Football365

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has ‘deeply concerned’ the Spurs board with his side’s performance in their loss to AZ Alkmaar, according to reports.

Spurs recovered well from being knocked out of the Carabao Cup semi-finals and FA Cup fourth round in the same week in early February by beating Manchester United and Ipswich Town in the Premier League in back-to-back victories.

However, their inconsistency has reared its head again this season with a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City before another 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in their first leg of the Europa League last 16 last Thursday.

While Tottenham were held at home to high-flying Bournemouth on Sunday in a 2-2 draw with Postecoglou’s men coming from two goals down to grab a point.

The last few results have heaped pressure on Postecoglou once again as Tottenham fans were hoping they could now push on to a more respectable position in the Premier League and have a chance of winning the Europa League.

Spurs are currently 13th in the Premier League and the excuses from Postecoglou are beginning to run out with a number of injured players starting to return to their starting XI.

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365

👉 Liverpool ‘absolutely deserved’ PSG victory and ‘lightweight’ Spurs players slammed for ‘hiding’

👉 The Famous F365 Friday Quiz: Identify the Prem and Champions League club badges…

👉 Postecoglou hints at some good news after miserable night for Tottenham in Alkmaar

And now TBR Football claim that the Tottenham board were ‘deeply concerned’ by their performance against AZ Alkmaar and told Postecoglou ‘that the result was unacceptable’.

The report adds:

‘TBR Football has previously revealed – some sections of Spurs’ hierarchy have felt that a change of head coach could be required and work has been done on possible alternatives.

‘As we confirmed Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva are all names that have been discussed within the corridors of power at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and all are admired for the work they have and are currently doing.

‘We can also confirm that another name appreciated by the club is Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and we are told the one-time Spurs youth player and former coach, should not be ruled out of contention.

‘Spurs have been insistent that they are not looking to make a change this season, no matter what, and that remains the message coming down from club boss Daniel Levy – but TBR Football can confirm that Spurs’ 1-0 loss to AZ on Thursday has rocked the club.

‘TBR Football understands that whilst the club have not told Postecoglou that he will be sacked if he does not win the Europa League, they have made it clear to the Australian that their latest defeat was deemed ‘unacceptable’ by the club and sources have told us they were ‘deeply concerned’ by the result and performance.’

Despite showing good character to turn around the result against Bournemouth on Sunday, it was another poor performance from Postecoglou’s side.

And former England striker Gary Lineker has questioned why James Maddison didn’t start against the Cherries and speculated that there might be some sort of bust-up between the Tottenham midfielder and Postecoglou.

Well, that was hardly Boxing Day 1963. Liverpool v Southampton was unsurprisingly the biggest margin of victory in the Premier League this weekend, but the champions-elect were somehow the only team to score three goals or win by a two-goal margin.

No drubbings sets up an interesting worst XI of the weekend, with no Southampton or Manchester United representatives, which feels weird. As always, match ratings are taken from WhoScored.

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Bournemouth) – 5.44

The Bournemouth goalkeeper saved Ederson and Alisson after their errors leading to a goal with a foul on Heung-min Son in his box, helping Tottenham Hotspur come from 2-0 down to eventually earn a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

In the most entertaining match of the weekend, Kepa only made two saves and misplaced 12 of his 25 attempted passes. He’s dropped down this ranking.

RB: Nelson Semedo (Wolves) – 5.99

We were treated to a clash on the big screen between Wolves and Everton on Saturday evening. Jack Harrison finally scored his first Premier League goal of the season before Marshall Munetsi’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Playing right-wing-back, Semedo had a forgettable night, making zero key passes, completing zero dribbles, winning no aerial duels, being dispossessed four times and being dribbled past once.

CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 5.83

No heavy defeats for the relegation fodder of the Premier League means there is an opportunity for some big names to creep in the worst XI, and that has happened with Virgil van Dijk, who would probably win PFA Player of the Year if Mohamed Salah was not allowed.

Van Dijk and Alisson decided to run it back to their Arsenal brainfart last February by handing Will Smallbone an unlikely opener for Southampton at Anfield. Even with the bottom club ahead at half-time, Liverpool’s comeback was never in doubt. Shooting towards the Kop, they came from behind to win 3-1, with Salah scoring two penalties to extend Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League.

CB: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) – 6.02

Making his first appearance since lasting 15 minutes against Chelsea on December 8, Romero had an afternoon to forget in Spurs’ Desmond against Bournemouth.

The Argentine international lasted an hour this time around – probably because he wasn’t rushed back this time – and Spurs went 2-0 down four minutes later. Romero committed two fouls, had an error leading to a shot, lost possession 13 times, misplaced 13 passes and made zero tackles or interceptions.

LB: Victor Kristiansen (Leicester City) – 5.85

The first of three Leicester players in the worst XI, Kristiansen was substituted late on after a fairly uneventful match-up v Jadon Sancho.

CM: Kalvin Phillips (Ipswich Town) – 5.21

What are we going to do with you, Kalvin?

