Inside Futbol

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QPR boss Marti Cifuentes has name-checked Newcastle United loanee Harrison Ashby and Tottenham Hotspur loan star Yang Min-hyeok for their off-the-bench energy against Oxford United on Tuesday night.

Ashby came through the youth systems of Chelsea and West Ham United, featuring in seven senior games for the Hammers before the Magpies picked him up in the winter window of 2023.

Yang joined north London side Spurs in the most recent transfer window and was loaned out to Championship outfit QPR to gain experience playing English football.

The Magpies loanee has not been an important player for the R’s and Min-hyeok is also yet to become a solid first-team name under Cifuentes.

However, the Spurs loanee came on as a substitute against the U’s on Tuesday night and sealed all three points for QPR with a late goal.

Cifuentes admitted that Ashby and Yang brought a lot of energy when they came on, and he hailed the impact they made against Gary Rowett’s men.

“Whoever jumps in does the job, I’m very happy, because today the bench impact was excellent”, Cifuentes told his club’s in-house media about the impact of the substitutes.

Opponents Date Bristol City (H) 12th April Preston North End (A) 18th April Swansea City (H) 21st April Burnley (H) 26th April Sunderland (A) 3rd May QPR’s remaining Championship games this season

“Excellent, excellent; I think that Kaddie [Dembele] was fantastic in the minutes he played.

“Ashby gave us a lot of energy.

“Yang, not only because of the goal, but the energy he gave us; Lucas [Andersen], for the last minutes, showed his experience and his quality.”

Ashby is already 23, and it remains to be seen what plans Newcastle have for the full-back when he returns to the club in the summer.

Yang already has three direct contributions for QPR, and he will look to have a crack at the Spurs first team upon his return to north London.

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Ex-Leeds United star Jon Newsome has warned Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon that football is not a game where the player gets to choose moments when he will showcase himself; rather, it is the game that dictates when the player needs to step up.

Tottenham sent Solomon out on loan to Leeds in the summer and the winger has been featuring regularly for Daniel Farke’s side.

On Tuesday, it was Solomon who set up the ball for the winning goal for Daniel James against Middlesbrough to end Leeds’ three-game winless run.

However, there has been a question regarding Solomon’s work ethic in certain parts of the game, and Newsome admitted that the winger has quite a few times left Junior Firpo with problems to deal with due to his lack of running back to support the team.

Newsome warned the Tottenham star that football is not a game where he can pick and choose moments to step up; rather, he needs to follow the dictation of the game and do what is required of him.

The Leeds legend admitted that Solomon’s pass for James’ goal was excellent and added that the Spurs star did well in the first half.

“I thought he had a great first half I mean, let’s not forget it was his assist; it was his ball across for Dan James’ goal, which was superb; and the running behind was great”, Newsome on BBC Radio Leeds (5:30).

Competition Games Goal Contributions Championship 34 15 FA Cup 2 1 Manor Solomon’s season so far

“But you cannot play when you want to play; the game dictates to you when you play, you don’t dictate to the game.

“I thought on a couple of occasions he was caught out of position and he did not track back; he does cause Junior Firpo, who is not a defensive-minded full-back as it is, so he does cause him a problem.”

The 25-year-old so far has registered seven goals and eight assists in 34 league games for Leeds United this season.

Solomon will be looking to finish the season in a strong manner with Leeds before he returns to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, with the Whites having no option to buy in the deal.

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Danny Murphy has told Tottenham Hotspur that there would be no point in sacking Ange Postecoglou before their Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham did return to winning ways on Sunday by beating relegated Southampton 3-1 at home in the Premier League.

Now all eyes are on a season-defining meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs, with the first game this Thursday night in north London.

There have been calls in some quarters for Postecoglou to be sacked to allow a new manager to come in and get a reaction out of the players.

The new manager bounce effect could push Spurs beyond Eintracht Frankfurt and boost their chances of winning the Europa League, the theory goes.

