The Offside Daily: Mixed fortunes for Arsenal as Mourinho-United rumours intensify

Only the news you need – bringing you five mainstream and five off-the-wall news stories each day!

1. Arsenal showed true fighting spirit last night, standing strong in the face of a late Manchester City onslaught, but their manager Arsene Wenger is refusing to accept their title credentials, whilst the Frenchman also added that Alexis Sanchez will be out until the 10th of January.

2. Numerous reports in the press indicate that Louis van Gaal is set to be fired as Manchester United manager and replaced by Jose Mourinho, whereas others report that the Dutchman will be given two more games to prove his worth before a decision is made.

3. Chelsea and Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been backed to overcome the difficult period he is going through at Stamford Bridge by his club and national team teammate, Pedro.

4. Republic of Ireland footballing legend Damien Duff has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36. The Irishman won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his 20-year playing career.

5. Bastian Schweinsteiger has hit back at those criticising his pace, insisting he was never as fast as Usain Bolt, and arguing that he feels he is playing at the same level he was playing at when he helped Germany win the World Cup.

6. After another stunning performance from Mesut Ozil last night, check out some of these tweets lauding the German’s prowess – the tweet from Frankie Hobbs being the highlight for us (Joe.co.uk).

7. In-flight safety briefings can be a bit boring, unless they feature Lionel Messi, right? (Eurosport)

8. Check out the eerie similarities between this statement made after LVG was sacked as Bayern Munich manager, compared to the current situation at Old Trafford (The Metro).

9. Tim Roth, the Oscar-nominated actor, has spoken out about his decision to play the part of Sepp Blatter in a film about FIFA (Deadspin).

10. Finally, some more tekkers for us to enjoy over the Christmas period, provided by Bayern Munich – welcome to the Robert Lewandowski show (YouTube).