Football365

Ange Postecoglou is stubborn and way out of his depth at Spurs, who are playing entertaining but ultimately fruitless football.

Send your views on Spurs and anything else to theeditor@football365.com

Oh Spurs

Never change Spurs, never change.

Oliver, London

…Unconfirmed rumours circulating that if Spurs part ways with Big Ange, they may look to re-hire Ossie Ardiles to bring some improved defensive stability to the side.

Chris (Tottingham) Bridgeman, Kingston upon Thames

…Gary Neville said it on commentary, put Spurs on TV every week. It’s like football on acid.

Luv it!!!

Paul Norris (and yes I am an Arsenal fan)

READ: 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

…Great article from the boy Chicken about Slot’s pretty ham fisted mind games.

But here’s the thing. I think Ange fell for it.

Friday he has a pop at Carragher for daring to suggest that football shouldn’t be played the same from minute 1 – 90. He thought it was disrespectful.

Ange, get it into your head that this deeply successful export keeps billions of people around the world entertained. It requires a constant stream of content. You’re great content. No one’s being disrespectful. They’re advertising the next show. They knew it was going to be a humdinger.

Then he has a pop at Steve Wilson for asking a really soft question. That focused on whether or not having 10 players out leads to a team shipping more goals.

Steve Wilson is a classy broadcaster. Does a great turn on MOTD. Asks direct but fair questions. And on this instance the question was pretty much a warm bath. Actually the question was a warm bath with a slug of Matey, some Epsom bath salts and a warm towel on the heated towel rail. Ange popped his cork in a very unnecessary fashion.

Mainly because he’s a decent but stubborn, prickly, over-sensitive, out of his depth fella. Who surely can’t last much longer.

In other news, the bewildered looking Korean people coming out of the club shop to a half-hearted ‘Levy Out’ protest whilst rushing into the stadium to see the squid games activation and legs-gone Sonny was quite a sight. A true meeting of revenue-generating fan v legacy fan.

Oh well, as least when you leave after 60 minutes you get home in time for dinner.

Andrew

Dispatch from the cockerel cheese room

Made up to be top of the Prem tree for Christmas on a day Chelsea repeat Arsenal’s scoreless stalemate a week on (against another immaculate row of buses arranged masterfully by the nation’s newest head of public transport, Sean Dyche). Hopefully Mr. Dyche makes glaring missteps for his fleet preparing our game in hand, but that’s for another day isn’t it.

Refocusing on today, the shiny star topping said tree this year is a rousing Bournemouth win at a decrepit ground where soiled stockings hang with little care, and lumps of coal loosely arrange themselves as ineffective back threes.

And, a thank you to family in London who warmly (and sportingly) surprised me with match day tickets away to Tottenham today; they, Spurs supporters, had compromised by having me sat back row and as close to the Liverpool traveling support as possible (in Section 113). Glad to report acoustics in my section were excellent. I thought I was at Anfield such were the decibels as we rang up a tidy half-dozen, like a single set of tennis won convincingly on one service break.

Had a nice brief chat with the nearest steward who became aware I was incognito and marooned in enemy territory; whisper it, but thankfully he wasn’t a Spurs supporter either. Wasn’t as lucky when another steward intervened mid-match to warn me of our antics, so remaining celebrations were muted. Perhaps a timely reminder that nothing’s won at Christmas… but what a festive period it has been thus far.

Eric, Los Angeles CA (To the Scouse gentleman behind ruffling my and my missus’ hair over the glass partition six times this evening (once per Liverpool goal), a Merry Christmas to you and to ours, good sir.)

Pragmatism v Idealism

Was today’s result at Spurs a win for pragmatism over idealism? Liverpool destroyed Spurs by taking the lower-risk options while still being attractive and scoring. While Spurs played the same way, knowing they risked giving away a lot of opportunities.

Slot will change tactics when playing different opponents, even within a game, where it looks like Big Ange will only play the one way.

Liverpool looked fabulous – but how much was that down to Spurs letting them look great?

Paul McDevitt

The Man Utd Mystery

I’m confused. They got Erik out, they’re getting Rashford out, and yet they still look like amateurs who have never kicked a ball let alone tried to defend a corner. How could this be?

Of course, The United Conundrum isn’t “how are they still sh*t”, it’s “how have all involved, from fans to owners, continue to misjudge the situation so grotesquely.”

You say you know there’s a long tough rebuild ahead then offer the likes of Bruno and Harry new contracts. Insanity. Maybe the next new striker fixes everything eh?

Tom, LFC (you don’t even deserve jokes in brackets)

…What the absolute f*ck was that?

