Daily Star

This is generally a light-hearted column, but unlike Trent Alexander-Arnold I like to tackle stuff when it gets a little heavy. So strap in Brent-a-Goblins, it’s time to talk about racism [*dramatic sound effect*].

What’s p*ssed me off more than Steve McManaman on commentary is the fact Rodrigo Bentancur is facing a 12-match ban for an undoubtedly racist, but seemingly unintentionally so, comment about his Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min.

If you missed it, he made a terrible joke on live telly about how all Koreans look the same. Admittedly, it was dumber than Cole Palmer on University Challenge, but what it certainly wasn’t was egregious enough to justify him sitting on the naughty step for A THIRD of the friggin’ season!

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Bentancur apologised for his "very bad joke", an apology Son accepted, so perhaps the FA should change their approach. The whole ‘taking offence on behalf of the unoffended’ thing is as pointless and regressive as a tactical team talk from Tim Sherwood.

What does a 12-match ban do other than appease the bloodthirsty masses on social media who, like Ireland fans still frothing at the mouth about Declan Rice, care far more about revenge than progress?

The ban, like the contract Chelsea just handed to Nicolas Jackson, is a ridiculous length and probably won’t bear any fruit. The sensible approach would have been to simply pull Bentancur aside, explain his mistake, give him the benefit of the doubt, and save the tarring and feathering for repeat offences.

What do you make of the proposed 12-match ban? Let us know in the comments section below.

Besides, these lapses can befall even the shrillest of virtue-signallers. Case in point: The Guardian newspaper – the paragon of political correctness that it is – used a photo not of Bentancur, but of Cristian Romero when covering the story.

I guess all South Americans look alike to those horrible, homogenising bigots! Throw the book at them, I say! Or maybe, like Ange Postecoglou with his menacing sarcasm, we all just need to chill out a bit. Save the venom for the actual wrong-uns.

Seeing red about not seeing red

Okay, back to the trivial stuff, and where better to begin than with Arsenal? Yes, yes I know, they’re a good side these days. But let’s be honest, their progress-to-silverware ratio is as tragic as Leonardo Di Caprio’s pre-Oscar run.

Anyway, the fact that the Gunners didn’t wear red in the North London Derby on Sunday made me lose my head quicker than Everton lose 2-0 leads.

If there isn’t a colour clash then away kits shouldn’t be worn. Like 95% of Chelsea signings under Todd Boehly there’s absolutely no need for it, unless you’re promoting it to fleece casuals for a bit of cash because you it's too ugly to sell - like a subscription to Sam Allardyce's OnlyFans.

Seriously, shoehorning ill-fitting strips into big matches the way Enzo Maresca has to shoehorn 47 attacking midfielders into the same squad is the money-grubbing b*llocks football should be avoiding like the plague.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has taken aim at Spurs chiefs after their derby day defeat.

The Argentine defender, who had to sort out his own travel back from international duty, was the one who lost Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes for the decisive goal in the fierce North London derby.

In what seemed like a moment of frustration, Romero reposted a critique from Argentinian reporter Gaston Edul, which roughly translates: "Tottenham lost to Arsenal again!"

Edul's report slammed Spur's management: "Tottenham has not yet consolidated its position to fight because it is not in the details: It was the only club in the Premier League which sent players back from international duty on their own and without their own logistics by decisions of its leaders.

"This gave them a disadvantage as their players came back more knackered than others. Cuti Romero played while under the weather," reports the Express.

What do you think of Cristian Romero's reaction to the defeat? Let us know in the comments section below

Romero quickly deleted the post from his page, but eagle-eyed fans had already taken screenshots that went viral.

The centre-back then shared a personal note to fans left reeling after another home loss to the Gunners, insisting: "It hurts to lose a derby, but I have no doubt that we will turn this bad start to the season around. Let's all be together, also at this moment. Thanks to all the fans for always supporting us."

Romero's gruelling international stint, which included a full 90 minutes in both of Argentina's matches, seemed to take its toll on the pitch.

Spurs fans were largely unimpressed with his showing, and during the pivotal moments before the goal, Arsenal icon Paul Merson felt Romero was hard done by not getting a foul for a shove in the back.

Merson said: "He is in the wrong position, everything is wrong about his defending," and added, "He's an international centre-half. Even I know, and I don't play at the back, that you've got to be side-on, seeing the ball and your player.