Crystal Palace v Ipswich somehow only had one goal, with Dean Henderson and Alex Palmer making 10 saves between them, but the decisive strike from Ismaila Sarr came via a Phillips error. Well, it went down as an error led to a goal, but it was very harsh. He lost a 50-50 against Daichi Kamada and Sarr latched onto the loose ball to dink over Palmer.

Besides the debatable error, Phillips failed with his two dribble attempts, was dribbled past once, made zero interceptions, committed two fouls and was dispossessed once.

CM: Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur) – 5.85

Hooked at half-time on a booking, Bissouma did not play horrendously but Ange Postecoglou had seen enough.

The Malian midfielder had an error leading to a shot and was dribbled past once.

MORE F365 FEATURES…

👉 16 Conclusions on Man United 1-1 Arsenal: Arteta’s obsession, Amorim’s compromise and Neville’s wall

👉 Arsenal favourite Andrea Berta’s top ten transfers from Bonucci to Griezmann

👉 The outrageous statistics of Mohamed Salah: Most goal involvements in Premier League season

CM: John McGinn (Aston Villa) – 5.92

An abysmal opening 45 minutes between Brentford and Villa was quickly forgotten when Unai Emery’s side scored two goals in the first five minutes of the second half, though their second was disallowed for an offside against Ollie Watkins.

McGinn’s midfield partner Youri Tielemans – in the Premier League XI of the season – had the highest rating of the match on a rubbish afternoon for the Scot.

RW: Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur) – 5.84

Poor Johnson failed with his two dribble attempts, lost his only aerial duel and contributed nothing defensively before, like Bissouma, being substituted at the break.

His replacement (Son) won a penalty and scored from the spot to equalise. Bissouma’s replacement (Lucas Bergvall) assisted Pape Matar Sarr’s goal.

LW: Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester City) – 5.75

Leicester City suffered their fifth straight Premier League defeat to nil at Chelsea on Sunday. After winning and drawing their first two under Ruud van Nistelrooy, their only points have come away to Tottenham Hotspur, scoring in only two of their 12 defeats under the Manchester United legend.

El Khannouss has been a positive in an otherwise miserable campaign for the Foxes and the Moroccan playmaker could not do much against Enzo Maresca’s side, completing zero key passes and being dribbled past three times.

ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) – 5.99

Vardy was helpless in defeat at Stamford Bridge and a 5.99 is far from horrendous, to be fair to him.

His only shot of the afternoon was on target but other than that, the Leicester legend was anonymous and Van Nistelrooy would have been as well playing an extra defender – or himself.

We can’t ignore that Bournemouth are in a mini wobble that has turned legitimate top four hopes into an outside chance – but by god, some of the football they play on their day is brilliant.

Andoni Iraola’s side took just 20 seconds to confirm they were going to be firmly the better team against Spurs. Within four minutes, they should have been two goals up after their press twice forced the hosts into giving the ball away just outside their own box. Guglielmo Vicario saved both efforts; they should really have been converted.

Milos Kerkez was brilliant in winning the ball on the edge of his own third and driving up the pitch before playing an inch-perfect cross to the back post for Marcus Tavernier to slide home for 1-0.

A wonderful second goal – a flowing team counter-attack that ripped Spurs to shreds – was ruled out for an unnecessary offside, but Evanilson soon made it 2-0 for realsies. With Bournemouth also hitting the stanchion, Tottenham could not have complained if it had been five or six.

That it ended up 2-2 was utterly bizarre, owing everything to a mis-hit Pape Sarr cross flying into the top corner and Kepa Arrizabalaga being an absolute moron, flying off his line to bring down Son Heung-min when the forward looked to be going nowhere. The South Korean watched Kepa dive the wrong way then calmly passed his penalty into the net.

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365

👉 Liverpool ‘absolutely deserved’ PSG victory and ‘lightweight’ Spurs players slammed for ‘hiding’

👉 The Famous F365 Friday Quiz: Identify the Prem and Champions League club badges…

👉 Postecoglou hints at some good news after miserable night for Tottenham in Alkmaar

Despite what the scoreboard said, though, nobody who watched the game could be in any doubt about which side had been on top. Bournemouth were not just the better team, but incredibly well-drilled off the ball and scintillating on it.

Despite the result, Iraola’s stock keeps on rising. In normal circumstances, he would feted for the next big job going. But in this case, that next move is far from obvious.

If Bournemouth’s rise up the table had come 12 months sooner, he would surely be talked about as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp. Had Pep Guardiola not decided to extend his stay at Manchester City, would they be sniffing around? And Mikel Arteta is in an immovable position at Arsenal.

Aston Villa have been slightly disappointing in the Premier League this season, but Unai Emery has more than enough credit in the bank to earn another season. And would a move to Tottenham or Newcastle be appealing if neither is at least in the Europa League next season?

The most obvious Premier League destination, perhaps, would be Chelsea, should they go through another bad spell and decide to bin off Enzo Maresca. But Graham Potter is just one of a long line of managers to serve as a warning about going to Stamford Bridge.

