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Manchester City’s horrendous run of form continues following a disappointing 3-3 draw at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side have now failed to win in six games, but have put an end to a five-game losing streak against the Dutch side.

They have now conceded seven goals in their last two home games, including their humbling 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

It seemed like the Cityzens were in cruise control, and were 3-0 up with 20 minutes or so left of normal time. Two goals from Erling Haaland, including a penalty, either side of an Ilkay Gundogan strike gave Guardiola’s men a handsome lead. It was a scoreline which seemed unassailable at one stage.

However, the visitors pulled off the unlikeliest of comebacks. Anis Hadj Moussa kickstarted the revival in the 75th minute before striker Santiago Gimenez gave the Dutch team some hope with their second.

Slovakian international David Hancko scored the third in the 89th minute, to complete one of the most iconic games in recent Champions League history. There were some incredibly disappointing performances from the Cityzens, with goalkeeper Ederson one of the players who struggled.

Ederson’s stats vs. Feyenoord

It was certainly a poor night for the City number 31. He was rounded easily for the opening goal, leaving a big gap for Moussa to slot home into an empty net. The second was not necessarily Ederson’s fault, although he failed to prevent a cross from making its way through to Gimenez. However, his error for the equaliser was arguably the worst.

The Brazilian came rushing out of his goal to sweep up a long, searching pass from the visitors. However, normally so composed in these scenarios, the goalkeeper attempted a headed clearance which he missed, allowing Feyenoord to capitalise and grab their third.

The former Benfica man received a 4/10 rating from GOAL journalist Richard Martin. He was critical of the goalkeeper for all three goals, explaining that he ‘appeared to take his eye off the ball late in the game’ as the visitors managed to draw level.

His poor performance was reflected in his Sofascore stats at full-time. The Cityzens goalkeeper had 37 touches of the ball and made two saves on the night. However, he prevented just 0.07 goals and made one error leading to a goal. It was a difficult night’s work for the Brazilian.

There was an outfield player who was arguably just as disappointing as Ederson on the night, however, and could not help prevent another calamitous result for City. That man is Jack Grealish.

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Grealish’s stats vs. Feyenoord

It is worth pointing out that England international Grealish was not at fault for any of the goals. However, he did have a frustrating night from an attacking point of view, and could not help add to any goals that might have been decisive for City.

Indeed, there were two really good chances for the Cityzens number 10 on Tuesday night. He had an excellent chance at 3-0 but failed to capitalise, and saw his shot hit the bar after it deflected off Phil Foden. It summed up the night for City.

Grealish’s stats on Sofascore were rather uninspiring. He had 55 touches of the ball, completing 80% of his passes and creating just one chance. The former Aston Villa captain managed to lose the ball 13 times and did not completed a dribble out of an attempted three.

Stat

Number

Touches

55

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed

28/35

Dribbles completed

0/3

Number of times possession lost

13

Ground duels won

4/9

Chances created

1

His efforts earned him a slightly better rating than Ederson. Martin gave Grealish a 5/10 for his night’s work, explaining that it was ‘not an encouraging return at all’, and criticised him for squandering ‘a great chance’ at 3-0.

Guardiola will be hoping Ederson, Grealish and their teammates can bounce back quickly. City have an incredibly tough trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon to play top of the Premier League Liverpool, in what is a vitally important game in the title race.

On the evidence of last night’s display, Grealish should well find himself out of the starting lineup.

Man City may have already sold their next Haaland for just £15m

Manchester City decided to cash in on their long-term Erling Haaland replacement.

ByDan Emery Nov 19, 2024

Liverpool are flying this season. Arne Slot’s side have been the best side in the Premier League, sitting top of the table 15 games into his first campaign in charge at Anfield. It is fair to say that the transition from legendary manager Jurgen Klopp to new boss Slot has been seamless.

Statistically, they have been fantastic. As per Understat, Liverpool have the second-highest number of expected goals, with 33.91, slightly more than they have scored. They also have an excellent expected goals against record, with 14.63; incredibly, they are outperforming that stat, having conceded just 11 Premier League goals, the best in the league.

As well as the team is performing, however, one of their star players, Darwin Nunez is not having his best season.

Nunez’s stats in 2024/25

It has been a tough campaign so far for the Uruguayan striker. Nunez came with a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders, given the fee Liverpool paid for him. He cost an initial £64m to prise from Benfica, but it was a deal that could rise as high as £85m including add-ons.

Nunez has, in essence, underwhelmed at Anfield so far. He has played 115 games for the club, but has found the back of the net on just 32 different occasions and has 19 assists to his name, a total of 0.44 goals and assists per game.