"To start off with you've got to be a hand-length away (from him), and he was standing with him. But I do think... I'd expect a foul. I would expect a foul."

Arsenal produced a superb defensive display to battle their way to north London derby delight as Mikel Arteta's side claimed a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

In what was a heated affair, both sides found themselves with multiple booking in the first half, with Jurrien Timber's tackle on Pedro Porro proving to be the catalyst for an on-pitch brawl. While things calmed down after the break, neither side really threatened after a fast opening 45 minutes.

However, on 64 minutes, Brazilian defender Gabriel gave Arsenal the lead with a header from a corner which saw Spurs' inability to defend set-pieces punished once again.

And the win means Arsenal now head into next weekend's crunch clash against Manchester City in much better spirits than they would have had they dropped points again like they did prior to the international break.

Here's what Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta got right in the Gunners win over Spurs...

Solid defensive structure

For years, Arsenal were panned for not being strong enough defensively. But over the time Mikel Arteta has been in charge as Arsenal boss, the Gunners have built up a formidable defence, led by Gabriel and William Saliba. The two Arsenal defenders are the best partnership in the Premier League, and compliment each other so well.

And their clean sheet against Spurs also means that they have only conceded one goal so far this term, which came in their 1-1 draw against Brighton when reduced to 10 men. Arsenal's defensive structure in this game was very impressive, with two banks of four men in a compact 4-4-2 shape that Spurs just couldn't break down.

Targeting Vicario

Arsenal targeted Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario relentlessly from corners during the contest, which eventually paid dividends when Gabriel headed the Gunners in front on 64 minutes.

The Italian simply just does not look comfortable from corners, and with Arsenal being one of the best teams in the Premier League at set-piece time, they were able to punish Spurs' inability to defend them when Gabriel beat Cristian Romero - having given him a clever shove just beforehand to give himself space - to head home past Vicario.

Managing without key players

For the majority of the last week, Arsenal fans have been panicking about how they will fare without the suspended Declan Rice and the injured Martin Odegaard.

However, the truth is they didn't really miss either. The Gunners started Jorginho and Thomas Partey in midfield, with four attackers, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka operating in front of them. And Partey and Jorginho looked comfortable in the middle of the park for Arsenal.

What did you make of Arsenal's win over Tottenham Hotspur? Let us know in the comments section below.

With the Gunners having to face off against Manchester City next weekend, they could not afford to drop points to Spurs, especially after their draw against Brighton prior to the international break. Arteta deserves credit for how he managed the contest without two of Arsenal's best players.

Passive off the ball and not drawn into Tottenham's traps

After a frantic start to proceedings, which saw the game played at breakneck speed, Arsenal calmed things down and became more compact to defend against Spurs.

And it was a decision from Arsenal that helped them greatly. Spurs wanted the game to be as open as possible - that's when they're at their best. Arsenal did not get drawn into the playing the game Spurs wanted.

In their defeat to Newcastle and their draw to Leicester City, Spurs had plenty of the ball but could not break either side down, something which might have factored into Arteta's decision making.

Resisted temptation to change things

With the injury to Odegaard and the suspension of Rice, Arsenal could have opted to change things up against Spurs and try something new. Instead they were rewarded by not changing too much in the absence of arguably their two best players.

A combative challenge from Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber on Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro sparked a brawl during the North London Derby.

The clash, which is usually a hotly contested affair, saw referee Jarred Gillett dish out seven yellow cards in the first half alone. And on 35 minutes, tempers flared after Timber's challenge on Porro left the latter writhing on the ground at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, sparking a heated confrontation between the two sides.

Both Timber and Porro went to win a loose ball. However, the Dutchman put his foot on top of the ball, which led to his studs rolling over it and catching Porro.

In the aftermath of the collision, Gillett awarded Timber a yellow card, but not quickly enough to prevent the two sides from confronting one another on the pitch. Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario immediately went to confront Timber, who responded by grabbing the Italian.

And from there, everyone else decided they would get involved in the action, with Arsenal and Spurs players piling in to confront each other, with plenty of pushing and shoving. In the end, Vicario ended up being booked as well for confronting Timber.

Should Jurrien Timber have been sent off against Spurs? Let us know in the comments section below.

