Spurs star was one of the "best in the world", now he's on borrowed time

Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League triumph in the 2024/25 campaign allowed numerous players to write themselves into the club’s history books forever.

The Lilywhites ended their 17-year wait for a piece of silverware, and did so in tremendous fashion after defeating fellow Premier League side Manchester United in Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou handed the fanbase memories to last a lifetime with the triumph, but it wasn’t enough to maintain his position as manager in North London.

Thomas Frank was elected as the man to take the reins during the summer, with the Dane handed the responsibility of taking the club to the next level after the European success.

However, his appointment has prevented numerous players from kicking on in their careers, with the first-team members often struggling to replicate the form they demonstrated under the Aussie.

The biggest losers from Thomas Frank's appointment at Spurs

Yves Bissouma was often one of Postecoglou’s first names on the teamsheet during the 2024/25 campaign, as seen by his tally of 44 appearances across all competitions.

The Malian international featured in 11 of the 15 club’s European outings last campaign, but it’s safe to say his spell under Frank has been far from successful to date.

He was left out of the club’s UEFA Super Cup final after being late numerous times, resulting in missing out on the club’s Premier League squad for the current 2025/26 campaign.

However, he’s not alone in that regard, with Brennan Johnson one of the Lilywhites’ most important players in the previous campaign, as seen by his phenomenal goalscoring record.

The Welshman scored 18 times across all competitions – even netting the winner in the Europa League final – subsequently ending the year as the club’s top goalscorer.

Like Bissouma, he’s struggled for consistency this time around, with the 24-year-old only starting five league games out of a possible 11 since Frank took charge in the summer.

Mohammed Kudus’ arrival has no doubt pushed him down the pecking order, with the manager seemingly preferring the Ghanaian international over him at present.

Spurs star is no longer "one of the best in the world"

Spurs’ £120m spending spree during the summer window has made competition for places even tougher in 2025/26, with the first-team now having incredible depth in certain areas of the squad.

Given the number of competitions the Lilywhites are currently featuring in this season, it’s crucial Frank has the ability to rotate and rest certain players when needed.

Competitions such as the Premier League and Champions League will likely take priority, which has seen numerous players have to settle for minutes off the bench as a result.

Djed Spence has taken his career in North London to the next level over the last couple of years, with the full-back taking advantage of the injury crisis last campaign.

The Englishman made himself a regular starter under Ange last campaign, which has resulted in the 25-year-old now becoming an international regular under Thomas Tuchel.

His starts at right-back has provided competition for Pedro Porro in such an area of the pitch, with the Spaniard often missing out from the starting eleven as a result in recent months.

The 26-year-old has become known for his ability in possession rather than out of it, with Spence the complete opposite and making him an excellent fit for Frank’s system.

In 2024/25, Porro registered nine assists across all competitions, the most in a single season since his move to England – resulting in one journalist labelling him the “best in the world”.

However, in the ongoing campaign, the full-back has only registered one assist to date – showcasing his struggles – with his underlying stats also a cause for concern.

He’s completed just 72% of the passes he’s attempted to date, with such a tally ranking him in the bottom 8% of all players in England’s top-flight this season.

Games played

11

Goals & assists

1

Passes completed

72%

Crosses completed

17%

Duels won

3.9

Times dribbled past

1.3

Fouls committed

1.3

Dribble success

42%

Porro’s crossing success has also taken a massive hit in recent months, as the Spaniard has only completed a total of 17% of his efforts as of the middle of November.

Out of possession, he’s struggled just as much, as seen by his tally of just 3.9 duels won per 90, with such a figure placing him in the bottom 25% of all defenders in the league.

His lack of defensive talent is also evident in his tally of being dribbled past 1.3 times per 90, which is higher than 82% of other full-backs in the division at present.

Such numbers will certainly be a cause for concern to the manager, especially given the quality of players such as Spence already on the books in North London.

Despite his form under Ange, Porro could now find himself on borrowed time in the near future, with the hierarchy potentially tempted to cash in on him and invest in other areas of the squad.

He can end Bentancur's stay: Spurs gem is showing "shades of Mousa Dembele"

Tottenham Hotspur have a star who could end Rodrigo Bentancur’s career in North London.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 19, 2025

'A very bad night' – Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario apologises to Spurs fans after north London derby thumping as he rips into 'passive' tactics

Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has apologised to the club's travelling fans after a "very bad night" in their 4-1 loss at Arsenal. A Leandro Trossard goal and an Eberechi Eze hat-trick condemned Spurs to a thumping defeat at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Richarlison's consolation did little to lift the mood of Vicario, who criticised his team's "passive" approach.