No, seriously, what the absolute fu*k was that?

Happy Christmas all!

Garey Vance, MUFC

Man Utd formation not working

Man United’s new Head Coach continues to employ his 3-4-2-1 formation match in and match out with very minuscule success. While the current batch of United players aren’t familiar with this formation, the point must further be made that the said formation will not work in the EPL.

Generally, the 3-4-2-1 formation is vulnerable where the opponents have very fast players, in particular, fast forwards. United are exposed not only in counter attacks but more so when fast players quickly move the ball from one end of the pitch to the other.

Clearly, the United defence is not able to cope with the associated speed and pressure resulting in heavy losses. Amorim should rethink his approach immediately if we are to draw our way back.

Professor (Dr) David Achanfuo Yeboah

Where’s Stewie now?

Please can you give Stewie an ultimatum, if he’s not going to write in after a 5-1 win away at an in-form Palace team, without Bukayo Saka for the most part, then he’s not going to get printed next time we have a disappointing 0-0.

On behalf of the Mailbox’s sanity.

Ben, AFC

APT a Man City coincidence?

Just to put a spin on the City are guilty and so their players have all given up narrative. The downturn actually nearly perfectly aligns with City losing the APT case with the league. Keep in mind they were near the top of the league before that ruling came out.

Maybe losing that case means, even if City are found not guilty on the 130 charges, the club is no longer sustainable. Their fantasy crypto sponsorship worth £5m a year will soon be revalued at £0 (worth googling this utterly brazen move if you don’t know about it). Their Etihad sponsorship gets revalued at half of its current inflated value…repeat across their entire commercial revenue and that record £700m revenue quickly falls to £350m or less.

The club may have already told the players that they will need to sell at least a few prize assets to get things in order financially for next season. Knowing that your top players are all on the way out could also explain the drop in quality with players focussed on avoiding injury and trying to jump the ship before it sinks.

Minty, LFC

Merry Xmas to all but Mark

Xmasfootballdarts day for me.

Have I missed lots or does anyone know what Mark’s moaning about?

I think its Man City related but I’m no longer 100% sure..?

Don’t want to poke the bear / hornets nest etc.. but.. that’s bordering on legal threats?

Wishing the mailbox and all the staff at 365 the very best Christmas/season/festivities and a magic new year.

Thanks for all the hard work.

It gets me and I’m sure very many of us, through bad days and good.

It’s the bit of my day I always look forward too.

Cheers everyone

Happy Times

Spurs’ utter commitment to their brand of nonsense continues to strike brave new ground, with the irredeemable Angeballers having now scored 10 goals across their last three home games yet been soundly beaten in two of those games and had an alarmingly impressive stab at losing the other. Liverpool, meanwhile, are galloping gleefully towards the title despite towards the end allowing themselves to be dragged ever so slightly down to their opponent’s level.

But while it’s tempting to make this all about Spurs – because let’s face it, everything is in fact always about Spurs – we really must start with Liverpool.

It’s easy – and fun, and we’ll get there, we promise – to get distracted by the sheer relentless p*ss-take clown-car efforts of Spurs, both in the way they barely even competed in this match and in the ‘entertaining’ way they finally got involved long after it was all over, but for the first 35 minutes or so here Liverpool were close to perfection.

Liverpool struck a perfect balance. The eye is naturally drawn to the speed and zip of the attacking play. Of the patterns of Salah and Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, of the string-pulling of Dominic Szoboszlai, a man who spent 90 minutes here seemingly not fully believing his luck in finding himself, once again, 30-odd yards from goal with no opponent within 10 yards of him.

They scored twice in that blistering 40-minute onslaught and could have had twice that at least. They had 10 shots in the first half-hour; Spurs, for all their belated involvement as an attacking threat after the contest was over, managed only nine across the 90.

That Spurs number perhaps points to what was truly the most impressive thing about Liverpool in that opening spell, the element that has perhaps even more relevance for future games against less proudly and determinedly unserious football teams: the way that Spurs frontline was shut down.

Salah and co. dominating a defence containing one-fifth of its first-choice components and in which the only halfway reassuring presence is provided by an 18-year-old, playing out of position, who a month ago had never started a Premier League game really isn’t a great surprise.

But the speed with which Spurs were squeezed out and run over when they did vernture up the pitch was immense. The ease with which Spurs’ rare attacks in that time were not just halted unfussily but used as launchpads for another swift counter-attack was stunning to watch.

Spurs’ contribution to their own despair cannot be entirely ignored, but we struggle to think of a more complete performance front to back than Liverpool produced in that period.