Which raises another question for Iraola to ponder. Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo’s spell at Spurs sits alongside Potter’s at Chelsea as a reminder that the grass is not always as green as the dollar bills that make up a nominally bigger club’s budget.

The top end of the Premier League has become far less entrenched since the monstrous rise in TV money that kicked in around the beginning of this decade, after all. Look at Newcastle two years ago. Look at Villa last year. Look at Nottingham Forest right now.

That may put Iraola in a similar (albeit lesser) position to Xabi Alonso last season: a young, up-and-coming manager with good reason to feel he still has more to achieve at his current club, and thus no need to rush such a big decision.

Iraola will surely have no shortage of offers, but Potter and Nuno both show that choosing the right move is more important than just taking the first big offer that comes along.

Until then, Bournemouth fans look set to continue having an awful lot of fun.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their abject European display when they welcome Bournemouth to the capital this Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou is like a cat who has used eight of his nine lives. The Australian remains in charge despite a sorry display in the Netherlands on Thursday. Spurs were beaten 1-0 by AZ Alkmaar and are now on the brink of elimination in the only competition they have any chance of winning this season.

Postecoglou’s men have now lost 18 games across all competitions during this dreadful campaign – numbers you’d expect from Bournemouth.

Instead, the Cherries appear to have stolen Spurs’ position as European contenders and are well in the race for a top-six finish.

Andoni Iraola’s men slipped to ninth in the Premier League table after Saturday’s results but could climb back into the top five and within a point of Man City if Sunday’s results go their way.

The south coast side have endured a slight dip in form, losing three of their last four Premier League games. However, the Cherries boast a scary away record, winning six and losing one of their last nine away from home.

Iraola has done brilliantly. In fact, he may be doing too well after becoming odds on favourite to become the next Tottenham Hotspur manager. What kind of reward is that meant to be?!

Finding the solution to Spurs’ problems is probably as difficult a task as was overcoming the ‘Curse of the Bambino’. If you’re not familiar with baseball, it took the Boston Red Sox 86 years to end their title drought.

Whatever is wrong at Spurs, we expect it to continue this weekend. But if you want our full prediction, you’ll have to scroll down to the end.

Tottenham Hotspur team news

The big injury news for Spurs concerns Dominic Solanke. The England international marked his return from injury on Thursday but only lasted around 20 minutes. He is expected to miss the reunion with his old employers on Sunday.

Dejan Kulusevski remains out of action due to a foot injury and isn’t expected back until April.

In better news for Postecoglou, Ben Davies and Richarlison are close to making their returns. Whether the Aussie decides to throw them back into action against the Cherries remains to be seen.

There’s also Radu Dragusin. The Romanian is on the mend from an ACL operation which took place last month. His estimated return date is towards the back end of 2025.

Tottenham predicted line up

Bournemouth team news

Bournemouth will be without influential centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi who serves the third game of his suspension.

He will be joined on the sidelines by Enes Unal who is out with a long-term knee injury. Macros Senesi and Julian Araujo are both out with thigh problems while Adam Smith is struggling with his calf.

Ryan Christie is reportedly struggling with his groin, though he has not officially been ruled out of action.

Bournemouth predicted line up

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth: How to watch and listen

Fans can watch Sunday’s match live across multiple platforms, including Sky Go UK, NOW, Sky Sports Main Event, and Sky Sports Premier League. Radio coverage is available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth stats

Spurs have won six of their seven Premier League home games against Bournemouth

Following their 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth are looking to complete their first ever season double over Spurs.

The Londoners have lost seven Premier League home games this season – their worst return since the 1996/97 season.

Bournemouth have lost three of their last four Premier League games – as many as they had in their previous 18.

Only Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium has seen more Premier League goals than the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth referee stats

Sam Barrott will be the man in the middle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The official has taken charge of 17 Premier League games this season and has dished out 73 bookings – an average of 4.3 per game.

His last game was certainly an eventful one as Crystal Palace dismantled Aston Villa 4-1 at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, his last fixture involving Spurs was back in December as they were beaten 6-3 at home by Liverpool.

This will be his first time officiating a Bournemouth match this season.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth prediction

Tottenham have arguably hit their most miserable low of the season after losing in Alkmaar on Thursday.

A Bournemouth side that is firing on all cylinders would undoubtedly pounce on the wounded Spurs. Unfortunately for Iraola, his men have also experienced a recent dip.

See below our prediction for the game…

Former Crystal Palace chairman Daniel Levy would be shocked if Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is “still in a job” if he fails to win the Europa League.

Spurs recovered well from being knocked out of the Carabao Cup semi-finals and FA Cup fourth round in the same week in early February by beating Manchester United and Ipswich Town in the Premier League in back-to-back victories.

However, their inconsistency has reared its head again this season with a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City last week before another 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in their first leg of the Europa League last 16 on Thursday.

And that has heaped pressure on Postecoglou once again as Tottenham fans were hoping they could now push on to a more respectable position in the Premier League and have a chance of winning the Europa League.

