Fewer touches than Vicario & only 9 passes: Spurs flop must now be dropped

Tottenham Hotspur’s unbeaten run across all competitions has now extended to three games across all competitions after Tuesday’s Champions League win over Slavia Prague.

The Lilywhites claimed a superb 3-0 victory in Europe after penalties from Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and an own goal from opposition defender David Zima.

Thomas Frank looks to have finally found a winning formula, as seen in recent weeks, after previously failing to win in any five matches, four of which came in the Premier League.

Some may argue that the Dane is starting to get the best out of his current playing squad, with a period of adaptation evidently needed after his summer appointment.

However, despite the three-goal triumph in North London last night, the manager will no doubt have seen some glaring flaws that will need correcting in the weeks ahead.

Spurs's biggest underperformers against Slavia Prague

After starting each of the last four games on the substitutes bench, winger Wilson Odobert was handed the chance to start from the off against Slavia Prague.

However, the Frenchman struggled to make the desired impact, as seen by his tally of 86% duels lost, leading to his withdrawal in the 76th minute of the clash.

Other figures, such as zero dribbles completed and two big chances missed in the final third, also highlight his lack of positive impact despite Frank’s faith shown in the youngster.

He wasn’t alone in struggling to deliver during the win, with Pedro Porro unable to produce the regular attacking quality the fanbase have become accustomed to in recent years.

The Spaniard only managed to complete one of his five attempted crosses, whilst completing just 66% of the passes he attempted – largely being ineffective when in possession.

He also failed to win any tackles against the Czech side, whilst failing to complete any of his attempted dribbles – showcasing his lack of quality at both ends of the pitch in North London.

Spurs star needs to be dropped after Slavia Prague

Spurs have spent heavily over the last couple of years to try and be competitive in the Premier League and try and compete for titles under Frank in the years ahead.

In the recent summer alone, the Lilywhites hierarchy backed the manager with over £120m worth of funds to make an immediate impact during his first year at the helm.

Xavi Simons was just one of the additions made by the hierarchy during the off-season, but he’s struggled to make an impact across various competitions in recent months.

He went 17 games without a goal until last week, but the Dutch star has started to find his feet – as seen by his tally of two goals in his last two games for the Lilywhites.

The same can’t be said for striker Richarlison, who has constantly struggled for consistency after his own £50m transfer from Everton back in the summer of 2022.

The Brazilian international has been Frank’s starting centre forward for the majority of 2025/26 to date, subsequently managing to net a total of seven goals across all competitions.

Whilst such a tally may seem respectable, he’s often gone missing in major moments this campaign, as seen against Slavia Prague in the meeting on Tuesday.

He was once again handed a start at the top end of the pitch, but he was unable to provide the goods in front of goal and was subsequently replaced in the 68th minute.

Richarlison was only able to register a measly tally of 22 touches, a tally fewer than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who managed 50 – showcasing his lack of impact in North London.

Richarlison – stats against Slavia Prague

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

68

Touches

22

Passes completed

9

Possession lost

7x

Big chances missed

1

Aerials won

50%

Passes into final third

1

Fouls committed

2

Stats via FotMob

He also only managed to complete nine passes and lost possession on seven separate occasions, further highlighting his lack of positive impact during the Champions League clash.

The Brazilian also missed one big chance in front of goal and won just 50% of his aerial battles, often struggling to provide the focal point Frank has massively craved.

As a result of his showing, the striker was handed a measly 6/10 match rating by Football London’s Alasdair Gold, further showcasing his struggles in North London.

After such a showing, Frank must certainly be left with no choice but to drop the forward and hand the likes of Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani the chance to stake their claim for the number nine role.

Richarlison has no doubt been a decent option for Spurs over the last couple of years, but it’s becoming increasingly evident week on week that he’s not at the level needed for success.

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فيديو | إنجاز تاريخي.. ميسي يقود إنتر ميامي للتتويج بلقب الدوري الأمريكي بثلاثية أمام فانكوفر

حقق فريق إنتر ميامي، بقيادة النجم ليونيل ميسي، لقب بطولة الدوري الأمريكي لكرة القدم نسخة 2025، للمرة الأولى في تاريخه عقب فوزه على فانكوفر، مساء يوم السبت.