Arsenal heap misery on Spurs

For Tottenham, this was, arguably, their biggest game of the season. A chance to beat the Premier League leaders, and their biggest rivals, on their home patch and boost their chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League. What played out on Sunday was quite the opposite. Arsenal ruthlessly cut apart a sorry Spurs side, who were far too tentative to threaten Mikel Arteta's team. The Gunners strove to claim all three points with an attacking display, whereas the visitors seemed content to come away with a point. In the end, they got nothing. The result saw Arsenal go six points clear at the top of the table, whereas Tottenham are now down to ninth.

AdvertisementAFPVicario rues match to forget

The Spurs keeper began by apologising to the thousands of Tottenham fans who attended the game after a horror night in enemy territory. He also said that the game plan they prepared was very different to the one they executed at Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports: "A very bad night for us. First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn't fight. That's not negotiable to do in football in this level. It's a tough night, a very bad defeat, but we have to stick together. We have a big night on Wednesday but we need to stick together. Tonight we didn't show the things we are normally capable of. The emotions are high, but we need cool heads and apologise to the people that support us and have travelled today. I think we waited too much to get into the game. We were too passive. The game plan we prepared was different. Today we didn't fight. We have to apologise first of all for this. But we have to stick together and move on because on Wednesday we have a big night."

Vicario did appeal that Eze's first goal should have been ruled out as a couple of Arsenal players were in his eyeline and were offside. But he later said that it would not have mattered to the scoreline.

The 29-year-old added: "I think the way the game went it wouldn't have changed anything. There were three people in front of me so of course they impacted me. But we didn't lose the game for that."

Frank 'pained' by Arsenal rout

Tottenham boss Frank said he felt confident going into the north London derby but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance. He said he tried to replicate the tactics they deployed in their narrow UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August but these two displays were like night and day.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's extremely painful to stand here after an extremely bad performance. Against the worst team we could put a bad performance in against. It was the perfect storm. I think especially first half we lacked the ability to have pressure and get close to them and be aggressive enough in the duels. We had to absorb to much pressure throughout the first half. In the second half we got a little bit better but nowhere near the level we want.

"That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Tottenham?

Tottenham will look to bounce back immediately from this thrashing when they return to Champions League action on Wednesday. Unfortunately for them, the fixtures don't get any easier as they take on defending champions PSG in Paris.

Marsh says 'depth is a privilege' as Australia make T20 statement

The building blocks of a formidable T20 side are coming together with some big names still to slot in

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-20250:42

Dwarshuis makes early breakthroughs for Australia

Australia’s build towards next year’s T20 World Cup could not have got off to a better start with the 5-0 sweep over West Indies in which several players staked claims for permanent spots in the team, leaving some potentially big calls for the selectors in the coming months.Cameron Green was player-of-the-series for his performances at No. 4, looking the ideal make-up for a role that can be required to play in various ways depending on the start. Meanwhile, Mitchell Owen made an immediate impact in the middle-order, having been challenged to develop his game away from the opening slot that has brought him considerable T20 league success.Tim David produced the performance of the series with his record-breaking 37-ball hundred, batting higher than has often been the case at No. 5, while Josh Inglis settled in at No. 3. With the ball, it’s difficult to see how Nathan Ellis does now not command a full-time place in the XI while Ben Dwarshuis had a productive series.Related

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“Depth is a privilege to have, and hopefully we can keep building on that,” Australia T20I captain, Mitchell Marsh said. “We saw a lot of guys come in: Mitch Owen, I thought Cam Green was fantastic, Nathan Ellis, again, was outstanding. Everyone played their part. It’s going to be a good challenge for us, but we certainly will welcome a few blokes back in.”Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood are expected to return for the series against South Africa which begins in Darwin on August 10, as could Matt Short if he has recovered from the side strain he picked up early in the West Indies tour. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will, however, continue to rest ahead of the home summer, so the major calls around the make-up of the pace attack will wait a bit longer.