Spurs are currently 13th in the Premier League and Jordan would be surprised if Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy doesn’t replace Postecoglou if they fail to win the Europa League after their poor showing in another competitions.

Jordan said on talkSPORT: “This is a moment in time, it’s not reflective of Tottenham Hotspur because it’s not their staple diet.

“People look at Tottenham Hotspur besides their own fans and think it’s a good club to be involved with. Yes you’ve got the stigma of what people perceive Daniel Levy to be or not to be.

“The fact is they still spend a hundred-odd million plus on transfer fees most seasons and most managers with a few exceptions would bite your arm off for a job like that.

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365

👉 Liverpool ‘absolutely deserved’ PSG victory and ‘lightweight’ Spurs players slammed for ‘hiding’

👉 The Famous F365 Friday Quiz: Identify the Prem and Champions League club badges…

👉 Postecoglou hints at some good news after miserable night for Tottenham in Alkmaar

“So they’ll find a replacement for Ange Postecoglou. Whether it’s the right one, whether it gets you in the right direction and whether Daniel Levy will continue to make appointment without winning anything, who knows.

“But I would be surprised if you finish 13th in the league, you get knocked out of the cup competitions – besides the credible performance in the League Cup – if he’s still in a job.

“That’s not me talking him out of a job, that’s not me suggesting I want him fired I think it’s the reality of looking at two years and yes the football manager will want you to price in nuance and context and say ‘I’ve had this and I’ve had that and I’ve had the other.’

“But that’s what top managers are paid to do, is overcome adversity.”

Stan Collymore described Postecoglou’s demeanour against AZ Alkmaar as “miserable” with his side matching the Tottenham boss’ body language.

Collymore told Caught Offside: “Spurs’ performance against AZ Alkmaar was a mirror of his demeanour, which is rather miserable. His reactions in the media will be seen by his players, and it has an effect on them, and as a result, I have no doubt that his body language and demeanour contributed to Spurs’ lacklustre performance in Alkmaar.”

Liverpool ‘absolutely deserved’ to beat PSG because they did beat PSG; go and watch the NBA if you disagree. And Spurs are back in their doom cycle.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

Redunancies

I suggest the next person to be made redundant at old Trafford is the guy who chooses what studs to wear. I counted 8 slips to zero. (Yes I’m very sad counting such sh*t but it was a boring game) but the point still remains.

Tony

Bentancur. Bergvall

Hi

“But Tottenham will have to do without midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur in next Thursday’s home leg after his third booking of the season.” reads the 5th paragraph of BBC Sports write up of the Spurs game. Sky Sports News had something similar.

In the words of Vicky Pollard, do I look like I’m bothered though? Bentancur is a lovely looking footballer. Bit Jamie Redknapp. Bit Anderton. A bit every lightweight Spurs midfielder of the last 30 or so years. He hid against Liverpool and Villa in the cup, he hid again against AZ. He plays football like his team are two or three up with 15 minutes to go. He hides so much that deeply promising 18-year-olds (looks like an angel but is a proper hatchet man) make comedy errors because they’re scared no one else will take responsibility. Which they won’t. Bergvall being suspended would be a story. Bentancur isn’t.

And another thing. Solanke got injured after 20 minutes. Romero got injured after 15 minutes on his comeback against Chelsea. I’m not sure that medical team knows how to condition players or get them back from injuries.

Lastly, have you ever seen a more depressing-looking coaching staff? They all just sit there motionless. No one talks to one another. There’s not much plotting or scheming. There certainly isn’t any joy in their work. There are just blank expressions. I’d take Jason Tindall and his questionable antics over that lot any day of the week.

We’re a hot mess.

Cheers

Andrew

Luckypool

Donnarumma should have saved that shot from Elliot but he didn’t.

Alisson had no right to save some of those PSG shots, but he did.

Last time I checked the keeper is part of the 11.

Rob, Hove

Genuinely intrigued to know the MBs objective views on the Konate incident. I get if you dont like Liverpool you’d want him off but as far as I could see it was a shoulder barge. Fair game in the 90s, is it now? If you were playing Sunday league and your defender did that would you be incensed by a red? I kind of think it could be but I’d be livid. It seems like players get away with it ‘cos they are not using their arms. Virgil does it a lot, never gets blown.

PSG were so much better, but Elliot’s goal was the most joy I’ve felt so far this season!

Put your club loyalties aside and discuss!

Tom, Leaning in.

Following our admittedly slightly fortunate win Vs psg arsenal fans have been crying on social media.

For ages I couldn’t understand why. I get Everton fans doing it or even United fans. Why are arsenal fans crying about what Liverpool does or doesn’t do?

Then I realised, the reason they cry is because Liverpool achieves things arsenal fans can only dream about.

