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Spurs 'escalate talks' with Igor Tudor replacement after Atletico embarrassment

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Spurs 'escalate talks' with Igor Tudor replacement after Atletico embarrassment - SPORTbible
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Igor Tudor is on the brink of being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur following a disastrous 25-day reign as interim manager, with a club legend being lined up as a 'preferred' replacement.

A damning 5-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night could well have been the final nail in the coffin for Tudor.

The 47-year-old Croatian, who was drafted in as interim manager until the end of the season to replace Thomas Frank, has endured a nightmare start to life at the North London club, falling to four consecutive defeats.

Away from being humiliated in the Champions League and Tottenham currently sit just one point above the Premier League relegation zone with nine games to play.

So, what next for Spurs? A report from TEAMtalk on Tuesday night suggests Tudor is 'expected to be sacked' after the defeat to Atletico, with former striker Robbie Keane being lined up as a 'preferred' option.

The report, which claims talks have now 'escalated' for a replacement, also includes comments from journalist Graeme Bailey, who claims Tottenham's hierarchy are "now in talks" having previously decided that Tudor would get until after the Atletico second leg on March 18.

It appears they may be forced to reconsider their approach.

“As it stands the club are continuing to do work, as they have been for more than a week, on options to replace Igor Tudor," he added. "The hierarchy are aware that the squad have not reacted to Tudor as they hoped.

“Robbie Keane has been spoken to, but he is also a top target for Crystal Palace and has been linked to Celtic, heading into the summer."

Bailey goes on to suggest that Keane is "very much a preferred option.”

Robbie Keane backed to land Tottenham job

Keane, who made over 300 appearances for Spurs as a player, is among the favourites to secure the managerial post in North London after enjoying success at Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

Glenn Hoddle, another club legend, has talked up the idea of teaming up with Keane, believing it would be a "shrewd" move.

"Robbie’s doing great as a young manager," he said on the 'Could It Be Magic' podcast. "So to have a steady springboard and someone experienced like myself that would be a good formula, in many ways.

"I think it’d be a shrewd move to have somebody, whether it was me or somebody experienced with him. Because the question would be: Is Rob ready to go into that sort of job now?

"Although in saying that, I went into my first management job at 30. What was I, 34? Yeah, 34. So I was very, very young. So you have to take that leap at some stage and you sort of learn on the job."

Hoddle added: "But if you can learn on the job and have some experience around you, looking back, I could have done with that a hell of a lot."

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Igor Tudor subs off Spurs goalkeeper after 17 minutes in this season's most ruthless moment

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Igor Tudor subs off Spurs goalkeeper after 17 minutes in this season's most ruthless moment - SPORTbible
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In one of the most humiliating moments of the season, Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was hooked in the 17th minute of their Champions League round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid.

On Tuesday night, Kinsky was handed his first start since October as Igor Tudor decided to drop the out-of-form Guglielmo Vicario.

It was a brave call from the under-pressure manager but it backfired almost immediately, with Kinsky making a handful of errors in the opening stages to hand Atletico a three-goal advantage after just 15 minutes.

Shortly after Julian Alvarez made it 3-0, the Czech shot-stopper headed straight down the Metropolitano tunnel after being replaced by Vicario. He also received a standing ovation from the home support.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was on commentary duty for TNT Sports, said he was “heartbroken” for the red-faced Kinsky, who was making his Champions League debut.

“I’ve been trying to make sense of it, and my overriding feeling is that my heart is absolutely broken for the lad," he said, adding: "This Tottenham team is all over the place at the moment."

Another ex-goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, was in shock at Tudor's decision to bring him off. "Wow, wow, wow," he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I have never seen that on a football pitch. What a huge call from the manager Igor Tudor. Yes, the goalkeeper was at fault, but that is confidence-destroying for Antonin Kinsky."

After goals from Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez handed Diego Simeone's side a sizable first-leg advantage, the home side went 4-0 ahead thanks to a 22nd-minute strike from Robin Le Normand.

Tottenham managed to pull one back through Pedro Porro, but things are looking bleak for Tudor amid growing speculation around his future.

Igor Tudor addresses Tottenham form ahead of Atletico Madrid game

Tudor, who was named interim in February following the departure of Thomas Frank, believes Tottenham can avoid relegation from the Premier League, but whether he will be in charge until the end of the season remains uncertain.