However, Ellis can’t have done any more to lock himself in as a starter, regardless of who is available, having conceded 7.88 runs an over in a series where runs came at 10.23 overall and he regularly closed out innings at the death. Australia did not concede more than 39 in the final four overs.”He’s been our go-to guy,” Green told ESPN’s . “And I think he’s, real, real close to getting to that main team, if not in it. He’s the guy that we probably go to [in the] sixth over in the powerplay, we always know that’s so tough, especially when they’ve been none down at a couple of games. I think he bowls three at the death for us, so he’s just doing all the hard roles. He seems to thrive in them. He’s got so many tricks up his sleeve, so we’re really pleased with how he’s going.”Head’s return at the top alongside Marsh, who was the one first-choice batter not to make a significant contribution against West Indies, will likely see Glenn Maxwell slip back to the middle-order, where Owen has made a strong start with 125 runs at a strike-rate of 192.30.”In the last 12 months, [Owen has] done a lot of batting at the top of the order, but we wanted to give him that opportunity to play a finishing role and keep building out his game with guys like Travis Head coming back in,” Marsh said. “He was awesome. He’s a ripping kid, took on the challenge, didn’t seem overawed by the occasion of playing international cricket and seems like a pretty calm figure, so that was great.”Owen contributed 12 of the 64 sixes Australia hit in the series – West Indies struck 53 in what became the second-highest tally for a bilateral T20 series – with this latest iteration of the T20 side shaping as the most powerful yet with no thought of a backwards step. Since the start of 2024, Australia are the fastest-scoring team in T20Is.Attack leader: Nathan Ellis was outstanding throughout the series•AFP/Getty Images”I think the way T20 is going, even again tonight, we were in a little bit of trouble and Tim David came out and batted the way he did,” Marsh said at the presentation. “And teams just keep going now. That’s the way the game’s going.”Perhaps the only question is whether, after the series was wrapped up, Marsh should have taken the opportunity to challenge his side to set a target as he kept winning the toss, but it was never considered. “This outfield was obviously super small and as we saw, it was really hard to defend,” he said.The five wins in West Indies make it eight in a row and 12 from 13 completed matches for Australia since the last World Cup in the Caribbean. Since the beginning of 2024, Australia have won 22 of their 26 completed T20Is, although two of those defeats were to Afghanistan and India in the Super Eights which saw them miss the semi-finals.They have 14 more matches over the next six months, with the three against South Africa next month, followed by three in New Zealand in early October. They will then host India for five as part of their white-ball tour ahead of the Ashes. They then have three matches in Pakistan pencilled in as the final lead-up to the World Cup. If the current form line remains, they will be one of the teams to beat come February in India and Sri Lanka.

Three Takeaways From the Tigers' Clutch Game 3 Win Over the Guardians

The Detroit Tigers are moving on to the American League Division Series.

Detroit went on the road and topped the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 in a tightly contested wild-card series. On Thursday, the Tigers secured a 6-3 win thanks to an excellent effort from five pitchers and some timely hitting that eluded them in Game 1 and Game 2.

After an epic collapse to end the season that cost them the AL Central, Detroit rebounded and will now face the top-seeded Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.

What follows are three takeaways from their big win in Game 3.

Jack Flaherty Earned His Rotation Spot

Jack Flaherty led the American League in losses this season, going 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Detroit lost eight of his last 10 starts, the last two of which came against Cleveland. On Thursday, he stepped up and largely locked down the Guardians.

The 29-year-old allowed one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking two. He was wild, throwing only 43 of his 74 pitches for strikes, but he managed to limit the damage. A George Valera double opened the fourth inning, and Jose Ramirez singled to drive him in, tying the game at 1-1. He worked his way out of it. After getting two outs in the bottom of the fifth, he walked C.J. Kayfus and was relieved by Kyle Finnegan.

He left in a 1-1 game and didn't finish five innings, so he was ineligible for the win, but he put Detroit in position to come out ahead. He's earned his postseason rotation spot.

Detroit Can Get Timely Hits

In the first two games of the series, the Tigers were 2-23 with runners in scoring position, including going 1-15 in a 6-1 loss in Game 2. Their bats woke up in Game 3 as they went 5-12, including three straight singles with runners in scoring position in the seventh inning.

Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Wenceel Perez came through when they had to, giving Detroit a 6-1 lead and some breathing room. Catcher Dillon Dingler, who grew up in Ohio rooting for the Guardians, also came up big. His two-out home run in the top of the sixth put the Tigers up 2-1. They never trailed again.

The Tigers can hit in the clutch, they just needed to get some confidence back. Once they did, it was contagious.

Cleveland Didn't Have Enough Offense

Yes, the Guardians' late-season run was remarkable and even inspiring. Unfortunately, it wasn't sustainable.

On the season, Cleveland's wRC+ of 87 ranked 28th in all of baseball, ahead of only the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. Guardians hitters generated 13.2 fWAR, which ranked 25th, and their wxOBA of .299 was dead last. Eventually, that was going to catch up with them.

In the three games of the series, Cleveland's hitters slashed .178/.253/.322 for a woeful OPS of .575. They did have three home runs and eight RBIs, but also struck out 24 times with nine walks. Something has to change.