Sleep well arsenal fans of social media, it’s the only time you’ll have a chance of a champions league trophy…

Lee

Liverpool kept PSG completely at arm’s length

One of the interesting things I’ve noticed about the PSG v Liverpool game is how perspective can be skewed. Conventional punditry wisdom is that Liverpool were ‘battered’ 0-1 and Liverpool got lucky. However, a trip to Opta might give a different impression if you look at the xG and how they rated the chances. It turns out that roughly half of PSG’s 1.78 total xG came from the one v one against Dembele that Alisson saved that also saw a couple of shots blocked from Barcola in the immediate aftermath. All of those fabulous diving saves we all saw him make actually came from very low xG chances that the PSG forwards hit superbly. It was essentially a masterclass on ball striking by the PSG forwards and a masterclass on goalkeeping in response.

Armed with that knowledge, it swings the pendulum slightly back in favour of a victory built on really good defending by Liverpool as opposed to absurd luck. They by and large limited PSG to taking shots with low likelihood of scoring, with that one exception. Now, make no mistake, I freely admit that PSG dominated possession of the football, and were far, far better with the ball than Liverpool, with superb pressing to boot. I’d just suggest that a day removed from the action with cooler heads suggests that Liverpool actually defended really, really well too, and earned that clean sheet.

Just wanted to push back on some of the utter codswallop I’ve seen making the rounds – even seen one journalist try to claim that Liverpool’s clean sheet was so lucky that saying they had been ‘lucky’ is utterly inadequate, which seems a bit extreme for an xG of less than 2…

Greg, Taunton. (Looking forward to seeing my mail misrepresented for ragebait in the bold bit. Might I suggest something along the lines of ‘Liverpool kept PSG completely at arms length’, or something similar? I know you guys are better at that than I am, so please, go wild! It’ll be fun.)

Celebrate good times, come on!

Derek – LFC

I read this “I must admit it’s the first time I think I’ve not celebrated a Liverpool winner in my almost 50 years of supporting them”

and immediately called bullsh*t and bolox!

If you havent celebrated that goal, after being under the cosh for almost the entirety of 87mins, you sir are a liar or not a fan of the scoring team

I have to restrain myself more often than like as it totally freaks the dog out for ages after, he thinks Im mad at him (or something I guess) He just stand and stares at me for almost 90min every game (although non Liverpool games depend on the comms and co comms – He much prefers Lucy Wards calm tones to Darren Fletchers shouting) but briefly lost my sh*t when that went in.. was impossible to contain!

But I digress…

We were def lucky, why pretend otherwise..?

Was a fantastic win and we were pretty much totally outplayed. Im fine with that, thanks!

Al – LFC – Dont be silly Derek!..

Watch basketball

Disclaimer- I am a Liverpool fan, but I watched the game with an Everton fan and no productive discussion was had, so I have come to the famously reasonable and non-reactionary forum of the internet to discuss it.

But Liverpool absolutely deserved to win, because they did.I think the entire appeal of football is that the best team is not at all guaranteed to win. Goals are rare in football, which is why drama and unpredictability is so prevalent, and also why detractors might call it boring. If you want to see the better team win, football is plainly the wrong sport for you, go watch incrementally scoring sports such as the NBA, their season is getting towards the business end right now.

I have seen more times than I remember Liverpool dominate a team and not win the game, and Liverpool did not deserve to win those games, because they didn’t. You only deserve to win a game if you actually win it, barring some complete refereeing calamity such as penalties or disallowed goals I would say.

Maybe my bias is showing, but I don’t class the Konate incident in that category as it wouldn’t have provided a clear goal opportunity to PSG. It’s not like Liverpool suddenly turned on after that, if Konate was off it may not have been so different, I don’t think it was possible for PSG to dominate more anyway. Liverpool were certainly lucky he wasn’t sent off though, clear red.

Many have already written in to point out the stupidity of calling the result lucky as a whole, but it is absurd to say, it’s not lucky that Allison is as good as he is. Maybe you could say PSG are unlucky in that maybe the same shots would beat many other keepers, and the Konate incident.

Anyway, in short, I think it’s worth remembering that the reason we bother watching matches is that the winners often aren’t the best team, but are still deserving winners. And incredible players doing incredible things has nothing to do with luck.

C, Greece.

Trent out of shape

So for years I’ve been a huge critic of Trent. I’ve made my feelings known on this website. He’s a Hollywood passer. He costs Liverpool so much possession every game because he constantly looks for that big pass. When he gets it he’s lauded but never gets criticised for the amount of down right awful attempts he makes and for the amount of times he loses us possession. Commentators and internet ‘experts’ alike never hold him accountable.

I wonder is it because he’s English 🤔 I hope he goes in the summer. For me Bradley, although not as good with the Hollywood type passes is definitely good on the ball, pacier and a much better at defending. The stick Trent got after the United game from Liverpool fans was so uncalled for. Why? Because it’s not the first time he’s looked half arsed in a game. It’s probably the first time they notice it because of the contract situation. It’s amazing how fickle fans can be. I’m not fickle, I just know what I see and I have for years with that chap.