And it's safe to say football fans on social media were left confused Timber wasn't sent off for his challenge on Porro. "Surely this is a red card right?," wrote one fan on X. A second added: "Can someone explain the difference between Curtis Jones’ red last season [for Liverpool against Spurs] and Timber’s today? The officiating in this league is horrific."

A third said: "Timber booked for original foul on Porro. Timber then squares up to Vicario, Vicario gets a yellow but no second yellow for Timber?" There were plenty however who completely agreed with Gillett's decision to only award a Timber a yellow, with some even claiming he shouldn't have even been booked for the challenge.

"Am I an idiot for thinking that’s not even a foul by Timber," one fan wrote on social media, with another adding: "That’s not even a foul from Timber, let alone a yellow Games gone."

It might still be September, but the stakes have rarely been higher when Arsenal and Tottenham collide in the north London derby today (Sunday). And make no mistake, Mikel Arteta has much more to lose than Ange Postecoglou does.

Postecoglou might have won just one of his opening three league games as Spurs boss, and will be sent to Coventry in the FA Cup next week. But even Spurs wouldn't be mad enough to sack him if he loses to Arsenal - again.

Arteta, on the other hand, knows some terminal damage to his title hopes could be done if the unthinkable happens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal already find themselves playing catch-up. And giving Manchester City a head start is not a good idea. While Arsenal must travel to the home of the champions next weekend.

No-one knows this better than Arteta, who is starting to resemble the bridesmaid again instead of the bride. Last season, Arsenal put in a solid performance at Spurs coming away with a at-the-time vital 2-3 victory despite Postecoglou's side scoring two late goals as they threatened a come back in the second half.

What is your prediction for the game? Have your say in the comments section below

Arsenal's captain and starman Martin Odegaard is likely to miss the fixture after hobbling off during Norway's UEFA Nations League game against Austria on Monday. Speaking earlier this week, Arteta gave an update, he said: “We need some more tests so let’s see what happens in the next day or so.

“Let’s see what happens, what the extent of the injury is and how quickly we can get him back. He’s super positive about everything. We know Martin - he wants to be there every single day but we have to wait and see.

“He's willing, there's no question about that. He wants to be present every game and obviously in a big game like this one, but we need to make sure that we know first of all how good he can be or not."

Midfielder and Odegaard's fellow keyman Declan Rice will also be made to watch from the sidelines after his sending off against Brighton two weeks ago. In other years, fans may have had sympathy with the Gunners given their squad issues but Arteta will be wise to the fact every game is important in a title race, even at this early stage.

Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur has been slapped with an FA charge over comments he made about team-mate Son Heung-min during a media interview.

Bentancur, 27, had to apologise to Son after seemingly stating that all South Koreans "look the same" in a chat with a Uruguayan TV station. Despite issuing a heartfelt apology to Son on social media, Bentancur now faces a misconduct charge from the FA and could be looking at a ban.

An FA statement released on Thursday morning read: "Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview. It's alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It's further alleged that this constitutes an "aggravated breach" which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin." Bentancur has until Thursday, September 19 to respond to the charge, reports the Mirror.

While he can still play for now, Bentancur could face a ban if the charge is upheld in the coming weeks. Spurs are set to clash with Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday.

What do you think about Rodrigo Bentancur's potential ban? Let us know in the comments section below

Spurs were quick to drop a statement after the incident, which featured remarks from Son himself, solidifying that all was well with his mate Bentancur.

"I've spoken with Lolo. He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised," assured Son. The South Korean international added, "Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all."

Son hammered home the unity in the squad, stating, "We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre season to fight for our club as one."

Former Spurs star Adel Taarabt spilled the beans on preferring Arsenal over Tottenham when he was a fresh-faced 17 year old.

Despite securing a permanent deal after an initial loan back in January 2007 and being hailed as one of the club's hottest prospects, Taarabt's career didn't exactly skyrocket at White Hart Lane, with a mere 15 appearances over nearly three seasons.

He ultimately upped sticks to QPR in 2009. While tipping his hat to Tottenham for the opportunity, Taarabt can't help but wonder what life would have been like under the "legendary" Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

Maintaining that the Gunners' mentality might have been a better fit, the now 35-year-old maverick playmaker insists Spurs didn't do enough to dole out chances to their young talent trove.