The Guardians brought up Chas DeLauter for the postseason in a move to juice the team's lineup, while top prospect and former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana is at Triple A. While Bazzana struggled a bit at that level, it wouldn't surprise me if Cleveland had him at second base to start the 2026 campaign.

Asif Afridi finally gets his moment, 16 years and 90 deliveries in the making

Having made his first-class debut back in 2009, Afridi, now 38, dismissed de Zorzi and Brevis in successive overs, proving he can cut it at the top level in these conditions

Danyal Rasool21-Oct-2025At 38 years, Asif Afridi knows he doesn’t have much time left in international cricket, but he doesn’t let it hurry him. He came on to bowl in the 13th over of South Africa’s innings, but struggled to make an early impact in Rawalpindi. Aiden Markram charged at him eighth ball and deposited him back over his head for six. If Asif wanted to show he wasn’t just the relief bowler for when Sajid Khan or Noman Ali needed a break, he would have to prove it.But Asif has spent more time than Markram, South Africa, or indeed any of his team-mates on these surfaces. He made his first-class debut in this very city 16 years ago, before any player on either side had played international cricket. The wickets would come, but they’d be no use if they came too late. And so he ensured what Markram had done to him would not happen again.In the next over, he came around the wicket, and found a length that spat the ball up and away from Tristan Stubbs, who was only too grateful not to have settled in well enough to get too close. Soon after, he came around the wicket to the in-form, albeit newly arrived, Tony de Zorzi, spinning it away from off stump and clipping him above the knee roll. Pakistan, distracted by the appeal for a catch, did not review, though the technology suggested it would have given Asif his first Test wicket.And still his patience didn’t waver. He made sure he was finding the right lines, starving the South Africans of runs even if the wickets column remained barren for now. When Shan Masood finally took him off after an 11-over spell, he’d given away just 19 runs, the most economical bowler in the game.Related

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Stubbs, de Zorzi dig in after Maharaj's seven spins out Pakistan

First day in Pindi = first day in Lahore

Maharaj: 'Old-fashioned Test cricket' helped us claw back

“Asif has so much experience, and we see how he uses it,” Saud Shakeel said after the second day’s play. “At one point he’d given away just 19 runs in 11. His control was indicative of someone who has played and had a lot of success in domestic cricket. When someone has built that base in domestic cricket, they don’t find it too difficult at this level.”But as the gulf between domestic and international cricket widens in Pakistan, Asif would have been keenly aware of how he’d be perceived if he walked away without making an impact on surfaces designed to give fingerspinners assistance. He looked set to be condemned to that fate as the shadows lengthened and stumps loomed, but still Asif held his lines, kept to the plan that may well have been hatched when he made his debut in 2009. He came around the wicket to de Zorzi, in that zone where neither using his feet or the sweep were realistic options.Asif Afridi became the second oldest to make his Test debut while playing for Pakistan•Getty ImagesAnd then, in the 58th over, cricket finally threw him a bone. He found a dent in the strip and the ball swooped on de Zorzi, hitting him halfway up the shin. Even now, this sport found a way to keep him waiting for just that little bit longer, with the umpire denying his anguished appeal. Mercifully, Pakistan reviewed this time. Asif’s wait would finally end among team-mates who mobbed him in congratulations, all appreciative of the journey he took, none quite able to understand just how bleak it can sometimes be.But Asif made sure his solitary Test wicket couldn’t just be put down to the bounce of a ball. Before the day was out, he had himself a picture-book orthodox spinner’s dismissal, four balls after he had sent de Zorzi packing. Dewald Brevis accounted for the turn and played accordingly, but Asif had found just a little bit more. It kissed his outside edge, and first slip made no mistake.Shakeel knows the feeling of falling to Asif’s wiles. “I’m very happy for Asif ,” he said. “It’s very late but at least he’s got to play Test cricket. When I play him in domestic cricket, I find it very difficult to handle him. In a Garde 2 match against FATA recently, I faced against Asif and got out to him in the first innings. Whenever we play against him he causes us problems.”By the end of the day, that Markram six was little more than a footnote. Of the 90 deliveries he sent down, 74 had been dot balls, his final economy rate nearly half that of the next best bowler. But Asif had trusted his plan, guided by his blind belief it was the right way to find success. That quixotic idealism is often not a natural fit in Pakistan cricket, but on this afternoon in the Pindi twilight for a man who in the sunset of his career, it was.