It seemed like he was finding form last season. Nunez had 11 goals and eight assists in 36 Premier League games. However, he has been poor under Slot, with three goals and two assists in 19 games across all competitions.

There will surely be concern amongst Liverpool’s backroom staff at the form of their number nine. Their other attackers are not finding goals hard to come by; Mohamed Salah has 16 to his name, Luis Diaz has nine goals and Cody Gakpo has scored eight times.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

With the Reds needing a better contribution from their strikers, they could well look to bring in a new centre-forward to enhance the quality of their forward line. They have been linked with a deadly striker in recent weeks.

Liverpool's search for a striker

The player in question here is Sporting centre-forward Viktor Gyokeres. According to a report from Florian Plettenberg in November, Liverpool are “currently in the race” to sign the Sweden international.

They are competing with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea for his signature, and the striker could cost around £57m.

There is no doubt that, from a goals point of view, Gyokeres would be an upgrade on Nunez. He has been phenomenal this term, with 25 goals and four assists in just 23 games across all competitions. He has also scored over 50 goals in 2024. It has been a year of seismic proportion for the Sporting man.

Interestingly, a statistical comparison can be drawn between Gyokeres and Liverpool legend Luis Suarez, as per FBref. Now 37, the former Barcelona star plies his trade in the MLS for Inter Miami. He scored 82 goals in 133 games for the Merseysiders, and those are numbers the Sweden striker would be hoping to hit.

According to FBref, the former Liverpool talisman averaged 0.94 goals per game last season, with Sporting striker Gyokeres impressively exceeding that number, with 1.33. Not only that, he has a better expected goals tally than Suarez, with 1.09 compared to 0.63 for the Uruguayan.

It is perhaps worth mentioning Nunez’s stats in relation to those numbers, too. In 2024/25, the Reds number nine has so far averaged 0.29 goals per game and an expected goals per game of just 0.3

Gyokeres (2024/25)

Suarez (2024)

Nunez (2024/25)

1.33

0.94

0.29

1.09xG

0.63xG

0.3xG

1.56

2.21

1.01

0.5

0.43

0.29

5.77

3.56

2.31

1.01

0.94

0.29

Ultimately, signing Gyokeres would bring goals to a Liverpool side who currently lack a clinical centre forward. As the stats show, he would certainly be a massive upgrade on Nunez in front of goal.

Gyokeres can be a “game changer” for the Reds, as football statistician Statman Dave described him. The Swede could be exactly who Liverpool need to keep their excellent momentum going.

Saved by Salah: Slot must axe 5/10 Liverpool ace who had just 50% pass rate

The Liverpool man was saved by Salah’s penalty

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 11, 2024

The Spain international's hot streak continued on Wednesday as Unai Emery's side's European adventure continues

Super-sub Marco Asensio grabbed a timely brace as Aston Villa romped into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Club Brugge.

The Belgian side were well on top in the early exchanges, with Brugge captain Hans Vanaken flashing a header narrowly wide. Villa were being pinned in their own half, but they got a reprieve when Kyriani Sabbe was sent off in the 16th minute for fouling Marcus Rashford when through on goal. The Manchester United loanee then lashed a shot into the side netting as a half low on quality and chances came to an end.

In the 50th minute, half-time substitute Asensio fired home in style after neat work from Leon Bailey. The Spain international then saw an effort come back off the post after a wonderfully clipped pass from Youri Tielemans soon after.

Villa were in complete control when Ian Maatsen scored from close range in the 58th minute following some lovely footwork from Morgan Rogers. And the hosts completed victory when Rashford beat the offside trap and then laid it back to Asensio to score his second of the night four minutes later.

Unai Emery's men cruised to the finish line to win the last-16 tie 6-1 on aggregate and set up a last-eight clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

GOAL rates Aston Villa's players from Villa Park…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Emi Martinez (7/10):

His superb long-range ball over the top led to Brugge's red card. Other than that, had precious little to do other than show off his range of passing.

Matty Cash (7/10):

Had to be alert early on, but after the red card the right-back had a comfortable night.

Ezri Konsa (8/10):

Looked cool, calm, and collected on the few times he was called upon.

Tyrone Mings (8/10):

The big centre-back put in another assured display and even posed something of a goal threat.

Ian Maatsen (8/10):

Made some good covering work at the back, took his goal well, and was a threat going forward.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Boubacar Kamara (6/10):

Was solid enough in the centre of the park, but was replaced for the second half.

Youri Tielemans (8/10):

Did his level best to get something going for Villa in the first half and was arguably their best player. Got into his groove in the second half as Brugge wilted.

John McGinn (7/10):

Was a bit quiet early on but forced his way into the game with his physicality and work rate.