"I signed for Tottenham, but I wanted to sign for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, the legendary Frenchman," Taarabt reflected in his chat with The National earlier this year.

What do you think of Adel Taarabt's decision? Let us know in the comments section below

"But [Spurs' director of football] Damian Comolli wanted me to go to Tottenham. He told me he was creating something. Gareth Bale arrived at the same time as me, Kyle Walker soon after. It was a good club, but not one that gave young players many chances."

Taarabt has endured a rollercoaster career and only hit more than 50 appearances for three of his eight clubs, despite once earning comparisons with French icon Zinedine Zidane.

With runs at Lens, QPR, Fulham, AC Milan, Benfica, Genoa, and now Al Nassr, Taarabt's dazzling skills were often overshadowed by talk of wasted potential; he even landed a spot in a Premier League line-up of 'lost talents' due to his attitude issues, reports the Mirror.

Reflecting on his turbulent London years, Taarabt shared how he went from the next midfield maestro to just another face amidst Spurs' star-studded squad, confessing that Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov and Edgar Davids' presence dimmed his sparkle.

"London was a culture shock for me. In France, I was the next Zidane," he remarked. "At Spurs, I was nobody in a dressing room full of big names: Robbie Keane, [Dimitar] Berbatov, Edgar Davids."

Missing the French connection and struggling to gel, he felt he would've thrived at a club like Arsenal, steeped in French influence. His time in North London filled him with doubt to such an extent that a mere three months into his Spurs spell, he yearned for the comforts of home.

He lamented: "People told me London is beautiful but it's dark and rainy at 3.30pm in the winter. I didn't speak English, it was hard."

In a surprise twist, despite his apparent lack of enthusiasm for England, Taarabt then went on to declare that signing with Spurs' London QPR was the top move of his career.

The Moroccan magician wove his spells in 164 matches for the R's, seeing the net bulge 34 times and helping them ascend to the Premier League in 2011.

"The best decision I made," he reminisced about his switch to The Hoops. "I needed to play football, not just train. At QPR I got the love, and if you show me love then I want to give you more love."

Spurs whizkid Lucas Bergvall has opened up about his baptism of fire in the Premier League when he got a rollicking from Guglielmo Vicario.

The 18-year-old hotshot, who made an £8.5million move from Djurgarden, has been wowing Ange Postecoglou and the Tottenham coaching staff since jumping ship to North London, snatching him right from under Barcelona's nose.

Though he's just a teen, Bergvall has already come off the bench in all three of Tottenham's season openers. But his debut against Leicester was almost a nightmare, when he made a dodgy pass that could've cost his team big time.

Introduced in the dying minutes with Spurs fighting for a victory at 1-1, the youngester slipped up, nearly gifting Leicester the win. And goalkeeper Vicario didn't hold back, givinghim a piece of his mind. But according to Bergvall, it's all water under the bridge now.

"Sometimes you do slightly worse things, sometimes you do better things," Bergvall confessed to Aftonbladet. "We were 1-0 up with a fairly comfortable lead. We conceded 1-1 and then that happens (when he lost the ball)," reports the Express.

Where do you think Spurs will finish in the league this season? Let us know in the comments section below

"All is calm now. We have talked about it. Vicario said that there are hot feelings and things like that that happen."

Spurs' summer signings have turned their midfield into a battleground, with Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Pape Sarr now joined by newbies Archie Gray and Bergvall, all vying for a spot in the starting XI.

Bergvall, who made the leap from Sweden's Allsvenskan to the Premier League, admitted the transition was challenging but exciting. "The only thing I knew was that it would be tough," he said.

"It was a motivation when I came to a new league with new people, new team-mates, new coaches, new facilities, diet, training, physical activity, everything. It feels like I have taken very big steps in these two months.

"The quality of the players and the teams you face... it's incredible quality, everywhere. It is not possible to make that many mistakes or any mistakes at all.

"You must always be ready. This is the case regardless of where you play, but now it can be punished a little easier."

In a unique twist of deadline day business, Tottenham Hotspur struck two interconnected deals with Spanish club Real Betis involving a player who isn't going anywhere for now.

The first deal was fairly standard, seeing Giovani Lo Celso return to the La Liga side after failing to make his mark in north London following his £27million transfer in January 2020. Given that he spent the last season-and-a-half on loan at Villarreal and wasn't part of Ange Postecoglou's plans, his exit was expected, albeit for a surprisingly low fee of £3million.

