Inside Futbol

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A Tottenham Hotspur player has been spotted ‘limping’ as he walked through the press mixed zone following Spurs’ comprehensive win at Manchester City.

Ange Postecoglou’s side took the champions to the cleaners in the Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.

Goals from James Maddison (two), Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson saw the visitors ease their way to a 4-0 win, plunging Manchester City into crisis.

There was a little dark cloud post match though as, according to the Athletic, Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was ‘limping as he walks through’ the mixed zone.

The shot-stopper completed the full 90 minutes at the Etihad.

How bad the blow is remains to be seen, but Postecoglou could well give the player a rest later this week.

Spurs are in Europa League action against Roma on Thursday night and Fraser Forster has started the last two games in the competition, against AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray, respectively.

The 36-year-old could be handed another outing and in the process give Vicario extra time to recover from the knock he picked up at Manchester City.

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Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has insisted the club must stick with Ange Postecoglou, following Spurs’ 4-0 thumping of Manchester City at the Etihad.

Two James Maddison goals inside the first 20 minutes of the Premier League encounter left Manchester City reeling, while matters then got worse just seven minutes into the second half when Pedro Porro struck.

The icing on the cake for Spurs came in stoppage time when substitute Brennan Johnson added a fourth of the night.

The result was an incredible response to losing at home to Ipswich Town before the international break and moved Spurs up to sixth in the league table.

Roberts explained he refrained from giving his verdict after the Ipswich game, but is convinced Postecoglou is a top manager and Spurs must stick with him even when the going gets tough.

“I stopped myself from posting last week after the loss to Ipswich but as I keep saying we all need to keep with this manager, he is simply wonderful!” Roberts wrote on X.

“You can see more than any manager what he is trying to do at this club. A top, top manager.

“We need to keep the faith when we win and lose.”

Tottenham are in Europa League action in midweek when Roma pay a visit to the capital, while their next Premier League assignment sees Fulham arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that the leadership group in his squad are the first ones to look at what they can do differently when there is a drop-off in performance.

The club’s long-serving South Korean star Heung-min Son has been entrusted with the role of the skipper and remains the side’s talisman.

However, he is not the only one sharing the leadership responsibility in the team, Postecoglou insists.

While Cristian Romero and James Maddison are the other prominent figures, there are those such as Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma as well.

The manager insists that the leaders have important roles to play in his team, helping them ignore the noise during both the good and difficult times.

Postecoglou also entrusts the leadership group with the task of working out what they can do differently when there is a drop-off in performance.

“Yes, that’s very important. In every dressing room your leaders, are in difficult and good times, ignore the noise on both fronts”, Postecoglou said at a press conference.

“Certainly, with us, it is part of our growth.

“The leadership in the group is constantly challenged by the moments when we have a drop-off in performance

“They are the first ones to look at what they can do differently.

“Within that, I think you get growth and, not just with Sonny, Romero and Madders, but I think Deki is growing all the time and captained Sweden.

“Ben is captain of Wales, Biss is captain of Mali, we’ve got some leaders in there but t is making sure that the dressing room maintains its focus.”

Tottenham are currently going through a difficult phase in the league having already lost five games of the eleven they have played.

They will look to bounce back from the 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town when they visit Manchester City on Saturday.

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Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski is oozing with confidence regarding Swden’s national team and pointed to the likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres as reasons for optimism.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Sweden have been in excellent form on the international stage recently and on Tuesday night they were victorious 6-0 against Azerbaijan.

They have not lost any of their last six Nations League games and their potent attacking players have seen them outscore most opponents.

Some have doubted how good Sweden are as they have not qualified for a major finals since 2020, but Kulusevski is not concerned.

He pointed to the likes of Isak, Gyokeres and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari and believes they all play at the highest level with age on their side.

“I have heard that Swedish football is the worst it has ever been, I think quite the opposite”, the Spurs star told Swedish daily Barometern.

“I have heard a lot that Sweden has never been in a worse place, but I don’t think it has ever been better than now.

“The players we have, Gyokeres, Alex, and young players like Yasin, who play at a high level.

“And all young people have age on their side.”

Kulusevski himself scored twice against Azerbaijan on Tuesday night and he will be looking to have an equal impact in Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs team when they visit the Etihad to face Manchester City this Saturday.

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A Tottenham Hotspur star’s agent has weighed in on his client’s future amid interest from clubs and a lack of regular game time in north London.

With the January transfer window now rapidly approaching, clubs are increasingly finalising their transfer plans and Tottenham may have to deal with approaches for some of their players.

Eyes are firmly on the players that Ange Postecoglou has been relying on regularly and those suffering on the sidelines.

Italian heavyweights Juventus and Napoli are focusing on Spurs defender Radu Dragusin, who has clocked just 279 minutes of football in the Premier League this term.

The pair are exploring a move, but Dragusin’s agent is clear that moving in January is not in his client’s thoughts, with a hint dropped that if the situation continues through to next summer then there may be a rethink.

“It’s an honour for Radu to be wanted by teams like Napoli and Juve, but at the moment they are just rumours”, Florin Manea told Telecapri (via Tutto Mercato).

“We are focused on Tottenham, he still has five years left on his contract.

“It’s not easy to go to a top club and make an impact right away, he’s still 22 years old.

“If he never plays this year it’s normal that other evaluations will be made; he won’t move in January, in June we’ll evaluate.”

Despite Manea’s words, Italian sides could still test the water for the centre-back when the January transfer window opens and hope to tempt him with game time.