Getty Images SportAttack

Morgan Rogers (7/10):

The former Middlesbrough man's contributions came in fits and starts, but he showed his class for Villa's second with some delightful quick feet.

Ollie Watkins (5/10):

Had very little of the ball and made way at half-time after picking up a knock.

Marcus Rashford (8/10):

Showed he hasn't lost any of his pace for Brugge's dismissal and the third goal wouldn't have been possible without his excellent wing play.

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Marco Asensio (9/10):

Scored with almost his first touch as the PSG loanee gave Villa the lead with a smart finish. Doubled up soon after as he took his Villa tally to seven goals in just eight games.

Leon Bailey (8/10):

Bagged a nice assist for Villa's opener and had a swagger about him.

Pau Torres (7/10):

Was able to coast in his cameo.

Jacob Ramsey (6/10):

Was energetic but didn't get much of a chance to shine.

Axel Disasi (N/A):

Nearly grabbed a goal just after coming on.

Unai Emery (8/10):

His side were very tentative early on but they came alive in the second half with his substitutes. It looked like they had two extra men rather than one.

CSK defend 202 to wrap up third win on Dhoni’s return to captaincy

Sidharth Monga01-May-2022He has had a largely ordinary season so far, but against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ruturaj Gaikwad displayed stroke-play that has had many excited about him to help set up a win for Chennai Super Kings in MS Dhoni’s first match back as captain. This was Super Kings’ third win in nine matches this IPL.It was mostly a vintage Super Kings innings: a slow and steady start, consistent acceleration through the middle overs, batters who get in going on to play big innings. Gaikwad fell one short of a hundred, opening partner Devon Conway scored an unbeaten 85 off 55, and the two added 182, the highest stand this IPL. The defence of 202 wasn’t an easy one with the absence of the injured Dwayne Bravo adding to their bowling woes but Maheesh Theekshana and Ravindra Jadeja went for just a run a ball in the seven overs between them to help create wickets at the other end. And, Mukesh Choudhary starred with four wickets for the defending champions.Sunrisers eventually fell short by 13, which left them with 10 points from nine games, joint-fourth with Royal Challengers Bangalore but with a game in hand.Slow and steadyThe 40 for 0 at the end of the powerplay was a typical Super Kings score. They like their top-order batters to take their time early and then strike later. However, in doing even that, Conway was particularly slower, so Gaikwad had to be more assertive. Having seen the Marco Jansen meltdown at the death in their last match, Kane Williamson bowled three of his overs inside the powerplay, just for 19 runs.Washington injures himself againIt might be the same split webbing as Washington Sundar injured himself while trying to save a boundary. He hadn’t even started bowling at that time, which left Kane Williamson a tough call to fit in the fifth bowler.Gaikwad, Conway break freeSo the replacement for Washington was Aiden Markram with his part-time offspin. They let him bowl the first over, but from the eighth over onwards, Gaikwad began the onslaught. First up was Umran Malik, whose pace and hard lengths in the middle overs have given Sunrisers an edge in this IPL. Gaikwad, though, loves pace when he is in. At 28 off 23 at the start of the eighth over, he was properly in.Gaikwad went over cover first and then over long-on to take 13 off the eighth over. Conway dished out the same treatment to Markram in his second, finally going past a run a ball.The quickest ball of the tournament, bowled at 154kmph by Malik, came back just as fast off Gaikwad’s bat and went between the stumps and the non-striker. A bounce took the top edge for a four. Markram’s third went for two sixes off Gaikwad’s bat, but there wasn’t much Williamson could do about that. The crowning glory was the off-drive off Malik for a six over long-off. Super Kings 117 for 0 in 12.Jansen’s last-over bluesBhuvneshwar Kumar pulled things back a little with a boundary-less 13th over, Shashank Singh followed it up without incident to fulfil the fifth bowler’s quota, and Williamson went back to Jansen for the 15th. The idea, perhaps, was to not protect him from the death overs, but he didn’t bowl a great over. If his last over in the previous match cost Sunrisers 25, this one went for 20 and also brought up Conway’s fifty in the process.A Gaikwad slowdown ensued in his 90s, and he fell for 99, trying to place a short and wide ball as opposed to hitting it hard. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 4-0-22-0 – and Malik, who conceded just eight in the 19th, pulled things back, resulting in just 49 runs in the last five, but 202 was always going to be challenging for Sunrisers.Luck runs outSunrisers had no choice but to come out with aggressive intent. It came off for the first few overs when Williamson got a free hit that he hit for a six, Abhishek Sharma got three boundaries off edges, was dropped once, and 46 came in the first three overs.Mukesh Choudhary, who had dropped a sitter, his third drop this IPL out of five catches that have gone to him, came back with the ball to have Abhishek caught at long-on and Rahul Tripathi ramping a short ball straight to short third man. That turned the powerplay Super Kings’ way even though 58 came off it.The spin strangleWilliamson now went into the anchoring mode, hoping the batters at the other end would take them closer before he hit out again. Theekshana’s unpredictability and Ravindra Jadeja’s accuracy, though, slowed them down. When Markram tried to hit out against Mitchell Santner, his two sixes were followed up by a short ball pulled straight to deep midwicket.The endgameIt was now down to Williamson and Nicholas Pooran to play blinders, but this was not the day for blinders. They had left themselves too much to do – 101 in the last eight – and despite a switch hit for a six and the odd boundary, they needed 78 from the last six, which is still manageable. Dwaine Pretorius, though, benefited from all the pressure as Williamson went to ramp a ball, but was trapped right in front. Choudhary then signed off with the wickets of Shashank Singh and Washington, leaving them 50 to get off the last two.Pooran fought, scoring a 29-ball fifty, but he had too much to do. Fifty from the last two was always going to be tough, never mind Pooran’s explosive batting. That turned out to be the case.