Former Spurs star Murphy though does not subscribe to that view and thinks that a change now does not make sense.

He stressed that new managers need time on the training pitch to get their ideas across and that is one thing they would not have now.

Game Competition Werder Bremen 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Stuttgart Bundesliga Bochum 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga Eintracht Frankfurt’s last three results

“Some are calling for Ange to be sacked now so a new manager bounce helps them win the Europa but it’s not my gut feeling unless there is a Jurgen Klopp available with the CV to make a difference”, Murphy wrote in his Mail on Sunday column (6th April, page 89).

“To draft in someone less experienced doesn’t make sense. New managers need time to impose their ideas.

“There is still a chance Spurs could win the Europa, of course, primarily because the quality of the other quarter-finalists is not world-beating.”

Eintracht Frankfurt represent a tough test in the quarter-finals as they currently sit third in the Bundesliga standings.

The two clubs met each other in the Champions League in 2022, with the meeting in Germany ending in a 0-0 draw, while Spurs won the north London encounter 3-2.

Spurs’ goals on the night were scored by Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son (two).

INSIDE FUTBOL SAYS:

It is pointless for Spurs to sack Ange Postecoglou now, pulling the rug from under him like they did with Jose Mourinho before a cup final.

If Postecoglou went, Ryan Mason would surely come in as caretaker, and there is little chance he would be able to do better than the Australian.

For all the criticism against Postecoglou, he has started to get players back from injury and if Spurs can get past Eintracht Frankfurt then there is a chance they could build momentum. Postecoglou must be given until the summer and then Spurs can reassess whether they want to give the Australian a chance to go again in a season where hopefully injuries would not cripple their campaign.

Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Former Premier League winger Perry Groves thinks that Ange Postecoglou knows he is leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the summer and feels the fans know it too.

Postecoglou has come under huge pressure at Spurs this season due to the club’s poor performances in the Premier League which have seen them languishing in the bottom half of the table.

The Australian has seen his options reduced at times amid an injury crisis, but the club backed him in January with the arrivals of Antonin Kinsky, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel.

Pressure was eased somewhat with a 3-1 win over Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, a result which pushed Spurs up to 14th in the league standings.

The boss’ relationship with the Spurs fans has been damaged though and that was evident in midweek when he cupped his ears to the travelling supporters at Chelsea, who had chanted he did not know what he was doing, when he thought his side had scored, only for VAR to rule it out.

Ex-top flight winger Groves believes that Postecoglou and the fans both now know he will not be the manager next season.

Groves said on talkSPORT‘s Sunday Session (6th April, 17:30): “He knows he’s going and the Spurs fans know he’s going and the players know he’s going – simple as that.”

Opponents Competition Eintracht Frankfurt (H) Europa League Wolves (A) Premier League Eintracht Frankfurt (A) Europa League Tottenham’s next three fixtures

Groves also explained he thinks Postecoglou has been found out and is not the level needed to manage in the Premier League.

“I think the worry is this group of Tottenham players who were invested in Ange Postecoglou right at the start because they were playing front-foot, attacking football, but the style has been found out, the manager has been found out.

“I think he’s not the level of a Premier League manager because when he was with his team in Japan and with Celtic, he had better players than the opposition had, so you can play that way”, he added.

Postecoglou picked up silverware at both Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic, before he became Tottenham boss.

With Spurs still involved in the Europa League, there remains the possibility he could pick up a trophy before the campaign ends, which would represent a remarkable turnaround.

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Former Premier League striker Jan Age Fjortoft thinks Ange Postecoglou knows he is under big pressure and criticised Tottenham Hotspur for not having a plan B after they kept playing short passes even in the final minutes of their game against Chelsea with Cristian Romero up front.

Spurs have experienced a miserable season so far, sitting 15th in the Premier League table with just 34 points on the board and have lost three of their last four matches.

The Lilywhites lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Thursday night as Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of the game to help Enzo Maresca’s team secure a vital win in their race to qualify for the Champions League next season.