Jansen too hot for India as SA start dreaming of series sweep

Marco Jansen all but ensured the world Test champions South Africa a rare series win in India by bowling the hosts out for 201 and securing a first-innings lead of 288 on day three. On a pitch still hard to beat the defensive bat on, India collapsed from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7, losing all hopes of coming back to win and level the series. They were on the back-foot anyway after conceding 489 to South Africa, who also hold an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.Things happened quickly in the second hour of the day as the odd ball turned or bounced more than usual for spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav then batted together for nearly 35 overs without trouble to show it was just the early moisture that helped the odd ball turn.But Jansen rose above the pitch with aggressive short-pitched bowling to take his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests to go with his momentum-shifting 93 and an excellent catch to get rid of India’s only half-centurion in the series, Yashasvi Jaiswal.3:51

‘SA might set 470 target and keep 120 overs’

Nobody has ever taken as many wickets with bouncers in a single innings in India since the advent of ball-by-ball records. Those nasty bouncers took out Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah on an otherwise placid surface. On Ian Botham’s birthday, Jansen’s six-for went a long way towards emulating the greatest all-round performance by a visiting player in India: a century and 13 wickets in 1980 in the Jubilee Test.Before Jansen broke the game open with a spell of 8-1-18-4 with a fairly old ball either side of the first session break, South Africa benefitted from some luck and possible panic in the young Indian batting line-up. Not since the 1960s have India had Nos. 3 and 4 with just one hundred and fewer than 1000 career runs between them. That this is being played in the east, that we have lost 10 overs on the first two days because of the early sunset, might have had something to do with some of the frenetic batting from India, who need a win in this match to prevent a second home series defeat in 12 months after 12 years of none.Only four balls jumped or turned more than usual in more than an hour after the fast bowlers operated for the first half hour. India looked solid in getting to 65 without any loss, but then two of those four balls that did more than usual ended up in the wickets of openers. One long hop settled with short midwicket, and two batters fell trying to force the pace when only one batter has been able to dominate the bowling in this Test: Jansen.5:17

Best Test allrounders: Jadeja, Stokes, and… Jansen?

KL Rahul got the first of the good ones, bowled by Maharaj at 79kmph, well slower than any of India’s fingerspinners. Harmer, who has been excellent – sharp turn or not – then bowled the second one. Jaiswal had looked in control both when defending and attacking, but he checked a back-foot shot when this delivery stopped and stood up. Jansen, who had already denied him six runs on the cut with his long levers at backward point, took the catch diving forward. Not many could have even got to this on the full.B Sai Sudharsan, back as the No. 3 after being left out in Kolkata, was conscious to not get caught back to full deliveries, which has been his undoing in the past. He played two lovely cover-drives, but ended up pulling a short ball from Harmer to the left of short midwicket, where Ryan Rickelton took a rebound while diving.It was all Jansen after this – plus a little bit of chasing the game. Jurel was kept runless for 10 balls when he tried to hook a wide bouncer from Jansen. It was too high and too wide for him to be able to control. That this came about in the last over before tea made it worse.Post-tea, captain Rishabh Pant tried to counterattack by charging at Jansen. All he managed was an edge to the keeper. Reddy and Jadeja got brutes. Reddy had to throw his hands in front of his face in self defence, and Aiden Markram took a catch to match the earlier two, diving from second slip to gully. Jadeja tried to sway out of one’s line, but it followed him, hit the shoulder and then took the periscope on the way to second slip. On average, Jansen could bowl a metre fuller than Siraj for the ball to be a bouncer, giving them less time to adjust. He also bowled when the pitch had lost pace and bounce.With Jansen done, the moisture drying out and the push for a comeback win dissipating for India, Washington and Kuldeep defended with ease. No. 3 in the last Test, Washington came close to scoring only the second half-century for India this series, but was outdone by a lovely offbreak from Harmer just before the second new ball became available. Kuldeep registered his longest Test innings, turned down a single to protect Jasprit Bumrah, but couldn’t keep Jansen out. Not that Bumrah could be protected anyway: Jansen ended the innings with another nasty bouncer.Without even a full day’s rest, India’s bowlers were back on the park again. Bumrah created a chance in the first over of the third innings, but it flew wide of second slip. South Africa went into stumps 314 ahead, only a couple of sessions away from batting India out of the series.

'Always a symbol of determination' – Egypt boss comes out swinging in defense of Mohamed Salah after Liverpool star's bombshell Arne Slot rant

Mohamed Salah has come in for huge criticism following the bombshell post-match interview, where he took aim at Liverpool boss Arne Slot and accused the club of "throwing him under the bus", but Egypt national team boss Hossam Hassan has posted a message of support for his star forward. Salah was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw with Leeds, the third match in a row he has been named on the bench.