Wrexham sale fears have been raised as co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney edge closer to fulfilling their Premier League dream.

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Concerns raised over possible sale of the clubHollywood co-owners' net worth in questionPromotion to Premier League their ultimate goalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Hollywood duo completed their takeover of Wrexham in February 2021 with an initial investment of £2 million ($2.5m). The Welsh club have since enjoyed a major revival in fortunes, securing back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One. The Red Dragons are now pushing for promotion to the Championship, and Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of their ultimate goal: reaching the Premier League.

AdvertisementWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

The American actors combined are valued at $400m (£309m) which has been more than enough to thrive in the lower divisions, but in the Premier League, they would have to compete against billionaires. Raising his concern over Wrexham's future, former Tottenham and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent told : "I know they're worth loads, like 400 million, but when does that become not enough? 400 million in real-life terms is a ridiculous amount of money, like stupid wealth. If they get to the Championship, then all of a sudden, 400 million is still doable, but in the Premier League, it's nothing. I hope they don't do that (sell the club) after getting them all the way up because how are they going to survive without them?"

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

host Andy Goldstein also expressed doubt over Reynolds and McElhenney's long-term futures at Wrexham, adding: "It's all about profit. How much did they buy Wrexham for? I'm guessing it's nowhere near the amount it's worth now if they get into the Championship. If they make 300 million each over five years then I could see it happening."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Phil Parkinson's Wrexham side will be back in action this Saturday as they take on Stockport in a crucial League One clash. Wrexham are currently third in the table, behind second-placed Wycombe only on goal difference in the race for automatic promotion.

Interim coach reveals Finch has been working on his movement and that Australia are “building a team around him as a captain” for T20 title defence

Alex Malcolm04-Apr-2022Australia interim coach Andrew McDonald is in no doubt that captain Aaron Finch will lead Australia’s T20 World Cup title defence later this year on home soil despite Finch’s current lengthy form slump.Since the start of the last T20 World Cup in the UAE in October 2021, Finch has played 12 T20Is and three ODIs without making a half-century. Across 15 innings, including both formats, he averages 15.73 with a strike rate of just 97.92.Related

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McDonald yet to look beyond interim role in Australia's future

He also has nine single-figure scores in those 15 innings including back-to-back ducks in the last two ODIs against Pakistan. But McDonald said there was no question internally about Finch’s place heading towards the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.”From my end, there’s no conversation around the fact that he won’t be there,” McDonald said. “His form can ebb and flow like most players can and his ability to work through these patches has been significant in his career. We had the same conversation about David Warner leading into the T20 World Cup last time.”All these conversations are going to happen. Do we think he’s still good enough to play at this level? 100%, yes, and I think that’s as simple as it gets for us.”We’re building a team around him as a captain. It’s a pretty significant pillar to be discussing about not being at the T20 World Cup. From our end, we think he can still play at this level.”There is nothing new about Finch’s current woes. He was trapped lbw in his first three balls in each of the last two innings in Lahore. Shaheen Shah Afridi pinned him with a shin-high full toss first ball in the second ODI and Haris Rauf trapped him plumb with a reasonable straight delivery angled in at middle stump in game three. Rauf tried the exact same delivery to Marnus Labuschagne two balls later and the No. 1 Test batter clipped it wide of mid-on with ease for a boundary to highlight the clear differences in balance and footwork between the two players.Finch put his hand up in the aftermath of the ODI series loss to Pakistan, identifying that he was struggling for runs, and McDonald noted that the pair has been here before many times dating back to their time working together at Victoria and Melbourne Renegades.