Anyway I’ve anyways wondered, nay, I’ve always known, but without proof, who the player is that loses the ball most in possession. I’m not talking Liverpool, I’m talking the league so here you….. guess who? Surprise suprise!! Go to Madrid please. We’ll be fine without you just like when Owen, Coutinho et al left. The main one we need to stay is Big Virg. The rock and soul of this team!

Alex

Offside or not

A caveat to start off: The example used is just to reflect the thoughts on offside, not about the match itself (Liverpool pulling out that win is just how football can be at times).

On the Kravadona (I would butcher his actual name, so going with the nickname) offside goal, it just makes me question what the offside rule is meant for. Essentially, my understanding is a player is offside if they 1) impact play or 2) gain an advantage from it.

In this case, the player was coming back from a marginally offside position to receive a pass to feet and then cutting inside to shoot. If he had received a pass in front of him or turned toward the outside and shot, totally understand that being called as offside as he had an advantage, no matter how slight. But the actual situation makes me question where that advantage is.

All I’m saying is there should be some flexibility and situational context applied. I’ve seen other similar scenarios before and it’s as though the refs apply the law because it’s safer than going against it.

Jason, Singapore

MORE PREMIER LEAGUE FEATURES FROM F365

👉 Isak better than Salah and Henry as Manchester City dominate list of greatest Premier League strikers

👉 Big Weekend: Manchester United v Arsenal, Asensio, Nottingham Forest, Iraola, Juventus

Club DNA is nonsense

Funnily enough, I’ve had the “club DNA” type topic on my mind recently, and did a bit of digging (i.e. a google search of League winners and then a quick paste into Excel with a Pivot table).

Whilst in the past 50 years, several clubs have won multiple leagues. As Mark, LFC, An Mhí correctly pointed out, that history/club DNA is very much a manager of the moment not the club DNA.

In the past 50 years, the clubs that have won the league with multiple managers are:

Liverpool = 4 (probably soon to be 5)

Chelsea = 3 (but you could argue, that really, it’s 1 owner)

Man City = 3 (similar to Chelsea, 1 owner)

Arsenal = 2

That’s it.

Even Manchester United with the most titles in the past 50 years (13) won them all with 1 manager. There’s no legacy there, they were even in the 2nd tier in that timescale (just).

There wasn’t much good news for Spurs after a drearily passive performance in their Europa League last-16 first-leg defeat to AZ Alkmaar.

But things could certainly have been worse. Spurs are only 1-0 down ahead of the return leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Ange Postecoglou has also issued a hopeful update on Dominic Solanke, who hobbled off looking in some discomfort barely 15 minutes after coming off the bench to make his first appearance since the North London Derby defeat to Arsenal on January 15.

Postecoglou told TNT Sport: “We think it’s a knock, so hopefully nothing too bad. He’s a bit sore.”

That was about the end of the positives, though, with Postecoglou conceding Spurs’ performance level was nowhere near that expected or required in a competition that offers genuine hope of salvaging what has been a season of struggle for club and manager alike with Tottenham languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

“Yeah, it wasn’t great from us tonight,” he said.

“Pretty much all facets of the game. We didn’t really get to grips with any part of the game.

“We struggled to gain any momentum with the ball, we weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be without the ball.

“It was a tricky surface but having said that we kind of knew that from yesterday and yeah we just didn’t tackle the challenges we head out there in a real positive way. That allowed AZ to get into a rhythm, which when you’re playing away from home, it is difficult to stem the tide.”

Postecoglou was unimpressed with Spurs’ response to the early setback of falling behind to a Lucas Bergvall own goal, and questioned the ‘mindset’ of his players.

He said: “I don’t think it’s a matter of effort or attitude. I don’t think it is going out there and not trying, but like I said we didn’t really come to grips and have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe.

“It is always tough and we obviously conceded the goal, which was a disappointing set of events but even after that we didn’t really settle down into the game at all.

“You are going to face some pressure when you play away from home in Europe and weather the storm and get to grips with it, but we never really did so that was a disappointment.”

Spurs get the chance to put things right in next Thursday’s second leg on home turf, and will perhaps take heart from AZ’s mediocre away record in the league phase, where they picked up just one point from their four games on the road.

One of the three defeats they suffered came at Spurs, who now need at least a repeat of that 1-0 win to keep the tie alive.

The club that doesn’t want to be known as Tottenham should once again count themselves fortunate they aren’t being called anything worse or at least more banterous.

Presented with a perfect storm of conditions to make finally winning a trophy far more plausible than frankly this group of players and manager deserve, they barely turned up for this spirit-sapping first leg at AZ Alkmaar from which Spurs somehow emerged only 1-0 down and still alive in the tie.

The Dutch side deserve praise. They were compact and organised, far brighter than their opponents in and out of possession. While there was obvious good fortune about the goal they did score, they had further clear chances and a bigger winning margin – even a potentially tie-settling one – would not have flattered them.