“I understand the fans, they wanted more,” Tudor said after the club's defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday. “We also wanted more. The red card changed everything. It might sound strange, I believe more after this game than I believed before.

“I saw something. I need to choose the right guys because the boat is going in the direction that I need to go, and who is in the boat can stay, otherwise [they] can leave the boat."

He added: “When the other players come back, I'm sure we'll have a good team and come back. It's not easy to accept the moment we are in now.”

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Spurs make ruthless decision on popular player ahead of Atletico game

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Spurs make ruthless decision on popular player ahead of Atletico game - SPORTbible
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Tottenham want to transform their squad and are open to selling a high-profile player as part of a major overhaul.

Spurs have endured a dismal Premier League campaign as they aim to avoid relegation under interim manager Igor Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank.

They are just one point above the relegation zone, but are enjoying a stellar Champions League campaign, having reached the next round of the competition.

They face Atletico Madrid in the last-16 for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Ahead of their game against Atletico, a report has emerged revealing the club plan to overhaul their underachieving squad.

According to the Telegraph, Spurs are open to selling captain Cristian Romero even if they avoid relegation.

Romero joined Spurs on an initial loan before his deal was made permanent.

He has played over 150 games for Spurs and was made club captain.

Despite being the Spurs skipper, Romero's future is in doubt and there appears to be a club leading the way for his services.

The report claims Atletico are long-term admirers of the Argentina international and Tuesday's clash could act as an audition for the defender.

Spurs may decide to cash in on players like Romero to help fund a summer rebuild.

The 27-year-old remains an important player for Spurs' fight against relegation, but the club believes that a parting of the ways at the end of the season may be best for all parties.

He penned a new contract and was given the armband last summer, but his season has been plagued with suspensions after picking up a number of red cards. He has also been public with his criticism of the club.

Per the report, Romero wanted to leave Spurs at the end of last season following their Europa League triumph over Manchester United.

However, the club refused to sanction his sale and valued him at more than £60 million.

Who could join Cristian Romero in leaving Spurs?

Romero isn't the only star player on the chopping block.

The Telegraph claim Spurs could also offload goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and full-back Pedro Porro.

Ideally the club would like to keep star centre-back Micky van de Ven, though he may want to pursue a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs also want to keep Dominic Solanke, Conor Gallagher, Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

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Tottenham T-shirt removed from club store after being mocked by rival fans

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Tottenham T-shirt removed from club store after being mocked by rival fans - SPORTbible
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A T-shirt that was listed on Tottenham's online club shop is no longer available, hours after it was mocked by rival fans online.

Spurs are currently in 16th place in the Premier League, and sit just one point above the relegation zone.

They are statistically the worst team in the division over the last 10 games, and have lost all of their most recent five matches.

A change of manager from Thomas Frank to interim Igor Tudor has made little difference thus far, with Tudor claiming that his squad is lacking 'when we attack, in the middle ... and behind'. He also said they lack 'brain'.

Thousands of Spurs fans left the ground early during Tuesday's 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, with relegation rivals West Ham's 1-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday - which reduced Spurs' gap over the drop zone to that single point - underlining the scale of the mess that the north London club currently find themselves in.

As with any team that are fighting against relegation in their division, various smaller issues at the club can become amplified - even going as far as what is being sold in the club shop.

One of the items that has been on offer since the beginning of the season is a Nike-branded T-shirt that has the word 'Spursy' emblazoned in the middle of it.

The phrase has long been used by rival supporters to mock Spurs over their lack of success in the 21st century, with the club making light of the phrase by putting it on a shirt after they won the Europa League title last season.

The T-shirt, worth £30, was even worn by James Maddison during the club's pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea.

But towards the end of the 2025/26 season, it has now clearly lost its appeal among the club's fans - with some calling on it to be taken down.

One wrote: "Can you believe this?! We are actually selling this!"

A second said: "It's the kind of thing you'd see in Arsenal's shop."

While a third told the Daily Mail: "Imagine Arsenal making a shirt that had 'bottlers' on it."

Meanwhile, the solitary online review of the shirt, dated January 18, read: "Good quality top, sums up our current manager and form."

On Saturday afternoon, the listing was taken down from the club's official store, with the previously accessible URL returning a 404 error.

SPORTbible have contacted Tottenham Hotspur for comment.