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German side 1.FC Nurnberg are eyeing making a profit on loan star Stefanos Tzimas, who is on the radar of Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

The 18-year-old forward joined Nurnberg on loan from Greek side PAOK Salonika in the summer and they have an option to sign him in the summer for €18m.

Tzimas has found the back of the net five times in nine 2. Bundesliga outings for Nurnberg so far this season, catching the eye in the process.

Now, according to German magazine Sport Bild (via Fussball Transfers), Tzimas’ form has three Premier League sides on his trail.

Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham are all keen on the Greek attacker.

As such, Nurnberg are plotting to trigger the purchase option for Tzimas and then sell him on.

They would pay PAOK Salonika the agreed fee of €18m and then look to sell the 18-year-old on to an English club for a fee in excess of €20m.

He has been capped by Greece up to Under-21 level and came through the youth set-up at PAOK Salonika.

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A club have stepped up the frequency of their contacts over a deal to land one of Tottenham Hotspur’s stars when the January transfer window swings open for business.

Spurs were busy in the summer window, but they did not add another centre-back and Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero remain the first choice pairing when fit.

Radu Dragusin is also on the books at Tottenham, but he has struggled to displace either Van de Ven or Romero.

He has played of late due to the absence of Van de Ven due to injury, however Italian sides have taken note of his situation in north London.

Italian giants Juventus and Napoli are admirers of Dragusin’s talents and want to sign him in January.

Now, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.com, Juventus are picking up their contacts over a deal and they have become intense.

With Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer out of action with a long-term injury, Thiago Motta is keen to bring in defensive reinforcements.

The Tottenham centre-back was part of Juventus before he joined Genoa and he has four senior appearances for the Bianconeri to his name.

Juventus know what the 22-year-old can do and are exploring what would need to be done to bring the Romanian back to Serie A.

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Leigh Bromby has picked out a Leeds United star he feels is clearly lacking in confidence at the moment after he saw him up close on Saturday at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s men eased to a 2-0 win over QPR in the Championship thanks to goals from Jayden Bogle and Joel Piroe.

Farke also handed a start to winger Manor Solomon, who has struggled to nail down a spot in the Whites’ side following his loan move from Tottenham Hotspur.

Solomon’s performance against QPR failed to impress Bromby, but he pointed out that it is natural for the Tottenham star to not be at his best after being out of action with injuries for a long period of time.

He stated that the winger is lacking in confidence and added that the Spurs loanee displayed reluctance to take on QPR players one-on-one during the game.

“I think you need to appreciate that coming back from injury and being out for so long does take time”, Bromby said on BBC Radio Leeds.

“There are not many players that bounce back, particularly attacking players from serious injuries when they are out for a long period.

“I am not sure what his pre-season was like; I am not sure whether that was something he did.

“He does look lacking confidence; he does look lacking like he wants to go 1v1.”

Solomon has made eight appearances for Leeds so far but has yet to register his name on the scoresheet this season

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Former top flight striker Glenn Murray believes that Tottenham Hotspur conceding first for the 13th time in 15 home matches in the Premier League this year is unacceptable not just for Spurs, but for any other Premier League team.

Tottenham’s third defeat in the last five matches came against Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town on Sunday, as Kieran McKenna’s men claimed a 2-1 victory.

One statistic which came to light after the game was it was the 13th time in 15 home league games that Tottenham had let in the first goal.

Murray, a former Premier League striker, insists that it is completely unacceptable from any top-flight team to have that statistic, let alone a team of the stature of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.

Referring to Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa, yet another match where they conceded first, Murray told the BBC: “I saw Spurs dismantle Aston Villa in that second half and you thought it’s their opportunity to kick on against Ipswich Town at home next.

“But this is so like Postecoglou’s Spurs – they conceded first for the 13th time in 15 home league matches in 2024.

“That is unacceptable from any Premier League team – never mind from a club of the stature of Tottenham.”

The result against Ipswich came just after Tottenham’s first Europa League defeat at the hands of Galatasaray in midweek.

It further increased pressure on manager Postecoglou, whose team sit tenth in the Premier League table.

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Former Premier League defender Frank Leboeuf is of the view that Tottenham Hotspur have two defenders who should be leading on the pitch and stopping Spurs doing stupid things.

This season Tottenham have been inconsistent and former players have criticised Ange Postecoglou’s team for being defensively vulnerable.

On Sunday, Spurs suffered a 2-1 defeat at home against Ipswich Town and are currently in tenth place in the Premier League table, with real questions being asked about their top four credentials.

Leboeuf is of the view that experienced players like Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro should shout instructions to their team-mates during the game to stop players from making stupid mistakes and organise the defence.

He stressed that Romero, with his experience, should be leading Tottenham and added that he should help his team-mates in tough on-the-pitch situations by guiding them with his knowledge.

“18 months ago, when he [Postecoglou] came to Spurs, he changed dramatically the way Spurs were playing”, Leboeuf said on ESPN FC.

“They were mostly playing defensively but offensively; it was like a show and it was entertaining and we loved it but it was not enough.

“It is not enough right now but the players, especially some players like Romero I would say or even Porro, experienced players they should deal at some point and say, come on guys we are going to start defending, so you come back, you come back, you stop your stupid things which you know is going nowhere and not defending… You have to organise something.

“It is an intuitive sport and players from the back, especially experienced players, have to deal with situations and right now I am sorry, Romero, he has the experience for that; he should be the leader and people should listen to him.”

Tottenham are set to face Manchester City after the international break and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to bounce back with a win.