It was clear in the closing minutes that AZ knew it. They were not settling for a 1-0 win that probably still, despite everything, leaves Spurs favourites to progress next week. They may well rue their own profligacy, as well as the fact Guglielmo Vicario was among the very few Spurs players who appeared to understand he was playing in a big game.

Or perhaps it’s the opposite. Perhaps his team-mates were all too aware of how big this chance is and that is why they froze so horribly. But that’s really not good enough. Spurs have, reasonably enough, made the Europa League the sole focus of what remains of this grisly season.

To then turn up for the first knockout game, with all that riding on it, and produce this almost total non-performance is another kick in the guts.

Spurs’ first and only shot on target of the night didn’t arrive until the 88th minute. Their performance, and perhaps season and perhaps entire modern existence was summed up by being handed a presentable free-kick opportunity in a shooting position only for James Maddison and Son Heung-min to completely butcher some half-baked training ground routine that was an insult to training ground routines.

The goal Spurs did concede was suitably laughable. Nobody could apparently be bothered to compete for the first ball, and when it came back across goal the unfortunate Lucas Bergvall shanked it over Djed Spence and into his own net.

Bergvall to his credit is one of few Spurs players who hasn’t yet had the spirit and courage beaten out of him by this season and he never hid after that horrible moment. Unlike many of his team-mates, he did at least try and drive them forward and make something happen.

In this he was joined by the now familiar names. Archie Gray was impressive again, Spence did a job on both flanks. Kevin Danso increasingly looks like a shrewd addition to the threadbare centre-back stocks at Spurs.

But this is a damning list in itself. New players, young players, and a full-back who was so out of favour at the start of the season he was only added to the Europa League squad for these knockout rounds.

Spurs’ senior players were nowhere to be seen. Son went missing again on the left. Maddison was irrelevant. Rodrigo Bentancur jogged around a bit.

Spurs were without Dejan Kulusevski for just about the first time this season and they missed him terribly. Even in recent weeks when he has looked really quite knackered he has remained by far the most compelling of their assorted attacking players, by far the most likely difference-maker in the final third.

His absence cannot excuse the utter lack of spark in this performance. Not least because this was a night when, despite his absence, Spurs were no longer a team in the grip of full-blown injury crisis.

Their bench was absurdly strong, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke all back in the matchday squad. Indeed, while it would require Alfie Whiteman to do a job at left-back it was perfectly reasonable to look at Spurs’ bench and conclude it made a better balanced and more cohesive starting XI than many Spurs have put out this year.

Ange Postecoglou was either patient or late in making his changes, depending on how you choose to view escaping from the Netherlands with only a one-goal deficit and a still plausible chance yet of season-salvaging success.

On that note, the biggest blow of the night may yet prove to be the late one suffered by Solanke. He limped off in clear discomfort just 15 minutes after his long-awaited Spurs return.

His has been a frustrating first season at Spurs but even when the goals don’t come, they look a far more convincing attacking side with him as its spearhead. Neither Son nor Mathys Tel has convinced in the central role during Solanke’s absence, and if he is now ruled out for any length of time again, Spurs are in serious trouble. Or even more serious trouble.

Next Thursday just got even bigger. Given how Spurs approached this particular large Thursday, that’s a bit of a worry.

This promises to be a very uncomfortable evening for Tottenham, who routinely find ways to make life hard for themselves at the best of times.

AZ Alkmaar crashed out of last season’s Champions League without an away win, but let’s not forget they led at Villa Park until the 61st minute.

They were much more of a nuisance on home soil, beating Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski en route to nine points. They remain unbeaten at AFAS Stadion in this year’s Europa League.

Galatasaray did not win in two trips to the Netherlands and were eliminated 6-3 on aggregate in the play-off round. AS Roma and Fenerbahçe were also vanquished.

Tottenham may point to the fact they beat AZ at home, but (the doomed) Ange Postecoglou’s walking wounded have struggled on the road, often conceding in bunches.

Thursday night’s game could be a tough watch if you’re a Spurs fan, but at least the rest of us will be able to enjoy a cracking contest full of goals.

AZ Alkmaar team news

There’s a familiar face spearheading the AZ attack in the form of Troy Parrott, last season’s top scorer who used to ply his trade at Tottenham.

The hosts will be without Jayden Addai, Ruben van Bommel and Mexx Meerdink, as well as Sven Mijnans, a dangerous number 10 who has had a hand in 13 goals this season.

Zico Buurmeester has filled the void by chipping in with 1.79 chances created and 0.45 goals per 90 minutes this season.

Jordy Clasy and Peer Koopmeiners, brother of ex AZ midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, will form the base of the midfield.

AZ Alkmaar expected line-up

Owusu-Oduro – Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, Wolfe – Clasie, Koopmeiners – Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo – Parrott

Tottenham team news

The good news for Spurs is they’ve gradually gotten healthier in recent weeks, with Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and James Maddison all returning from injury.

Dominic Solanke and Ricarlison are also nearing a return, though they’re not expected to feature on Thursday.

The bad news is that Dejan Kulusevski, who has swung more than a few games in Tottenham’s favour this season, is set to miss out.