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Spurs legend offers to take job as Premier League relegation fears grow

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Spurs legend offers to take job as Premier League relegation fears grow - SPORTbible
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A Tottenham legend has offered his services to the club as an assistant manager to a leading candidate who has been linked with the permanent job.

Igor Tudor replaced Thomas Frank as Spurs manager last month, but the interim boss has lost three games in a row since his appointment.

Spurs have suffered defeats to Arsenal and Fulham, not to mention Thursday's bruising 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace.

Their latest defeat leaves them just one point above the relegation zone, worsening the club's fears of dropping out of the Premier League.

Spurs have just nine league games to hold onto their top flight status.

Ahead of their run-in, Glenn Hoddle has opened the door to a return to the club as an assistant manager to Robbie Keane, who has emerged as a contender to land the gig on a full-time basis.

Asked if he'd return to Spurs in a supporting role, Hoddle, who was a player and manager for the North London outfit, told The Good, The Bad & The Football: "I think it would actually. Particularly with Tottenham, as that’s my club.

"I’ve supported them since I was eight years of age. So they were a massive part of my life."

The 68-year-old added: "I managed them probably at the wrong time, I’ve got to say, politically and financially.

"[There] wasn’t the money there. Certainly, it wasn’t what they told me I was going into."

Richard Keys has backed Hoddle to replace Tudor, suggesting Spurs should take a leaf out of Celtic's book.

On X, he wrote: "Igor Tudor’s tough guy act at Spurs isn’t impressing anyone - least of all the players. Either he’s got to change or he should be changed. Spurs could follow Celtic’s example & put a 'grandad' coach in. It’s got to be Glenn Hoddle."

Glenn Hoddle backs Robbie Keane to land Tottenham job

Tudor agreed a deal with Spurs until the end of the season, so the club will be on the hunt for a permanent manager ahead of next season.

Keane, who enjoyed two spells at Spurs as a player, is among the favourites to secure the gig, having impressed in his young managerial career.

The 45-year-old began his managerial venture in India and his since shone at Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

And Hoddle likes the idea of teaming up with Keane, believing it would be a 'shrewd' move for the club.

"Robbie’s doing great as a young manager," he said. "So to have a steady springboard and someone experienced like myself that would be a good formula, in many ways.

"I think it’d be a shrewd move to have somebody, whether it was me or somebody experienced with him.

"Because the question would be: Is Rob ready to go into that sort of job now?

"Although in saying that, I went into my first management job at 30. What was I, 34? Yeah, 34. So I was very, very young.

"So you have to take that leap at some stage and you sort of learn on the job.

"But if you can learn on the job and have some experience around you, looking back, I could have done with that a hell of a lot."

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Spurs player immediately enters talks over transfer after Crystal Palace defeat

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A Tottenham youngster is attracting interest from Barcelona following Spurs’ disastrous 3-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace, which left them one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

On Thursday (5 March), Igor Tudor’s struggling Spurs may have seen their fixture against Oliver Glasner’s Palace as an opportunity to pull away from fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, who both picked up points, gaining ground on the north London side ahead of Tottenham’s clash.

And 34 minutes in, Dominic Solanke put the home side ahead to settle the nerves inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, the relief was short-lived as Micky van de Ven was sent off for a pull on Ismaila Sarr, which resulted in a penalty for Palace. The Senegalese slotted past Guglielmo Vicario to draw the South Londoners level on 40 minutes.

Then Palace went 2-1 up thanks to Jørgen Strand Larsen on 46 minutes before, to the shock of Spurs’ fans and players, Sarr bagged his second and Palace’s third ahead of half-time to make it 3-1.

The second half proved to be a relatively low-key affair with neither side adding to the scoreline before the fixture finished 3-1.

In the aftermath of the defeat, reports emerged linking a Spurs youngster with a switch to Barcelona despite the player having never played a single competitive game for the Premier League side.

According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Luka Vušković, who is currently out on loan at Hamburger SV, is being closely monitored by Hansi Flick and Barcelona.

On Friday (6 March) Plettenberg wrote on X: “FC Barcelona are closely monitoring Luka Vuskovic and have added him to their shortlist for the summer. Hansi Flick appreciates him. Initial talks have already taken place.

“Hamburger SV are pushing for a second loan. Tottenham’s clear plan is to bring the 19 y/o gem back in the summer.”

The 19-year-old Croatian centre-back joined Spurs from Hajduk Split in the summer of 2025 before being loaned to the Bundesliga side.