“I don’t really want to openly share what I think the job should look like because that might put people in difficult situations through the process”McDonald on the vacant head coach position

“He’s disappointed with his current form, there’s no doubt about that,” McDonald said. “Obviously that plays out on the big stage, but he’s currently probably not moving the way that he wants to move in terms of his mechanics.”That’s something that we probably need to rectify, and he’s working on it at training. It’s like anything, we’ve been down this path before. Sometimes, he can sort of get his legs crossed over a little bit and gets a little bit too much weight on that left leg.”It’s not an uncommon thing. So, hopefully we can work through it, albeit the timeframes in between these games over here haven’t created the time that you would like to be able to have to work on that.”Common theme creeping in there, but something that he’s been able to work through before, and we’re really, really confident that he’ll be able to work through that as his career continues.”Finch has one more innings on this tour, in Tuesday night’s one-off T20I, to find some touch before joining Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.McDonald himself doesn’t yet know if he will lead Australia’s coaching group at the T20 World Cup despite being the warm favourite to take over the vacant head coaching position full-time, following the departure of Justin Langer.McDonald, who was the senior assistant, was seconded as interim coach for the Pakistan tour at short notice. Cricket Australia was initially expecting to have a full-time coach appointed by late March but the demands of the tour have meant that McDonald has had limited discussions with CA regarding the role, his candidacy, and what it will look like moving forward.”Obviously, the congested Test series didn’t allow that but with a few more gaps in amongst this one-day series, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to Cricket Australia,” McDonald said. “Whether that then becomes a follow-up conversation, we’ll wait to see.”It’ll be pretty much like the other people that have no doubt spoken to Cricket Australia as well. Within that, there was no great detail or clarity on what the role would look like. So that’s probably something that will be built in the next few steps. However many steps are there to the process.”I don’t really want to openly share what I think the job should look like because that might put people in difficult situations through the process. I think once the process is done, then I’m happy to talk about what I think it should look like, if I don’t have the job, or if I do have the job.”That’s something for later on down the track. I don’t really want to weigh into it while that process is going on.”

Crystal Palace are reportedly ready to offload one of their forwards to fund new additions in the January transfer window.

Crystal Palace transfer news

A win over Ipswich Town and a draw with Manchester City has lifted spirits at Selhurst Park heading into the Christmas period. However, with the club still floating dangerously just above the Premier League’s relegation zone, manager Oliver Glasner will no doubt be looking to reinforce in the January transfer window.

The Eagles have already been linked with a number of players, including Millwall midfielder Romaine Esse and Manchester City’s James McAtee. Fluminense winger Jhon Arias is also understood to be on their radar.

Football Insider recently reported that Palace’s scouts are keeping close tabs on the 27-year-old, who hit 15 goals and notched eight assists in 53 games across all competitions last season. The Colombia international, who has been capped 27 times by his country, is known as “Little Engine,” and has been praised by South American football expert Tim Vickery.

Eagles want Edouard gone

To fund any potential transfer business, Palace could look to offload striker Odsonne Edouard in a permanent transfer. That’s according to Football Insider’s Mick Brown, who claims that the Eagles will look to sell the Frenchman in January if his current loan spell at Leicester City is cut short.

Football Insider reported earlier this month that Leicester could terminate their deal for the 26-year-old after the New Year after struggling to make an impactat the King Power Stadium. Edouard has failed fail to find the net in any of his eight appearances for the Foxes, and has been left out of the squad for the club’s last four Premier League matches.

“I hear Palace would like to move him on permanently [if his loan is cut short],” Brown said. “That would allow them to make some money from his sale which could be invested in the squad.

“But that will depend on whether there are any clubs out there who will be looking to sign him after he’s failed to make an impact for Leicester.

“They’ve been struggling for strikers and he can’t get in there, so you have to wonder what his level is. He’s gone on loan because there’s no place for him in their squad, they’ve already got Mateta and Eddie Nketiah there.”

Palace boss Glasner has also hinted that he doesn’t see Edouard, who joined the club for £14 million from Celtic in 2021, having a future at Selhurst.

“From our side, it makes no sense to bring him back because if he’s not playing at Leicester, then why should he play for Crystal Palace?” the Austrian coach said earlier this month. “If he doesn’t get minutes at Leicester, then maybe he finds another loan. But it’s not the case of him coming back to play.”

The Young Lions squad that conquered Europe in 2023 was exceptional, but the current crop is shaping up to be even better

"That’s the only goal," Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers said this week when asked about Thomas Tuchel’s ambition to end England's 60-year wait for senior success at the 2026 World Cup. "He was very clear and transparent. With what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, how he wants to go about it, what he sees in us, and what we need to improve. It was very straight-up, no cutting round corners. It was straight and that’s how he is."

