List of All Articles with Tag ''

It had taken Tottenham more than 70 days to appoint a new manager but a candidate who emerged from far down the shortlist made a flying start. He was manager of the month for August. September brought a North London derby. It went terribly and he was sacked on the first day of November. For Nuno Espirito Santo read Ange Postecoglou? Obviously not; the similarities are superficial and, unlike in 2021, there are plenty of reasons to believe a haphazard process has produced the right man. But the fixture list does feel familiar: for the third year in a row, Tottenham visit their neighbours at this early stage of the season. It was their seventh league game last season and Antonio Conte’s previously unbeaten side lost 3-1. It was their sixth in 2021 and, after three straight wins had earned Nuno the August prize, another 3-1 reverse was a third successive defeat. Nuno’s felt the more damning defeat, partly because Spurs were 3-0 down after 34 minutes and partly because his midfield was a mess. And yet it proved the less damaging setback; if it helped foster the impression that the Portuguese was miscast as a Tottenham manager, his departure facilitated a surge to fourth place, at Arsenal’s expense. Two years on, Arsenal are a barometer of Postecoglou’s progress, the rivals who look role models. They have effected their own transformation from unhappy, underachieving club to a united camp and an increasingly successful team. In 2021/22, Arsenal were not in Europe. Now, in a week when the Gunners have ended their six-year exile from the Champions League, Tottenham have had more time to prepare: for the first time since 2009/10, their schedule has not included continental competition. If the second half of last season, the unravelling of Conte’s reign and the interim spells under Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason prompted the question of how bad tTottenham were; now the phrasing is more welcome: how good are Tottenham? The second best side in the country, a team likely to earn a top-four finish or one who may slip from their current lofty position? A seven-day spell containing meetings with Arsenal and Liverpool could bring a more definitive answer. Thus far, they have been sufficiently impressive to take 13 points from five games. The fixture list has looked favourable, however, and even the Australian’s flagship win, 2-0 against Manchester United, may have an asterisk applied because of the problems at Old Trafford. But that is scarcely his fault. Where he can be judged, he has passed tests: late goals and impactful substitutions are often signs a coach is exerting an influence and Spurs have had both, particularly last week against Sheffield United. Postecoglou’s sympathetic man-management of Richarlison – perhaps it is unfair to a couple of his recent predecessors to suggest they would have been less supportive of the Brazilian – has added to the positive impression, as does introducing a style of play that feels in keeping with Tottenham’s past. Jose Mourinho, Nuno and Conte could be called the three pragmatists, but there was little pragmatic about some of their defeats. The Italian and the Portuguese, in particular, played too passive a brand of football. Postecoglou has been bolder and, a couple of weeks ago, James Maddison reflected that he is the kind of footballer Tottenham have not had since Christian Eriksen, which highlighted a lack of flair in their recent past. It added to the huge burden Harry Kane shouldered, too, and Postecoglou has navigated the England captain’s departure with the minimum of fuss. They were never going to acquire a player of his calibre as a direct replacement but, shorn of their 280-goal record scorer, they have struck at least twice in each of their five league games. Kane’s reliability may have made him a crutch but, as the years went on, it scarcely guaranteed Tottenham glory. This game is a case in point. Kane has scored more goals in the North London derby than anyone else, with 14, but he only tasted victory at the Emirates Stadium once, and then as a substitute in the Carabao Cup in 2018. Another talismanic figure for Tottenham, Hugo Lloris, was culpable for goals in both derbies last season. Meanwhile, Postecoglou has sidelined one pillar of the side, in Eric Dier, and redeployed another, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as a substitute. It may prove that only Cristian Romero and Heung-Min Son start for Spurs at the Emirates both last season and this. There was a case for a break with the past and, perhaps, it is again shown by Arsenal, though Mikel Arteta’s fallouts with Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were more explosive than Postecoglou’s decision to move on without Dier. Thus far, he has made change look easy. In the rejuvenated Yves Bissouma, the precocious Destiny Udogie and the influential Maddison, he is shaping a new side with a different ethos. But Spurs could nevertheless be forgiven for travelling the four miles to Arsenal with some trepidation. The Gunners have exposed delusions before, made fine starts to seasons look false dawns. Now Tottenham have more grounds for optimism but, as previous managers can testify, things can go wrong on their shortest trip of the campaign. Read More Son Heung-min believes Arsenal should fear in-form Tottenham Arsenal are back in the Champions League — and they look like contenders too What is wrong with Manchester United’s defence? Everything North London derby the headline act this weekend – Premier League talking points Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praises Ange Postecoglou ahead of Tottenham’s visit Son Heung-min believes Arsenal should fear in-form Tottenham