واستضاف ملعب “لوكهارت” مباراة نهائي بطولة الدوري الأمريكي لتلك النسخة، بين إنتر ميامي بطل القسم الشرقي وفانكوفر بطل القسم الغربي، حيث توجت كتيبة ليونيل ميسي باللقب، بعدما فازت بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

كان إنتر ميامي قد تقدم بهدف سجله اللاعب إديير أوكامبو، في الدقيقة الثامنة من عمر الشوط الأول، بالخطأ في مرمى فريقه.

وفي الدقيقة 60، تمكن فانكوفر من تسجيل هدف التعادل عن طريق اللاعب علي أحمد، ولكن إنتر ميامي عاد بهدفين سجلهما رودريجو دي بول وتاديو أليندي، في الدقيققتين 71 و96.

وشارك ليونيل ميسي في مباراة اليوم كأساسي رفقة إنتر ميامي، وخاضها حتى النهاية، وصنع الهدف الثاني والثالث، ليقود الفريق إلى لقب الدوري الأمريكي الأول في تاريخ النادي.

Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko

If Chelsea’s draw against Arsenal showed them at their best, the last week of results has shown them at their worst.

Enzo Maresca’s side were just six points off the Premier League leaders after their match against them, but a defeat away to Leeds United and a draw away to Bournemouth now sees them eight points adrift and in fifth place.

It’s been a frustrating week for the Blues and one that has shown that, for all their talent, they are still vulnerable and have more than a few week links.

In fact, one of those weak links could be Chelsea’s biggest liability since Tiémoué Bakayoko.

Tiémoué Bakayoko's Chelsea career

In the 16/17 season, AS Moncao shocked the world by mounting a surprising and successful title charge, their first to end in glory for well over a decade.

Chalkboard

That side was full of incredible players who’d go on to have glittering careers, like Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho.

However, instead of signing any of them, Chelsea opted to splash north of £40m on Bakayoko, who, to be fair to the club, did look like a star in the making at the time.

Unfortunately, once he arrived in England, it was clear that he was anything but.

The Frenchman made 43 appearances across the 17/18 season, but very rarely, if ever, looked convincing, be that in possession or out of it.

The midfielder’s most notable performance in Blue just so happened to also be his worst, when, against Watford in February 2018, he was sent off just 30 minutes into the game.

In all, while he was once a hugely promising midfielder, Bakayoko is now known as a flop in England.

Following a slew of loans, he joined Lorient in 2023 before moving to PAOK last summer, and is now without a club at just 31 years old.

Unfortunately for Maresca, he might now have Chelsea’s biggest liability since the Frenchman in his current squad.

Chelsea's biggest liability since Bakayoko

Now, there are a few players Chelsea need to sell as soon as possible, but if you were to ask fans who in the first team needs to go first, most would likely land on Tosin Adarabioyo.

The Blues signed the Englishman for free after his contract with Fulham expired last summer, and while he has been a useful stand-in at times, it has become increasingly clear this season that he’s a problem.

For example, in the last five games he has started, the West Londoners have conceded 11 goals and won just two, drawing one and losing the other two.

Moreover, while the entire backline should be held to account for some of those goals, the 28-year-old has made some high-profile and almost comical mistakes.

Against Leeds United, for example, Dominic Calvert-Lewin only scored his goal because the Englishman lost control of the ball within the Blues’ penalty area.

It was a mistake Chelsea fan and content creator Tom Overend branded “utterly embarrassing”, and while that might sound harsh, it’s hard to dispute.

Tosin vs Leeds

Minutes

96′

Tackles

1

Ground Duels (Won)

4 (1)

Fouls

2

Errors Leading to a Goal

1

Touches

121

Shots

1

Key Passes

0

Expected G+As

0.07

All Stats via Sofascore

It’s not just the eye-test where the defender fails, either: according to FBref, he ranks in the top 43% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles won and in the bottom 4% of dribblers tackled, all per 90.

In other words, he’s not proactive enough at the back, and even when he is, he isn’t very effective.

Ultimately, it’s clear that Tosin is not good enough to play for Chelsea, and therefore, the club should look to move him on as soon as possible, for everyone’s sake.