However, this nominal figure is tied to Spurs' other deal with Betis, which has turned heads. The Lilywhites have reportedly secured a 'priority option' on highly-rated US international midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

This means they will have first dibs to sign the 22-year-old for £25.2million in the future. But that's not all. Spurs are also believed to have negotiated a sell-on clause for Cardoso, meaning they would pocket a portion of the fee if the player signs for another team.

So Tottenham could financially gain from the sale of a player who never even steps foot on the pitch for them. However, considering Cardoso's growing reputation at both club and international level, it would be surprising if Spurs don't exercise their option to sign him.

With a midfield already brimming with options, Ange Postecoglou can afford to play the long game. Spurs are keeping silent on the Cardoso deal and that is not expected to change.

What do you think of Tottenham's transfer business? Tell us in the comments section below.

Premier League fans might find the Cardoso agreement a bit out of the ordinary, but these sorts of deals are pretty standard fare abroad. It could be a savvy move from Spurs, ensuring they stay ahead in the queue for a hot prospect who has also caught the eye of clubs like Barcelona and AC Milan.

'Johnny', the name on his jersey, has roots in Brazil, though he was born stateside in New Jersey. His Brazilian parents had moved to the US seeking a better life but decided to head back to their homeland after Cardoso arrived.

After racking up 144 appearances for Internacional, Cardoso made the jump to Betis earlier this year and hasn't wasted any time becoming a key player. Despite his dual heritage, when it came to picking a national team, Cardoso chose the Stars and Stripes over Brazil.

"When the chance came to play for the US, I didn't think twice," he is quoted by The Athletic. "I'm representing a country that my parents love."

Cardoso's reputation as a no-nonsense defensive midfielder means he could bring some much-needed grit to the Spurs squad if he ever ends up donning the iconic white shirt.

Guglielmo Vicario’s dream is to become a Tottenham legend - by ending the club’s painful 16 years without silverware.

Not since the League Cup final victory in 2008 have the North Londoners and their long-suffering supporters experienced the joy of lifting a trophy.

Hence, live-wire Italian keeper Vicario would love nothing more than to help bring that desperate drought to a conclusion - and etch his name into the N17 history books...forever.

Ahead of today’s trip to Newcastle, the former-Empoli man outlined the main aims of the new campaign for Ange Postecoglou’s troops..

And while cracking the Premier League top four, or even higher, is one obvious priority, he insists to be part of a Spurs side that actually won something would be career-defining.

Vicario explained: “The target is to try to be a team until the 25th of May. And try to build a big team until the 25th of May.

"Of course, we are athletes and we want to win. We are born to try to win things and to be remembered by our fans because we know, if we do it at Tottenham, we will be remembered for life - for eternity.

“It would be one of the biggest things that could happen in your career - in your life.

“Maybe, one day you come back to the stadium, walk into the tunnel, into the corridor and see some pictures of you and say: ‘Ok, 40 years ago I did this!’

“If it’s me in the pictures, it’d be very nice.”

Vicario’s desperation to achieve glory is clear - whether performing on the pitch or talking off pitch. He now has an unofficial role looking after the youngsters in the squad.

However, he admits his public blasting of new teenage signing Lucas Bergvall in the closing stages of Spurs’ 1-1 draw at Leicester two weeks ago was over the top.

A repentant Vicario, 27, said: “I was too aggressive with him. I apologised. Maybe at that moment it was because we’d dominated a game for 70 mins and then conceded.

“I had a feeling in the last five minutes we could lose the game. Maybe it’s to understand where the game’s leading us or not.

“But it was not the right way, screaming to him. But he understands. He’s a good guy.

“It’s part of football. We are men. I suffered this too when younger.

“We are good friends and speak about sometimes having feelings of the game, the environment, when you, maybe, play away games and everybody is more excited.

“It was the first game back in the Premier League, the fans were pushing us. My action at that moment was not the best but the message came from the right place.”

St James Park is certain to provide an electric atmosphere this afternoon as both clubs look to build upon decent starts

Last season Spurs were thrashed 4-0 away to Eddie Howe’s men nd Vicario added: “We’re playing in a tough place, against a very good team but, of course, we have very good players.

“Now I think we are a different team.”