Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham not a better team without Harry Kane, just different
Ange Postecoglou has scoffed at talk Tottenham are a better team without Harry Kane, but admitted the departure of the club’s record goalscorer has allowed other individuals to flourish. Kane left Spurs on the eve of the season to join Bayern Munich in a deal that could rise to £120million in add-ons and which had been expected to derail a club that only managed to finish eighth in the Premier League last term. The opposite has occurred with Postecoglou able to mastermind an unbeaten start in the top flight that has sent Tottenham to the summit and posed the question are the north London club better without their ex-talisman Kane, who scored 278 times in 430 appearances for his boyhood team. Postecoglou cited Kane’s final outing in Lilywhite – a four-goal salvo in a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk on August 6 – as evidence against the aforementioned rhetoric, although acknowledged the sale of the England captain has changed the dynamic of his attack, which is now led by the likes of Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Brennan Johnson. “What I’ve been trying to explain is that individuals change the way you play,” the Spurs boss said ahead of a Friday night clash at Crystal Palace. “I’m not into this commentary that we’re a better team without Harry because the last game Harry played for us, he did alright in our system when he scored four goals. “It’s fair to say we would have been able to squeeze him in somewhere – and I’m being sarcastic there – but him not being there just allows us to bring different individuals into the team and they change the dynamic. Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we're using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we'd have the same fundamentals. Ange Postecoglou “Again, while the way I want my teams to play has a really clear structure, what I try to do is create a balanced squad where individuals can change the dynamics of it. “Having Sonny as our nine is different from having Harry or even Richy as our nine. Having Deki as a winger or having Brennan Johnson as a winger changes it even if the structure is the same. “Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we’re using different individuals, but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we’d have the same fundamentals of trying to dominate opposition, press the opposition, all those kind of things would still be there. “Ultimately, I don’t want to suppress the qualities they have, I want to bring out the best of them within the structure we have.” Tottenham captain Son has shouldered the burden in Kane’s absence with seven goals, while new number 10 James Maddison has immediately hit the ground running in N17. Maddison scored for the third time on Monday night against Fulham and has also provided five assists to quickly become the team’s fulcrum. Postecoglou said of the former Leicester playmaker: “He’s very intuitive around the game and at understanding the game. “For all the players we try to provide a framework of education where we give them information to improve them as individuals, but some of them take them in a more broader concept of the team aspect and Madders is one of those. “He takes the information but not just from an individual aspect but how it can help the team. The goal he scored the other night came not from his individual ability but just from him working hard. “He pressed two or three times. That’s a conscious thing he has to do. That’s not just about him being a good footballer, that’s him as an individual saying I need to do this because I think the team will benefit and ultimately, he benefitted from it because he scored the goal. “But if he didn’t someone else would have, like we did for Sonny’s goal, so I think he’s one of these players that looks at it from a broader perspective, not just how it can help him as an individual but how it can help the team evolve into the team we want to be.”
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2023-10-27 17:51
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2023-10-27 17:20
Celtic fans risk Uefa sanctions after displaying Palestine flags at Champions League match
Celtic fans held Palestine flags aloft ahead of their Uefa Champions League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. The build-up to the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw despite the hosts taking the lead twice, had been dominated by internal and external strife. Thousands of Celtic fans defied the club’s guidance before kick-off by displaying Palestine flags, an act which is likely to lead to sanctions from Uefa, who has previously applied disciplinary action against the Scottish giants, including a £8,600 fine in 2016 for displaying Palestine flags in a game against Israeli side Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Uefa’s Rule 16.2 states that club's are responsible for fan behaviour and disciplinary procedures may occur if a political message is displayed, with Barcelona and Celtic previously fined for showing national flags that Uefa deemed to have sent a political message. Atletico’s decision to dispense with their striped shirts and wear an all-red top based on the one worn by the team that beat Celtic in the 1974 European Cup semi-finals also opened old wounds. The Green Brigade, an ultra supporter group at Celtic Park, had previously said they would hand out flags ahead of the match, and the group has already been banned from away games after displaying the same flags at other recent matches, the BBC has reported. The flags were also waved in other areas of the stadium not occupied by the Green Brigade. Ahead of the fixture, the club announced the players and staff would wear black armbands as a show of respect for all those affected by the conflict and would make a contribution to the red cross. But the club also asked that “banners, flags and symbols relating to the conflict and those countries involved in it are not displayed at Celtic Park at this time.” The Green Brigade believes football fans have the right to express political beliefs. Celtic fans have previously shown their support for Palestine, and in 2014 the club was fined after fans waved flags during a match against Iceland’s KR Reykjavik, and again during a 2016 qualifier against an Israeli team. The Scottish club could also face being fined by Uefa for their actions on Wednesday night. Celtic have an Israel winger, Liel Abada, who is currently out of the matchday squads with injury, but it adds another dimension to the actions of the fans. The Independent has contacted Uefa for comment Additional reporting from PA
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2023-10-27 14:56
Is England vs Belgium on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Lionesses tonight
England will look to get back to winning ways as the Lionesses host Belgium in the Women’s Nations League tonight in Leicester. The European champions and World Cup runners-up defeated Scotland in Sunderland to open their Nations League campaign but then suffered just their third defeat under Sarina Wiegman in a 2-1 loss at the Netherlands. The result puts England in third place in Group A1 ahead of the double-header against Belgium, who lead the standings on four points following their win against Scotland and draw against the Netherlands. The Lionesses must win their group to advance to the Nations League Finals, and must then get through the semi-finals to book Team GB’s qualification spot for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Here’s everything you need to know. When is England vs Belgium? The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Friday 27 October at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on ITV 4 and online on ITV X, with coverage starting from 7pm. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on thebest VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the England team news? Fran Kirby could make her first England appearance since last October after returning to Sarina Wiegman’s squad. Kirby missed the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery but is in line to return to England’s midfield, while Keira Walsh has also returned to the squad after missing last month’s fixtures. The Lionesses will be without Lauren James, however, with the forward ruled out of both matches against Belgium due to a concussion injury. Predicted line-up England: Earps; Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Daly; Walsh, Stanway, Kirby; Kelly, Russo, Hemp Prediction England 3-0 Belgium Read More Beth Mead ‘not close’ to England recall, Sarina Wiegman admits Fran Kirby returns to Lionesses squad as Sarina Wiegman reveals Beth Mead decision Darwin displays full range of brilliance and buffoonery as Liverpool thrash Toulouse Darwin displays full range of brilliance and buffoonery as Liverpool thrash Toulouse Jurgen Klopp excited by Liverpool squad after big European win over Toulouse Roberto De Zerbi stressed the need for a winning mentality at Brighton
2023-10-27 14:55