Tuchel's contract ends after the tournament in North America, so he's not making any long-term plans. That much was certainly evident when the former Chelsea boss named his first England squad for the March World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia, as he included five players over the age of 30 in his 26-man list.

The two most eye-catching moves were undoubtedly the call-ups for 34-year-old duo Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker. Ajax captain Henderson hasn't played for his country in over a year, having paid the price for an ill-advised stint in Saudi Arabia, while Walker joined AC Milan on loan in January after falling out of favour at Manchester City.

Veteran Newcastle defender Dan Burn also got the nod alongside Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, who has been enjoying a mini-resurgence at Aston Villa after burning all his bridges at Old Trafford. Tuchel is clearly going to bank on experience to get England over the line next summer, but his ultra-safe selections have, understandably, rubbed some fans up the wrong way.

Aside from Liverpool's Jarell Quansah (19) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (18), Tuchel's squad was severely lacking in talented youngsters who have made a massive impression at club level this season. All is not lost for England's next generation of stars, though, because most of them made it into Lee Carsley's Under-21s squad, which has a staggering estimated value of £500 million ($648m) as they prepare to defend the crown they won in 2023 later this year.

gettyPerfect man for the job

First off, it's a huge boost for the U21s to have Carsley back after his impressive interim stint in charge of the first team. The former Ireland international, who masterminded England's historic U21 Euros triumph in 2023, was linked with several high-profile club posts after making way for Tuchel, but has decided he has unfinished business with the national team.

Carsley knows the England set-up like the back of his hand, and helped prospects like Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Curtis Jones reach the next level in their fledgling careers. Now, he's out to do exactly the same with an even more gifted group, which only contains four members of the last U21s Euros squad.

"We are looking at the last squad knowing what they did," Carsley said. "To win six games and not concede any goals [in the entire tournament], I think that will be very hard to recreate. But it's a goal and it's a target. That's the challenge we have put down for these players – we want them to be better than the last group, so hopefully they can be."

The survivors – Jarrad Branthwaite, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Charlie Cresswell and Harvey Elliott – will give the Young Lions an ideal base. Indeed, Everton defender Branthwaite will rightly feel aggrieved not to be in the senior squad after leading the Toffees' revival under David Moyes, and 21-year-old attacker Elliott also had a case after a string of eye-catching performances for Liverpool in the Champions League.

Southampton ace Harwood-Bellis and Cresswell were also good centre-back options for Tuchel, with the former having been handed his maiden senior cap by Carsley in November and the latter enhancing his reputation abroad with Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse. Tuchel's loss will be Carsley's gain, though, because they are all even better players now than two years ago.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesRock-solid defence

It's entirely possible the England U21s could win the Euros again without conceding, because no other country can rival their strength in depth at the back. That's because Carsley also has three brilliant full-backs to call upon in the form of Rico Lewis, CJ Egan-Riley, and Dennis Cirkin.

Lewis has established himself as a regular for Pep Guardiola at City this season, and is versatile enough to step into midfield when required. Burnley's Egan-Riley can also play in multiple positions, including centre-half, and has been one of the main reasons for Scott Parker's side conceding just 11 goals in 38 Championship games.

Cirkin, meanwhile, is a composed left-back with superb powers of recovery, which he has put to good use in Sunderland's bid for promotion to the Premier League. All three men are capable of complimenting Branthwaite and Harwood-Bellis, who will probably be Carsley's first choice centre-back pairing if he reverts to the 4-4-2 system that served him so well at the 2023 U21 Euros.

In goal, the presence of James Trafford might be missed given how well he has performed for Burnley this term, but a worthy successor has stepped forward. Brighton loanee James Beadle has been one of the bright sparks in a largely frustrating season for Sheffield Wednesday, and will be high on confidence after spending some time training with England's senior goalkeepers.

Getty Images SportForest's finest & the younger Bellingham

Carsley has also been blessed with midfield riches that will be the envy of England's rivals. Based purely on form, Elliot Anderson was especially unfortunate not to make Tuchel's squad.

Former Newcastle starlet Anderson has been the driving force behind Nottingham Forest's surprise bid for Champions League qualification, with his £35m ($43m) transfer fee now looking like a major snip. Anderson is a progressive dribbler with an eye for killer passes and he's a relentless presser out of possession, which is why Forest have been so effective on the transition.

He will be the main man in Carsley's engine room, but Tottenham wonderkid Archie Gray and Sunderland talisman Jobe Bellingham, brother of Real Madrid superstar Jude, could also have vital roles to play. Gray has had a fine debut season with Spurs despite being mainly forced to provide defensive cover due to injuries, while Bellingham's playmaking abilities have often given Sunderland the edge in their Championship campaign.