  • Damaging draw too much for Mo

    Leeds United secured a dramatic draw in a match Liverpool led twice, with Hugo Ekitike scoring a quickfire second-half brace, but were pegged back both times. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty and Anton Stach's goal made it 2-2, Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool's lead and the Reds looked like they had sealed the three points, but Ao Tanaka's 96th-minute equaliser sealed a point for the home side. And while there was high drama on the pitch, the main headlines came after it, following an extraordinary rant from Salah. 

    Speaking to reporters, Salah said: 'I can’t believe it, I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.'

    He added: 'I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club. This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much, I will always do. I called my mum yesterday — you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.'

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    Pundits queue-up to slam Salah 

    Danny Murphy and Chris Sutton have strongly criticised Salah for his explosive post-match interview. Murphy labelled the Egyptian's timing as poor, arguing such issues should be handled internally, stating: 'Salah is making it all about him when the focus should be on Liverpool's draw. That just creates more problems.'

    And Sutton posted to X on Saturday night: 'Embarrassing from Mo Salah and disrespectful to his team-mates and his manager. Salah is no different from any other player … if a player’s form drops as Salah’s has he is the same as anyone else and has to accept being benched… but he thinks he’s too good to be benched sadly…'

  • Egypt boss shows support

    While pundits formed an orderly line to criticise Salah, he found support in the shape of his national boss, Hassan. Salah will join-up with his national team later this month to participate in AFCON and could miss as many as eight games for Liverpool. Hassan posted a picture of himself and Salah on Instagram, with the caption (originally in Arabic): 'Always a symbol of determination and strength.'

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    Milan showdown next up for Reds

    Liverpool head to Italy for a Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday and fans will wait with baited breath to see the team sheet, and specifically whether Slot has included Salah. The Reds are desperate for victory after the damaging 4-1 home defeat by PSV Eindhoven in their last match and need wins in their remaining league phase matches to stand a chance of automatic qualification through to the knockout stage.

Spurs flop has become their biggest "embarrassment" since Aurier

The start of this season couldn’t have gone much better for Tottenham Hotspur, with convincing wins over Burnley and Manchester City.

However, in the months since, things have really gone off the rails for Thomas Frank and his side.

They currently sit 16th in the Champions League and, following their dismal defeat at the hands of Fulham on Saturday night, 11th in the Premier League.

Frank looked bereft of ideas against the West Londoners, and his team appeared all at sea, including one player who could be in danger of becoming their new Serge Aurier.

Spurs' worst players against Fulham

Aside from maybe Micky Van de Ven for his goalsaving tackle and Randal Kolo Muani for his general play, there were dismal displays across the entire Spurs starting lineup.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The player who has received the most stick during and after the game is undoubtedly Guglielmo Vicario.

The Italian goalkeeper was the main culprit for the visitors’ second goal, with him rushing out to intercept a long ball, kicking it into danger and then being way out of the penalty area when Harry Wilson curled the ball into the net.

Such a costly blunder, and the fact that the team were 2-0 down in just the sixth minute, led to sections of the home support booing the former Emploi man at every touch.

While not responsible for conceding a goal, Richarlison was another Lilywhites ace who was practically useless on the night.

In his 60 minutes of action, he offered no threat at all, producing an expected goals figure of 0.00 and completing just six of his nine passes.

Moreover, while he took 21 touches, he ended up losing possession nine times, which helps to justify the 3/10 match rating he received from the Standard’s Matt Verri.

It was also a poor showing for Kevin Danso, who was second best to Raul Jimenez throughout the game, and it was his headed clearance that led to the opening goal.

Unfortunately for Frank and the fans, another starter put in a horror display against the Cottagers and could end up becoming the Spurs’ next Aurier if he’s not careful.

Spurs' new Serge Aurier

It was clear that Aurier was a talented player during his stint with Spurs, but what was also clear was that he was error-prone and became something of a scapegoat.

serge-aurier-tottenham-hotspur-transfer-levy-serge-aurier-psg-pochettino

After all, he got sent off on his Premier League debut, and it was his foul that led to Manchester City’s winning free-kick in the 2021 League Cup final.

After that mistake, Jamie Carragher described him as “one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football.”

The Ivorian left the club that summer, and unfortunately, it feels like Pedro Porro could be becoming the new version of him.

Now, to be clear, the Spanish full-back, originally signed on loan by Antonio Conte, is a hugely talented footballer and someone who is capable of delivering a brilliant cross at times.

However, he has become a growing concern for North Londoners over the last season or so, both offensively and defensively, with the game against Fulham a perfect example.