Ukraine has launched a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, killing a soldier, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Crimea, said on Friday.

As Bella Poarch put it in a statement, ''Crush' is this fun, brighter side of me that I’m excited to showcase'

It should soon become clear whether the strike by auto workers against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis is going to grow

Erik Ten Hag insists Manchester United are fighting together to try to turn their season around. The Red Devils have lost four of their first six matches, with Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League following a 3-1 reversal against Brighton, leaving Ten Hag embattled little over a month into the new campaign. The Dutchman said: “It’s my second year. I know it’s not always only going up, you will have your gaps and you get stronger from it as long as you stay together, and that’s what we’re doing. “The dressing room, staff, all the staff, coaches, medical, everyone is united and at United you fight.” Stories of disgruntlement in the dressing room have begun to appear while the attitude of players has also been question. Ten Hag tried to paint a positive picture, saying: “I don’t know if it’s a leak but I know opinion, I know my players. Everyone can make suggestions, we are OK with it.” There have also been suggestions of unhappiness at the influence of Ten Hag’s agent, Kees Vos, and his Sports Entertainment Group on transfer dealings. When one or two are not doing their job, it's like a pack of cards. Erik Ten Hag on United's defence “It can’t be because we make very good agreements about it from the start, how we cooperate in that manner,” said Ten Hag. “For player decisions, transfers, it’s always 50-50, we both have a veto – the club, represented by John Murtough, and me. So there can never be a distraction.” United’s poor form has made Saturday’s trip to Burnley a high-pressure occasion, and they will again be without Jadon Sancho, who remains absent from the squad. “It depends on him,” said Ten Hag. “For the rest, we are preparing for Burnley and that’s our focus. He will not be in the squad.” United have not been helped by a multitude of injuries but could have Raphael Varane, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Harry Maguire back for the clash at Turf Moor. Central to United’s problems has been a lack of defensive solidity, with 14 goals conceded in their last five games. Goalkeeper Andre Onana held his hands up after making a mistake for Bayern’s first goal but Ten Hag believes the problems are collective. “It’s about team and, as a team, we don’t have the results in this moment so then also individuals don’t bring the performance you expect, not only one player, there are more, including the manager,” he said. “I always tell my players we attack with 11 and we defend with 11. When one or two are not doing their job, it’s like a pack of cards, so that is not only one or two players.” Burnley picked up their first point on their return to the Premier League against Nottingham Forest last time out and Ten Hag is a fan of their style of play under Vincent Kompany. He said: “As always, it’s about how we play against Burnley. There’s no easy games, definitely not against Burnley. “We know how intense they play football, we know their approach. I like the approach from them, the adventure, high intensity and dynamic in their game, so we have to play our best.”

Liverpool host West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday. Preview includes predicted lineups, team news and score prediction.

Pep Guardiola reveals how long he expects Bernardo Silva to be sidelined for Man City.

Schools for millions of students in Nepal are closed as tens of thousands of teachers protest in the capital against an education reform bill in parliament

After Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop Go 3 at the Surface event on Thursday, I

A 1-1 start for the Chiefs gives plenty of opportunity for fringe starters to prove they deserve the call-up to the starting 11 on either side of the ball.

'I don't think it's any of your business where I live,' said Zach Bryan to the police officers who detained him

Iran says it has received thousands of Achaemenid-era clay tablets from the United States in the fifth such instalment, following a drawn-out legal...