on his Premier League goal at the weekend.
Santos football executive director Alexandre Mattos insisted that leaving Neymar out of their 3-0 Copa do Brasil defeat to Palmeiras was purely tactical. The veteran forward was omitted from the matchday team sheet, sparking debate surrounding his physical condition and the venue's synthetic surface.
Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes targeted silverware after coming off the bench to score twice in a 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over West Bromwich Albion. The triumph marked a first competitive win for new manager Matthias Jaissle at St James' Park, with Barnes striking late to send the Magpies into the third round.
Martin O'Neill took full responsibility after Celtic suffered an extraordinary collapse against LASK to crash out of Champions League qualifying. The Scottish giants squandered a commanding 4-0 aggregate lead before falling to a 5-1 second-leg thrashing after extra time, missing out on the league phase for the second consecutive campaign.
Joe Rodon praised the depth across the Leeds United squad after they eased past Nottingham Forest 2-0 to reach the Carabao Cup third round. Having secured their second win at the City Ground in the space of three days, the Welsh international insisted everyone will have a big role to play as the Whites look to build early-season momentum.
Keith Andrews praised the depth of talent in his Brentford squad after witnessing a heavily rotated side achieve a resounding 6-1 victory over Birmingham City in the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday evening. The Bees produced a commanding attacking performance at St Andrew's to book their place comfortably in the third round.