In his 94 minutes on the pitch, he lost 100% of his aerial duels, lost five of eight ground duels, was dribbled past three times, was accurate in just three of 16 crosses, failed in 100% of his dribbles and completed only 62% of his long balls.

Porro’s game vs Fulham

Minutes

94′

Ground Duels (Won)

8 (3)

Aerial Duels (Won)

3 (0)

Dribbled Past

3

Crosses (Accurate)

16 (3)

Dribbles (Successful)

2 (0)

Long Balls

8/13

All Stats via Sofascore

In short, it was a poor attacking display and a truly horrendous defensive one, which more than justifies Verri’s match rating of 4/10 and description of him looking a ‘nervous wreck at the back.’

As if that wasn’t enough, he then proceeded to throw his shirt to the floor and storm off the pitch when the full-time whistle went, in what journalist Mitch Fretton described as “absolute embarrassment.”

It’s this combination of yet another poor performance and the petulance afterward that makes it hard not to think of the former Ivorian international.

Ultimately, Porro is still a talented player and could turn things around, but it’s been some time since fans have seen him at his best, and that display against Fulham was more than worrying.

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Fewer touches than Raya & only 7 passes: Arsenal star must be dropped

The dejection was palpable. Emi Buendia’s arcing strike following a goalmouth scramble condemned Arsenal to only their second defeat of the season. It was the last kick of the highly charged contest against Aston Villa.

Perhaps the most frustrating part is that the Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League has now been slashed to just two points after Manchester City thumped Sunderland. For their part, Villa are now emerging as bona fide contenders, third in the standings and with 30 points, three fewer than Arsenal’s 33.

Mikel Arteta has done incredible things in north London over the past five years, but this is the season that Arsenal must crown their revival with a gold medal, having finished runners-up in the top flight for three successive seasons.

And, sadly, the manager got it wrong against the shrewd Unai Emery.

Why Arteta got it wrong vs Aston Villa

Credit where credit’s due, Arteta made a few changes at half-time, his side one goal down, and was rewarded for his alteration when Leandro Trossard converted following an initial strike from Bukayo Saka before the hour mark. 1-1.

But the Emirates side would ultimately come away with nothing, and Arteta will be irked by his own decision-making, having opted to play Eberechi Eze out wide and withdraw the playmaker instead of skipper Martin Odegaard, despite the England international having played some knockout stuff from a central berth in recent weeks. He was, after all, named the club’s Player of the Month for November.

Eze, however, did flatter to deceive, at fault for Matty Cash’s opening goal, and the Spanish manager will feel he was somewhat handicapped due to injuries to key defensive personnel, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera all missing out.

Viktor Gyokeres entered the fray at the interval, and though the Swedish striker toiled away, he might have enjoyed a greater impact had he been unleashed from the outset, but Arteta opted to go down a different road.

Arteta must axe 5/10 Arsenal star

Arsenal have been immense this season, a force to be reckoned with. That said, they still need to be more incisive in the danger area, and for all his strengths and clutch ability in the box, Mikel Merino is not the solution at number nine.

Merino has posted five goals and three assists across 21 matches in all competitions this term. He has split his time between the final third and the middle of the park, and seven of those eight contributions have come as a makeshift striker.

It’s remarkable, but it’s not going to work all the time, and this was painfully clear at Villa Park, whose defenders negated his threat. Gyokeres was largely ineffective after the break, having replaced the seven-pass Spaniard at half-time.

Neither impressed, but football.london did award Gyokeres a 6/10 match rating, drawing attention to his energy and the off-the-ball work that evades statistical representation. Merino, conversely, was branded with a 5/10 score, having fumbled a chance with Saka earlier on.

Minutes played

45′

45′

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

17

11

Shots (on target)

0 (0)

0 (0)

Accurate passes

7/11 (64%)

4/7 (57%)

Chances created

0

0

Dribbles

0/1

0/0

Ball recoveries

3

1

Tackles won

0/0

0/0

Duels won

1/5

0/0

Assessing which of Arsenal’s centre-forwards did better on the evening is akin to splitting hairs. The fact of the matter is that neither received enough service, and this is an issue that Arteta has to overcome, especially with Eze, Odegaard and Saka all on the field at different stages.

Though it’s perhaps telling that Gunners goalkeeper David Raya took more touches of the ball than the pair of them, and given that Arsenal enjoyed 58% of the possession before the break (compared to 49% across the second half), Merino should have had more of an influence.

Gyokeres was signed for a big fee during the off-season to provide the north London side with a solution up top, and it’s surely crucial that he is afforded more starting action going forward, having started from the bench on three successive occasions since returning from the muscle injury that ruled him out for a few weeks in November.