Since arriving in Germany, he has featured 23 times and contributed four goals as Hamburger sit 11th in the German top flight.

If Vušković were to join Barca, he would compete with Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia and Ronald Araújo for a starting spot in the Catalans’ side.

Spurs return to action in the Champions League on 10 March when they will travel to Atlético Madrid for the first leg of the round of 16.

Their next Premier League fixture is a trip to Anfield, where they will face Liverpool on 15 March.

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Spurs 'consider taking action' after new club employee's Arsenal comments go viral

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Spurs 'consider taking action' after new club employee's Arsenal comments go viral - SPORTbible
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Spurs supporters have been venting on social media after spotting the comments made about Arsenal from a new employee.

The Europa League winners are in a dire situation at present, with new manager Igor Tudor suffering a second consecutive defeat in the job against Fulham on Sunday.

After a 4-1 defeat at the hands of rivals Arsenal, Spurs were beaten 2-1 away at Craven Cottage and are just four points above the relegation zone with 10 games remaining.

The mood around the club is close to being at an all-time low after a 13th Premier League loss of the season and the situation involving a new hire has not improved things.

Neros Coachman announced on his Instagram that he had taken up a coaching scout position in the academy set-up at Spurs and said he was "looking forward to getting the new set of superstars at the club".

Posting a picture of him posing in a Spurs tracksuit alongside the club's 'To Dare Is To Do' motto, Coachman also said, "You know the projects good when your [sic] a boyhood fan and you switch sides".

In the comments, one person wrote, "Do not let that badge touch your skin", to which the UEFA B Licence coach replied, "I've already got the base layer".

When another user wrote, "We need someone on the inside", he simply said, "shhhhh".

Coachman also added that it was "tough" getting changed into the Spurs attire after openly admitting his Arsenal affiliation.

Spurs respond to academy coach's Arsenal comments

Although Coachman was making comments in jest, a number of Spurs fans were not happy with the remarks at such a dismal time for the club.

And it appears as though the club are aware of the situation on social media. According to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, his comments have "deeply unimpressed" those at Spurs and the matter is "being dealt with in-house".

The report also states that Spurs "may well take action".

Coachman later took to his Instagram story to address his comments and the controversy surrounding them.

Attaching a screenshot of reaction from a popular Spurs account, he wrote: "This is wild. Yes I'm and [sic] Arsenal and yes I was joking with friends.

"As an Arsenal fan of course I was joking about with friends regarding putting on a Spurs kit."

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Spurs squad face massive pay cut if relegated as Championship wages confirmed

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Spurs squad face massive pay cut if relegated as Championship wages confirmed - SPORTbible
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Tottenham’s squad will reportedly face a huge wage decrease if they are relegated from the Premier League to the Championship.

Following Sunday’s (1 March) 2-1 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Igor Tudor’s Tottenham are just four points above West Ham United in 18th, while 17th-placed Nottingham Forest trail Spurs by two points, with 10 Premier League matches remaining.

According to reports, if Spurs were to be relegated to English football’s second tier, they would lose around £260 million in annual revenue.

But the players’ wages will also take a hit, with The Athletic reporting that the stars have clauses written into their contracts that could see them suffer a 50 per cent pay cut.

The agreement was reportedly included in players’ contracts before Daniel Levy departed from the club in September.

So who could be impacted most by a 50 per cent reduction in wages?

According to Capology, summer signing Xavi Simons is the club’s highest earner, reportedly pocketing a gross wage of £195,000 per week, which amounts to £10.15 million per year.

Based on The Athletic’s report and Capology’s wage estimations, the Dutchman may see his weekly wage halved to around £97,500 should Spurs be relegated. Of course, whether the former RB Leipzig man would stay at the club if they began next season in the Championship remains unclear.

Club captain Cristian Romero, who has recently voiced his concerns about the lack of squad depth to the board, reportedly earns the same wage, although he has been linked with transfers to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

England international James Maddison and January recruit Conor Gallagher earn £170,000 and £160,000 per week respectively, while Randal Kolo Muani and Mohamed Kudus both earn £150,000 per week.

Estimations calculate Spurs’ total wage expenditure at £2.6 million per week, which totals £136.8 million per year, excluding potential performance bonuses.

According to Football 365, Spurs have the seventh-highest wage bill in the Premier League, with Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City the only clubs spending more on player salaries.