With the latest defeat, Postecoglou has now become the first Spurs boss to lose four matches on the bounce against Chelsea, an unwanted record for the 59-year-old.

Fjortoft highlighted that the north Londoners pushed Romero up top to play as a forward but kept playing short passes in the dying embers of the game.

The former Premier League believes it was enough evidence for people to understand Postecoglou has no other plan for his team to change the rhythm of the match and feels that the Spurs boss knows he is under massive pressure after the club’s poor performances in Premier League.

Fjortoft said on ESPN FC (3:31): “He knows he is a man under big, big pressure.

“Just to see the last three minutes of the game, there was 12 minutes added and Tottenham kept on playing short passes.

Result Competition Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Tottenham Hotspur 3-4 Chelsea Premier League Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Tottenham’s last three meetings with Chelsea

“They put Romero in front they still kept on playing short passes and you don’t have to have more proof to see a plan B”, he added.

“Then in the press conference we start talking about [Mauricio] Pochettino, I guess he has got enough job to do in the USA by the way so I don’t see.

“Maybe we will have him back quicker than nobody thinks, but Postecoglou is under pressure.”

Tottenham will have a perfect opportunity at the weekend to end their four-game winless run, as they are set to welcome rock bottom team Southampton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Postecoglou still has an opportunity to salvage some redemption this campaign as the Lilywhites are still in Europa League and are set to face Eintracht Frankfurt for the quarter-finals next week.

Spurs will be hopeful to progress further in the Europa League and lift the trophy at the end of the season as it would also get them a spot in the Champions League next season.

Spurs Official

Eintracht Frankfurt boss Dino Toppmoller has revealed that Mathys Tel, who is on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, is a player he wanted to sign, but it did not materialise.

Tel joined the north London club from Bayern Munich on loan in the winter window after he was not given sufficient game time in Germany.

However, Spurs were not the only team that wanted him, as he had no shortage of admirers around Europe during the last two transfer windows, with Arsenal and Manchester United also clubs that pushed for Tel.

Eintracht Frankfurt boss Toppmoller was another admirer of the attacker, who joined Tottenham on loan with an option to buy.

The 44-year-old kept no secret regarding his willingness to sign Tel, but indicated the player had to make what he felt was the best decision.

Toppmoller, though, rates the Spurs loanee very highly, and he tipped him to have a very good career.

“Mathys was a topic of discussion during several transfer windows because I know him, and we had a connection”, the 44-year-old told German broadcaster Sky Deutschland.

Team Season Rennes B 2021-2022 Rennes 2021-2022 Bayern Munich 2022- Tottenham Hotspur 2025- (loan) Mathys Tel’s career history so far

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way we hoped, but in the end, of course, he has to make the decision for himself.

“He is a great player, a good boy, a good person who will certainly have a great career.”

Spurs face Toppmoller’s men next week in the Europa League, and Tel will look to prove his worth against Die Adler, as that is the only hope for Spurs to have a meaningful season.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Fixture: Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 20:00 UK time

Tottenham Hotspur have officially named their lineup to lock horns with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this evening.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham have had a season to forget domestically and are now trying to just climb as high as they can in the Premier League before the campaign ends, in order to restore some pride.

Postecoglou will point to numerous injury issues throughout the campaign, but there has been criticism of the Australian refusing to be flexible in his approach and not improving players.

The earlier meeting between the two teams this season, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finished in a thrilling 4-3 win for Chelsea.

Tottenham have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2018, when they managed a 3-1 victory, with a goal from Christian Eriksen and two from Dele Alli.

Postecoglou has Guglielmo Vicario between the sticks for Tottenham in his lineup tonight, while in defence, the visitors go with Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.

The engine room sees Tottenham deploy Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison, while Wilson Odobert and Heung-Min Son support Dominic Solanke.