The 27-year-old does need to up his game to the next level, because one thing’s for certain: If Arteta has to persist with Merino at number nine throughout the duration of the campaign, getting his hands on that elusive Premier League title will prove a tall order indeed.

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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri told he will soon be 'finished like Jose Mourinho' as Antonio Cassano brutally claims Serie A leaders play 'dreadful' football

AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri has been warned that he will soon be "finished like Jose Mourinho" by Antonio Cassano, who has brutally claimed that the Serie A leaders play "dreadful" football. Although the Rossoneri have lost only once this season, on the opening weekend against Cremonese, and have since collected eight victories and four draws to rise to the top of the table, Cassano remains entirely unconvinced with their style.

Getty ImagesCassano in fierce critique of Serie A leaders

Cassano drew a stark comparison between Allegri and Mourinho, arguing that both coaches have become relics of another era. He lamented what he views as a betrayal of Milan’s traditional values, which are attacking flair, elegance, and expressive football. In his eyes, the current iteration of Allegri’s Milan stands in direct conflict with those ideals.

Speaking on the podcast, Cassano issued a blistering assessment of Milan’s approach, suggesting the club’s identity is being eroded under Allegri’s watch.

"Remember what I said about Mourinho being finished and that sooner or later he would end up being forgotten. The same will happen to Allegri," he said. 

"I can’t imagine Milan in 2025 playing dreadful football because of their coach: Milan are history, beauty, aesthetics and quality. And what do they do? Everyone sits in front of the goalkeeper; there’s no depth, then you win the ball back, counter-attack and score."

For all the criticism, Milan’s numbers are strong. They have scored 19 goals and conceded just nine in their 13 Serie A fixtures. The team boasts of a defensive solidity characteristic of Allegri’s coaching style. But Cassano contends that results alone should not shield the manager from scrutiny, especially at a club built on decades of artistic football.

AdvertisementAFPMourinho's fall from grace

Cassano’s comparison to Mourinho arrives at a time when the Portuguese manager’s recent struggles remain fresh. Mourinho left Fenerbahce earlier this year following a difficult stint lasting just 62 games, as he was dismissed after a Champions League play-off defeat to Benfica. The former Chelsea and Inter boss, who has two Champions League titles to his name, endured a testing time in Turkey was fraught with frustration, particularly with officiating, and he openly admitted upon returning to Portugal that he had chosen the wrong project.

"My career so far has been rich; I've coached the biggest clubs in the world, in different countries," he said after taking the reins at Benfica for a second time. "I made the wrong choice; sometimes I don't have the right word in Portuguese… no regrets, because regrets don't help us at all in life, but the awareness of what we did well and what we did wrong exists. I made a mistake going to Fenerbahce; it wasn't my cultural level, it wasn't my football level, it wasn't my level. Obviously, I gave everything until the last day."

Former Fenerbahce president Ali Koc later shed more light on the separation, describing it as "painful" while insisting the club needed a more expansive style to suit the Turkish side’s expectations. 

He said: "Why did we let go of Mourinho? I'm explaining it here for the first time. It was a bitter parting. Our chemistry was perfect, and his accomplishments are evident. Just being able to bring him here was a great achievement. Above all, it was difficult to part with someone I was friends with. We knew our coach was a defensive player when we brought him in. But we talked about the need to play more dominantly at the end of the season. Earning 99 goals and 99 points is our genetic code.

"Being eliminated by Benfica wasn't a problem, but the way we were eliminated was unacceptable. This made me feel like last year's football would continue. We parted ways because we believed this squad would play better football at this point. This kind of football works in Europe, but in Turkey, we have to crush them in most matches. We're struggling to get ahead after falling behind in every match."

A bitter irony in Cassano’s accusations

Cassano himself won the only Serie A title of his career under the same man he now savages. His 2010-11 Scudetto triumph came with Allegri at the Milan helm, yet that shared success did little to soften his message. Mourinho, meanwhile, appears to be steadying himself at Benfica. After a shaky start back in Lisbon, his side have climbed to third place in the Liga Portugal, six points adrift of Porto, and now look far more competitive heading into their clash with Sporting on Friday evening.

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Getty ImagesAllegri unlikely to change his methods

For all the condemnation, Allegri's Milan team remain firmly in the Serie A title race and are defensively robust. Hence, the Italian manager might just stick to his guns, ignoring Cassano's criticism as noise. The Rossoneri resume their campaign on Thursday with a Coppa Italia Round of 16 trip to Lazio. 

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