Meanwhile, the glue holding the team together is likely to be Crystal Palace ace Adam Wharton, who made the plane for Euro 2024 but didn't get any minutes in Germany. He's still building up his rhythm again after recovering from groin surgery, but is one of the best central midfielders in the business when fully fit, and should be aiming for a starting role at the 2026 World Cup.

Getty Images SportEngland's wildcard

If England are to retain their title as U21 European champions, they will also need a wildcard: someone capable of turning a game on its head with a moment of magic. Step forward Jamie Gittens, who is currently following in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho at Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

BVB have endured a poor season by their standards, especially after reaching the Champions League final in 2024, but Gittens has given supporters reason to cheer with his dazzling displays on the left-flank. The 20-year-old has scored 11 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions, with four of those coming on Europe's biggest stage, and he's also laid on four assists.

Gittens really put himself on the map when scoring a brace from the bench in Dortmund's 3-0 win over Club Brugge on matchday one in the Champions League, and also fired home a sublime opener in Dortmund's Der Klassiker draw with arch-rivals Bayern Munich in November. He's an explosive winger with bags of pace and a penchant for trickery that makes him a nightmare for defenders.

There is still room for improvement when it comes to end product, but Gittens is a potential match-winner, and thusly a huge asset for the U21s. BVB team-mate Karim Adeyemi recently summed up just how special Gittens is, claiming his team-mate "has no fear". Adeyemi added: "For me, he is one of the best players one-against-one I have ever seen, to be honest. He will be a really good player."

Defending champions respond grudgingly after realising their standing is in doubt

David Hopps21-May-2022There have been days in many a Championship summer when the reigning champions get a shiver of realisation that they are not going to successfully defend their title. Perhaps this was the day when Warwickshire recognised that their standing is in doubt. They could not have responded more grudgingly.It is not often that the loss of Dom Sibley’s wicket causes the scoring rate to plummet, but it did at Headingley on a day that finished in the grimmest of fashions. Three down for 25 in the 13th over, Warwickshire responded with a display of strokeless defiance that communicated they will not concede their title lightly. Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s coach, talked about calming things down after a bit of craziness which was true enough, even if it did sound a bit like a prescription for anxiety from an over-pressed GP.Sam Hain and Will Rhodes had added 32 in 28 overs when light rain brought a welcome end with 7.4 overs remaining. Yorkshire, still 148 runs ahead, will expect to take seven wickets to claim victory on the final day, and there is more encouragement in the surface for the bowlers than has been apparent when Yorkshire have failed to force home winning positions on the final day, but in a season of stalemates, nothing can be taken for granted.Considering that the Championship is a great democracy, with nine of the counties (exactly half) having won the title since the turn of the century, successful title defences are surprisingly common: Surrey (1999/2000), Sussex (2006/2007), Durham (2008/2009) and Yorkshire (2014/2015) have all managed it in that period.Related

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But barring something extraordinary, Warwickshire will reach the mid-point of the season with only one victory. Apart from Essex at Edgbaston in April, they have struggled to bowl sides out twice this summer. In 2021, Liam Norwell and Craig Miles shared 86 wickets. This year their tally is nine. They have been unable to cover the shortfall.Their batting has also lacked the consistency of last year. Jordan Thompson took advantage of that with three new-ball wickets either side of tea, Alex Davies, a close-season signing from Lancashire who is yet to fire at the top of the order, chipped to Will Fraine at midwicket and Yates’ bat had twisted a full 90 degrees in his hands when he chipped back to Tom Loten, diving towards short mid-off. Thompson then found a bit of bounce from a good length as Sibley fell off the shoulder of the bat at point.Yorkshire extended their overnight 269 for 4 by another 180 runs which represented the top end of their ambitions. Adam Lyth was the mainstay of their innings taking his second-day century to 145. He had batted for a touch under seven hours when he sought out his favoured region, square on the off-side, and was caught at the wicket, cutting a ball from Nathan McAndrew.The afternoon, though, belonged to Matthew Revis, whose second first-class fifty, allied to his development as a seam bowler, again identified him as Yorkshire’s breakthrough player of the season. A last-wicket stand of 58 in seven overs with Steve Patterson removed what little hope Warwickshire had of turning the game.With licence to attack, he has surely never struck the ball as crisply, so often, in his county career. Oliver Hannon-Dalby was pulled and lofted straight, and Danny Briggs stylishly despatched inside-out to the extra cover boundary, but the best shot of all was a slog-sweep for six against Briggs that brought up his half-century.Revis, an imposing 20-year-old, is fast developing into a cricketer to be reckoned with. Like team-mates Harry Brook and George Hill, he is a product of Sedbergh School under their director of cricket Martin Speight. He debuted in the Championship at the end of 2019 as an opening batter, aged 17. But he has been playing this season as more of a specialist hit-the-pitch-hard seam bowler batting at No. 9.When the skipper, Steve Patterson, emerged at No 11, he implored Revis to be positive. “That’s when I play at my best, when I’m looking to score,” he said. “I would like to bat higher up in the future, hopefully. But the job I’m doing now, I’m really enjoying it.”Warwickshire’s only consolation was some fine catching – Rhodes held a screamer at mid-on to dismiss Thompson – and the manner in which Dom Bess had gifted them a bowling bonus point when he advanced down the wicket at Briggs and sliced high into the off side. This time last year, the extra point might have been a case of Every Little Helps, all part of their methodical progress towards a Championship title. This summer, with the season at its mid-point, it appears to be a point that will be irrelevant, one way or another, by the time September ends.