Spurs return to action at home against Crystal Palace on 5 March before they travel to Atletico Madrid for their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash in the Spanish capital on 18 March.

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Premier League delete post mocking Tottenham after official complaint

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Premier League forced to delete post mocking Tottenham after official complaint - SPORTbible
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The Premier League's official account has deleted a 13-second video which appears to mock Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, after the post received widespread backlash from fans on social media.

It was another afternoon to forget for struggling Tottenham as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham on Sunday.

After going 2-0 down inside 34 minutes following goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi, Igor Tudor's side managed to pull one back thanks to a second-half header from Richarlison, but it wasn't enough.

A few hours after the full-time whistle, the Premier League's official social media account, which has 44.9 million followers on X, decided to rub salt into the wounds by posting a clip of Vicario's abysmal free-kick.

With 51 minutes on the clock, the Italian goalkeeper kicked the ball straight out of play for a Fulham goal kick.

The unfortunate moment was shared by the Premier League's official account alongside a caption that read: "Just how the play was drawn up..."

It also included the comments: "An interesting free-kick from Vicario" with a smiling emoji, and "Whoops" with another smiling emoji.

The post went live at 10:55pm on Sunday evening but hours later, after the post received backlash from fans, it was deleted. A report from the Daily Mail suggests officials from Tottenham 'raised eyebrows' and 'made their feelings known to Premier League bosses.'

Before the post was deleted, fans flocked to the post to make their feelings clear.

One said: "No-one has been more critical of Spurs and Vicario than me, but should the official Premier League account be tweeting this?"

A second wrote: "Took me a moment to realise this is the Premier League account. Weird. Looking forward to daily updates on misplaced kicks from its players," and a third commented: "Aren't you supposed to be neutral and unbiased?"

A fourth added: "The official Premier League account shouldn't be tweeting this though."

Igor Tudor slams Spurs team after Fulham defeat

Speaking in his post-match press conference following Sunday's loss at Craven Cottage, Tudor gave a brutally honest assessment of his side's performance.

"We were not good, lacked everything," Tudor said. "Attacking and defending. Fulham were much better. There are problems here, big problems. We need to stay calm, believe in what we are doing in training, and get out, staying all together.

"These are not things to speak outside, we speak in the dressing room. The problems are more complex [than attitude and commitment] second half was better, but the first half was not enough."

"We are just thinking about the next game," he added. "We don't need to think about that [relegation] not because it cannot happen, but we must focus on growing mentality as a team, concentration, physically. These are the only goals we must have."

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Micky van de Ven 'calls out' four Spurs teammates amid threat of relegation

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Micky van de Ven 'calls out' four Spurs teammates amid threat of relegation - SPORTbible
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Tottenham Hotspur star Micky van de Ven has called out four of his teammates amid growing fears of a potential relegation from the Premier League.

Spurs, under interim boss Igor Tudor, were easily swept aside by North London rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening.

A brace each for Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres meant Arsenal came away 4-1 winners. Randal Kolo Muani was the scorer for Spurs.

As a result, Spurs are now slowly but surely being dragged into a relegation battle. They are only four points ahead of West Ham United, who sit 18th in the Premier League table.

With matches against the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and Liverpool to come in the next few weeks, the pressure is mounting on Spurs.

Speaking ahead of the match against Arsenal, Spurs defender Van de Ven called out four fellow experienced players to show up and lead the younger players out of trouble.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Van de Ven said: "If you are a club like Tottenham Hotspur, you have this quality of place (training ground), and you are, what I say, as big as the most, it’s unacceptable that you’re standing at this place on the table, and the results need to be way, way better.

"It’s fair that [the fans] are disappointed, but they need to know, as well, that we keep working every day and day out to do everything about changing this around, because even for us, the vibes in the dressing room, the vibes after the games, if we lose, the meetings, it’s tough. It’s really tough. So we do everything to turn things around."

He added: "Of course, we still have some quality players left. We have a really talented squad and some top players, but we also miss some key players for us, and it’s really important for the players who are fit right now to step up.

"You have some young players, obviously, in the group, and you can’t really ask them to be the guys that need to push us forward. So, then, normally, I have Cuti next to me, who is now unfortunately suspended, but you have [Guglielmo] Vic behind me, who has a lot of experience, Joao Palhinha, in the midfield, who has a lot of experience, [Dominic] Solanke, who has a lot of experience."

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