There’s a chance Micky van de Ven and Christian Romero could be fit enough to play a part, though Kevin Danso and Archie Gray are likely to continue at centre back.

Main man Son-Heung Min is expected to join Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson in the attack, even though Wilson Odobert started on the left against Man City last time out.

Tottenham expected line-up

Vicario – Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie – Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr – Johnson, Tel, Son

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham: How to watch and listen

This match is available to watch on TNT Sports 3 and Discover+. Live radio coverage will be provided by talkSPORT on DAB Radio.

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham stats

Richarlison scored to hand Tottenham a 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the group stages of the Europa League. That was the first meeting between the sides.

Spurs have a strong European record against Dutch sides, winning seven and drawing two of 11, including a famous late comeback against Ajax which took them to the Champions League final.

Both sides have been good for goals with their league phase games averaging 3.25 each.

AZ are unbeaten in 16 Europa League matches on home soil dating back to 2017.

Both teams scored in five of AZ’s six home matches in this year’s competition, with four of those producing three or more goals.

Spurs have conceded at least one goal in each of their previous 14 Europa League away matches.

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham referee stats

Rade Obrenovic will take charge of the contest at AFAS Stadion, marking his seventh appearance of the season at the top level.

Despite appearing more lenient with an average of 23.17 fouls awarded, he’s been quick to point to the spot over the years.

The Slovenian has awarded a penalty in 41% of games he’s refereed dating back to a Nations League fixture in 2020.

England were the beneficiary of two of said spot kicks as they thrashed San Marino 10-0 in a World Cup Qualifier under his watch.

He also has a habit of handing out two or more cards per side, as Monaco and Benfica found out when seeing three each in November, when Monaco’s Wilfried Slingo was sent off.

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham prediction

AZ Alkmaar 12/5 – Draw 13/5 – Tottenham Evens

We have to remember this is the first leg so the game doesn’t need to be won on Thursday.

That said, Ange only knows one way and we’re willing to predict that the hosts will fight fire with fire.

AZ have both scored and conceded 13 goals in the Europa League this season, matching Spurs average of 3.25 goals per match. The visitors have achieved that average by scoring 17 and conceding nine.

The biggest concern for Spurs in Alkmaar is their less than full strength defence; Kevin Danso is likely to make his first European start for the club and could partner Archie Gray.

The talented youngster will no doubt play for England one day, but it won’t be as a defender. He lacks the positional awareness of an experienced centre-back, often found wanting for goals scored at his nearest post.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Manchester United and Tottenham target Angel Gomes is set to leave this summer.

The Lille midfielder’s contract expires this summer, and the 24-year-old is wanted by several Premier League sides, who will be queuing up to submit a contract offer.

Having originally left United in 2020 a return to Old Trafford is on the cards for Gomes, though there is also interest from West Ham, Aston Villa, as well as Spurs.

According to Romano, writing for GIVEMESPORT, the midfielder will be ‘100%’ leaving this summer, placing multiple clubs on high alert.

He said: “Yes, Premier League is a possibility for Angel Gomes while also clubs in the Bundesliga asked for information to his new agents. He will 100% leave Lille.”

He made just 10 appearances for the Red Devils before leaving in 2020 and, since then, he’s notched 134 games for the French side, scoring 10 times and assisting on 19 occasions.

Lee Carsley awarded him his senior England debut earlier this season, with Gomes playing both home and away games against Ireland and Finland before the turn of the year.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 Man Utd ‘want’ to hijack Sociedad move for West Ham star as his future ‘takes a different direction’

👉Amorim makes bullish ‘media’ claim over Man Utd youngsters snub as ‘only one who turns up’ named

👉 Amorim ‘tells friends’ he ‘made a mistake taking Man Utd job’ and is ‘shocked by how bad the players are’

Where would be the best move for Gomes?

With multiple clubs on the table, Gomes has a significant decision to make and has many factors to consider. Take United, for example, they do not possess a player like Gomes who can take the ball and beat the press from deeper positions and he could well form a strong partnership with Manuel Ugarte.

However, Ruben Amorim’s inflexible system may well dissuade him from joining as he wouldn’t have the same freedom as he has had at Lille or from what we saw in his impressive England performances.

They are also a team in flux currently languishing at the wrong end of the table and he will be in no hurry to join his former club, who are also keen on another Lille-free agent in Jonathan David.

Aston Villa could be the most attractive option for a midfielder given they are likely to achieve European qualification in some form after impressing in the Champions League this term.

But with Unai Emery already having the likes of Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana and John McGinn to call upon, game time may be hard to come by.

Tottenham or West Ham could offer him the best chance of becoming a regular starter given that neither possesses a player like him in midfield and both would benefit from a player who is calmer on the ball. Previous reports also claimed that he would favour a move to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Rodrigo Bentacur and Yves Bissouma could provide a strong partner for him while he could play alongside either Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse or Guido Rodriguez at West Ham, especially with Tomas Soucek likely to depart.