Tottenham needed a win, they needed a massive win to really get Ange Postecoglou back in the good books of supporters.

Make no mistake about it, this has been a rough period for Spurs who weren’t threatening to gift their fans many Christmas presents until they arrived on the south coast to face Southampton at St Mary’s.

Despite the Saints’ rocky form, this was not a match to take lightly considering the Lilywhites have already tasted defeat to Crystal Palace and Ipswich this season.

Thankfully for Postecoglou’s men, they had no trouble whatsoever dismantling Southampton who subsequently sacked manager Russell Martin just hours after the full-time whistle.

Had Spurs lost then it’s likely the Australian coach will have been facing questions about the security of his own managerial position.

Therefore, he has Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Pape Sarr to thank for a remarkable 5-0 victory.

Tottenham’s attacking numbers against Southampton

Seeing Spurs take an opposition to the cleaners isn’t very surprising.

Under Postecoglou, the north Londoners have been a side to play high-risk entertaining football. They flood bodies forward with great regularity but their high line often leaves them exposed to a counter attack.

Well, even with a defensive duo of Radu Dragusin and teenager Archie Gray, they went through the 90 minutes relatively untested.

That was largely thanks to the players in front of them for such a splendid performance. Maddison was one of the stars of the show, scoring twice and creating two key passes before being withdrawn in the 77th minute.

Son – who was taken off at the break – also starred for the visitors, needing just 45 minutes to score a goal and supply two assists.

It was a ruthless display from Postecoglou’s men who found themselves a goal to the good inside the opening minute. It got better with each passing minute and before you knew it (25 minutes in to be precise), Sarr rolled home to make it 4-0.

That being said, for all the good things we’re seeing about Tottenham’s attack, they do need to start seeing more from mega-money summer signing, Dominic Solanke.

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Solanke’s performance in numbers against Southampton

With Harry Kane gone, Spurs were left to rue not signing a striker in the summer of 2023.

Richarlison struggled to stay fit and as a result, it meant that Son played a lot of football as the focal point of the attack.

Subsequently, the addition of a centre forward in the summer of 2024 was an absolute necessity. They went out and signed Solanke from Bournemouth with the English talent setting Daniel Levy and Co back around £65m.

Since then it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the former Cherries striker who isn’t just finding goals hard to come by, but is finding actually getting general goalscoring chances troublesome.

The big-money addition initially started off well by registering three goal involvements in his first five league outings. Since then, he has scored just three times in Tottenham’s last nine matches, and once in his last seven.

While Solanke’s role in this Spurs team is about a lot more than just scoring goals – bringing others into play and helping the wide players thrive in behind – Postecoglou does need to see him involved in the penalty box more often.

What rather summed up his season so far was the game with Southampton where despite his team scoring a handful, the Englishman never really got in the game and was isolated out of proceedings.

Minutes played

82

Touches

13

Accurate passes

5/7 (71%)

Possession lost

4x

Key passes

0

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Crosses

0

Dribbles

0

Ground duels won

0/4

Aerial duels won

0/1

Handed a 6/10 player rating by the Standard, it was hardly a surprise considering he had just 13 touches of the ball and completed five passes all night.

Postecoglou’s men were rampant in attack but Solanke was so ineffective that he was hauled off on 82 minutes having yet to win a single duel.

Fortunately for the 27-year-old the rest of his colleagues were on fire, helping Spurs to their biggest win of the campaign to date.

Spurs star who won 100% duels proved he could be the new Eric Dier

Tottenham brushed aside Southampton with ease on Sunday evening.

1 ByMatt Dawson Dec 16, 2024