Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE BATTLE
CARVALHAL: Conte should not complain about transfers... he should try working with a peanuts budget like some other bosses
Clive Lloyd became the first West Indian to play in 100 Test matches as the fifth Test against Australia got under way in Jamaica.
Wigan’s Andy Gregory became only the second rugby league player to win the Lance Todd Trophy a second time – for man of the match in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
West Brom terminated the contract of defender Shane Nicholson following his drugs admission.
Gareth Bale won the PFAS Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, matching a feat only previously achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo and Andy Gray. (76) – ex-england & Middlesex skipper. (52) – winner of the PGA Championship in 1991 and the Open in 1995. (48) – Former Argentina star, now coach of Atletico Madrid. (38) – first British Tour de France winner.
Premier Lge, Liverpool v Stoke – Sky Sports, 11.30am, Swansea v Chelsea – BT Sport 1, 7pm; Champs, Middlesbrough v Millwall – Sky Sports 5.15pm; Vanarama National League, Woking v Dover – BT Sport 1, noon.
Formula One, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Qualifying – Channel 4 12.55pm; Sky Sports, 1pm.
World Champs – BBC 2, 10am, 4.30pm, 7pm; BBC 1, 1.15pm.
Super League, Catalans v Hull FC – Sky 4.55pm. CARLOS CARVALHAL has told Antonio Conte to stop whingeing.
Chelsea manager Conte has moaned about a lack of backing in the transfer market, despite spending £236million on new players this season. Swansea boss Carvalhal will pit his wits against Conte this
evening and believes the Italian’s woes are nothing compared to his problems in South Wales.
“I have never been at a club that said to me, ‘You have this money, let’s try to bring players to achieve what you want’.
“So far, I’ve never worked with this kind of challenge,” Carvalhal said.
“So far, I have managed with just peanuts and of all the jobs in the Premier
League, I think ours is the hardest of all. Why? Because when we arrived we were five points adrift at the bottom and no-one else was playing in this condition in this competition.
“The hardest job will be my job. I did not prepare the team at the start to win the title or to go to Europe.
“I accepted the challenge midway through the season when we were bottom. There is no harder situation in the competition, I’m absolutely sure of that, but I’m happy and I’m not complaining.”
Swansea are four points and a place above the Premier League’s bottom three. But Carvalhal has been hit by knee injuries to captain Federico Fernandez and his fellow defender Kyle Bartley.
Both players are big doubts today, while Luciano Narsingh is also struggling.
Young Wales international Connor Roberts is poised to come in at right wing-back with Kyle Naughton set to join Alfie Mawson and Mike van der Hoorn in a central defensive trio.