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Stokes urges England players to go full throttle in intrasquad Ashes warm-up

England’s captain confirmed the three-day intrasquad practice match “will be proper and taken very seriously”

Tristan Lavalette12-Nov-2025

Ben Stokes trains at Lilac Hill in Perth•Getty Images

England captain Ben Stokes is confident he can manage a gruelling workload during the Ashes having bowled at intensity over the past two months. He will make his return to competitive cricket in a three-day intrasquad game with England Lions starting on Thursday, urging England’s players to go “balls to the wall” in their sole warm-up ahead of the first Test.There has been uncertainty over the fitness of Stokes, who has been sidelined since late July with a shoulder injury. But he has been bowling flat out at England’s training sessions at Lilac Hill, a suburban ground in Perth’s outskirts that once hosted light-hearted 50-over games for touring teams.”I’ve been bowling like that for two months now,” Stokes said. “It was nice to put the feet up but once the rehab started, I’ve hit the ground running. There has been a lot of hard work to get my body in a good place. I’ve had two-three months of building up to get here and that’s where all the hard work comes in.”Related

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Stokes was ruled out of the fifth Test against India with a torn shoulder muscle after a heavy workload with the ball, claiming 17 wickets for the series in performances marked by long, gut-busting spells.”[Injuries] could happen any time, one of those things when you’re an athlete you’re always exposing yourself to injuries,” he said. “It’s part of what we do. I bat, bowl and field. It’s a pretty high intensity role that I do.”It’s frustrating, but also a little bit of realisation that I might have a little niggle here and there.”Stokes will test his fitness in England’s practice game at Lilac Hill. The exact details of the match are yet to be known, but Stokes confirmed that it would be an XI vs XI contest and that the full Ashes squad will take part along with England Lions players.”Next few days is balls to the wall for everyone, no easing into it and it will be a good run for everyone,” he said. “We’re going to be giving everyone in our squad time out in the middle. Everyone will be getting an opportunity.”It will be proper and taken very seriously the next few days. We’ve got nine days until the first Test and a lot of things can happen.”Other than Stokes, a lot of focus will be on the fitness of quicks Jofra Archer and Mark Wood with England contemplating selecting them in tandem for the first Test on an expected fiery surface at Optus Stadium.”It’s great to have the X-factor that Jof and Woody possess in terms of pace,” Stokes said. “Woody’s got over his knee surgery he had quite a while ago, he’s overcome that, and he’s looking really, really good.”Jofra’s been out on the park for two-and-a-half years now, so it’s great seeing those two flying in and sending some fast balls down there at our guys as well.”He’s going really well. He’s been looked after with workloads to get to this point. He’s in a great place at the moment.”Ben Stokes speaks to the media at Lilac Hill in Perth•Getty Images

As hinted by assistant coach Marcus Trescothick, England appear likely to back incumbent Ollie Pope at No. 3 although Stokes remained coy. “We’ve been very consistent with our team selections. We know exactly what we want,” he said.”Pope’s done a great job for us at number three. There are nine days to go. There’s a lot of things that can go right. There’s a lot of things that can go wrong. We’ll have a team one-two days [ahead of the first Test] as normal.”About 30km away from England’s training hub, nestled in a popular wineries region, a Sheffield Shield match is ongoing at the WACA where Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne have had eye-catching contributions.”I think a couple of their players have put in some good performances out in the field for their states,” Stokes said. “But when you get out there in the field and the heat for the Ashes on that first day, you know that you’re expected to go and deliver for your team. That’s a completely different ball game.”Stokes has arrived in Perth as the pantomime villain – branded a ‘cocky captain’ on the front page of the city’s tabloid newspaper – but he remains focused on a series that looms as legacy-shaping for his side.”That’s part of being in Australia. It’s another one of those things that we’re going to have to deal with,” Stokes said of the media scrutiny. “Especially for some of the guys who are here for the first time, just letting them know that’s what it is going to be like.”I would love to come back [to England] in January and say that I’ve helped the team win an Ashes in Australia. That’s obviously the goal. We are very, very determined to walk away with the goal that we want.”

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