If Postecoglou needs to make changes to his lineup during the game then he has options off the bench and they include Mathys Tel and Mikey Moore.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Chelsea

Vicario, Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Odobert, Solanke, Son

Substitutes: Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Davies, Gray, Sarr, Bissouma, Moore, Johnson, Tel

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur talent Callum Olusesi has stressed the need for him to keep working hard and take every opportunity that comes his way at the north London giants.

The Premier League club announced on Wednesday that they had tied the 18-year-old down to a new contract running until the summer of 2029.

The recognition came after Olusesi was handed his first-team debut by Ange Postecoglou in the Europa League match against Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim.

He had also been given the skipper’s armband for Tottenham’s Under-21 team.

Reflecting on his experience of playing for Tottenham’s senior team, Olusesi insisted that it was a dream come true – an occasion he had worked for his whole life.

“It was like a dream come true”, Olusesi told Tottenham’s official channel.

“It didn’t really soak in at first, but once it hit it was just like – I have worked my whole life just for that one opportunity.

“I have just got to keep working hard now and hope that it comes again, just take every opportunity as it comes.

England team Years England Under-16s 2022-2023 England Under-17s 2023-2024 England Under-18s 2024- Callum Olusesi at international level

“It is a great achievement obviously.

“All the hard work I have put in – me and my family, the coaches everyone else that have guided me – I am always helpful.”

On the night in Germany, the teenager was joined by his fellow academy team-mate Mikey Moore.

Moore’s continued presence at the top level gives young players like him added motivation, the young midfielder insists.

“It has always been a dream that – something we have spoken about since our way up.

“We just kept working hard, kept our heads down.

“Obviously, it is good seeing that Mikey is with the first-team full-time.

“So having someone up there – you could look up to them and see how well he is doing and then it gives you more motivation to keep pushing.”

The starlet, who can perform multiple roles in the middle of the pitch, has progressed through the different youth ranks at Tottenham.

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson has hailed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall for his elite mentality and insisted that he is very happy with his progress this season, while revealing a story shared with him by Spurs.

Spurs are having a season to forget as they are sitting 13th in the Premier League table and have been knocked out of the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

They could have a season-ending game tonight against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League (we previewed the game here), which if they lose, will leave them with almost no chance to secure European football next season.

Bergvall, 19, though has had a very good campaign as he has played a lot after the team suffered multiple injury issues and went through patchy form for senior players.

The Sweden midfielder has played 34 games for Spurs this season, managing to squeeze in more than 1,700 minutes under his belt for the Premier League outfit.

Tomasson has admitted that he is a fan of Bergvall’s humble attitude and insisted even though Spurs are having a bad season, he is pleased with the teenager’s personal development, dubbing it ‘incredible’.

Bergvall scored an own goal against AZ Alkmaar last week but Tomasson highlighted the midfielder’s mature mentality to play after that as well.

He also revealed a story shared with him by Spurs which puts Bergvall in an exclusive club.

Opponents Date AZ Alkmaar (H) 13th March Fulham (A) 16th March Chelsea (A) 3rd April Southampton (H) 6th April Wolves (A) 12th April Tottenham’s upcoming five matches for Bergvall to look forward to

“[His development has been] incredible. It’s been a tough season for Tottenham but he’s had a very good year. He’s made very good strides”, Tomasson told Swedish outlet Footballskanalen about Bergvall.

“I’ve spoken to Tottenham too and they told me a story that I actually didn’t know, that the last player to go from a league in Scandinavia straight to the Premier League and play this much in his debut season was Daniel Agger, many years ago.

“That says a little about Lucas’ performance as a very young player.

“I like that he is very humble and wants to get better all the time.

“We all know he scored an own goal against AZ, and it can happen to anyone.

“But the game after that he played 45 minutes and did very well. That says a lot about his mentality.”

Spurs paid £8.5m to Djurgarden to secure the teenager on a five-year deal, beating off competition from Barcelona in the process, and he is considered a player for the long term in north London.

Now it remains to be seen if Bergvall will be able to cement himself as a first-team player for the upcoming campaign with performances between now and the end of the term.

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