Premier League news: go bananas: Maresca loving fans’ show of defiance; Alonso backs his defence

Manchester City manager embraces response to external criticism while Chelsea captain could be out until new year

James was not one of the five players to withdraw from England duty during the break, though he does now look set to miss the next international window when England will face Croatia at Wembley and an away game against Spain.

Moises Caicedo made his first start of the season against Bournemouth and made an immediate impact in helping the team to control the game, something that the side had struggled with during Alonso’s first few matches. Jordan Henderson started alongside Caicedo and scored his first two Blues goals, while Romeo Lavia, another player to have suffered badly with fitness since joining Chelsea, has made an injury-free start to the season.

“I think we’ll be able to manage well with the players we have, the ones who have been playing and who are available,” said Alonso. “Reece is still a very important player. He’s the captain, a great influence. He has a good mentality and we need him.” Press Association

Frank Lampard is not prepared to relax after watching his Coventry side record back-to-back wins in the Premier League. The Sky Blues looked to be in for a long season after losing their opening four games without scoring a goal on their return to the top tier, but they have kickstarted their campaign with wins against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle and Lampard wants to keep the foot on the gas.

“Keep driving it,” he said. “It’s very important to look at the good things out of the game, also the things we can improve. But when we talk about the good things, I’m not overly patting them on the back because we have to work hard to get better.

“Every game brings different challenges, so I think the players understand me and my approach and the staff’s approach here. We never want to rest. I don’t. I’m always fearful of resting on something and thinking that you’ve made it. This league’s too difficult for that.

“So one of my first jobs is to keep pushing from that front, and the players need to feel that.” Press Association

Andoni Iraola, the Liverpool head coach, has every faith in Trey Nyoni as the 19-year-old looks set for his first Premier League start. The teenager put in a composed display in the 6-3 Champions League win over LASK in midweek, and with Ryan Gravenberch suspended and Dominik Szoboszlai still struggling with a hamstring injury, it is likely he will line up alongside Alexis Mac Allister at Brentford.

Nyoni has made 26 appearances since his debut in February 2024, 10 of which have been as a substitute in the top flight, but after playing 85 minutes on his first Champions League start in the midweek win, Iraola has no doubts about the youngster’s quality.

“Trey is a player that is very young with not a lot of minutes in the first team, but is very mature, he understands the situation very well, he understands the game very well and tactically he is very smart,” Iraola said.