Football being football, Spurs being Spurs, Liverpool then gifted them a route back into the game with the Spursiest defending of the lot, but we’ll get to that later.

We’re going to file that one under ‘bold strategy’. And it didn’t pay off. We suppose the idea, such as it was, involved stopping Salah or Alexander-Arnold or Diaz or Robertson occupying the half-spaces and picking Spurs off from there.

But the thing with those players is that they’re all quite handy in wider places anyway. Especially Alexander-Arnold, who doesn’t really need acres of space and hours of time to pick out a world-class cross but was nevertheless provided with both for Diaz’s opening goal.

A strong contender, too, for the most ‘it just had to be him’ opening goal of any game ever played given what happened in this fixture last season.

It was embarrassingly poor from Spurs of course, but one could have plenty of sympathy with the players out there who are largely blameless pawns in a wider game, footballers who have been badly let down by their club and their manager and also very specifically today the players in front of them in this team in finding themselves so ruinously exposed.

Szoboszlai operating in front of a Gravenberch-Mac Allister pivot against James Maddison doing likewise ahead of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr shouldn’t produce an outcome as one-sided as this.

Liverpool’s midfielders were quicker in deed and thought, more committed, more energised and more decisive. Despite the more obvious horrors occurring elsewhere, here is where the contest was decided.

But Liverpool went as Spurs as Spurs for a brief moment. Alexander-Arnold spent most of the first half showcasing his best traits but still found time here for his worst with a nasty pass that put Mac Allister under pressure. He was weak in the challenge against Dejan Kulusevski – a man who would ludicrously end up a genuine man-of-the-match contender in a 6-3 defeat – while James Maddison’s shot was made to look more unstoppably precise than it actually was by Alisson standing lead-footed to watch it past him.

Alexander-Arnold possesses a wicked ability to deliver a long pass, but here needed only a long ball and subsequent flick-on to leave Liverpool, in the final added minute of a first half Spurs were about to get out of with the match somehow alive, with a four-on-two break that was duly and expertly rounded out.

There was an obvious gulf in class for so much of this match, but frequently the most eye-catching difference was one of awareness and really quite basic intelligence.

Salah’s numbers grow ever more ridiculous, though. Two goals to take him clear in the Golden Boot, two assists to secure the double-double of 10 goals and 10 assists before the season is halfway done.

It’s always possible to find other reasons and other factors and other players to praise for Liverpool being where they are. But while it’s long stopped being in any way a revealing thing to state it still does need saying that Salah is the most critical component of it all.

Seven shots and three key passes are wild numbers to be recording away from home against a team who, when the season began, would have been considered a genuine rival.

It had, in truth, a similar feel by this point to Spurs themselves at Southampton last week. Spurs took their foot off the gas and coasted to a 5-0 win without adding a goal in the second half and Liverpool just slightly lowered their levels from this point as well.

That’s completely understandable, if slightly disappointing for those of us who would very much like to see records sent tumbling. No score felt out of reach at this point, and while Liverpool deciding to preserve energy for the many varied and greater battles ahead made just as much sense here as Spurs’ own thinking did a week ago, we’re still annoyed about it.

For extra irritation value, the two crack-papering goals Spurs scored were excellent. They really are a pack of pricks, this Spurs team. They can’t even get thrashed properly. Kulusevski, who is having a genuinely brilliant season and deserves more than any other Spurs player to be playing for a proper football team rather than this failed experiment, volleyed home superbly before Dominic Solanke showed strength and composure to score against his former side.

What made these goals at least halfway palatable was the deserving nature of the scorers. Solanke’s all-round contribution to this Spurs team is under-rated and under-appreciated; it’s hard to begrudge him a junk piece of stat-paddery in the goals column. And Kulusevski right now is without caveat or question simply one of the best players in the division.

For the second time in the match, when the prospect of genuine mild peril surprisingly re-emerged, Liverpool were able to quell it in a moment. They really could have scored as many goals as they wanted to here, and we are greatly if greedily annoyed with them that they decided six would be sufficient when other sillier and funnier numbers remained so thoroughly available.

There’s mitigation certainly in the defensive injury list, although Ange cannot be excused blame entirely here given his own role in Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven being rushed off and back on to that list just before the busiest time of the season.

But it is also just generally too easier a wriggle off the hook for Postecoglou to be allowed to even attempt to “the-way-we-play-mate” his way out of it. Everton have Dyched their way to goalless draws against Arsenal and Chelsea this week. Liverpool have dropped recent points against both Newcastle and Fulham.

Liverpool are an excellent side but this was not the mission impossible Postecoglou’s team made it look.

Two funny things there, of course. First, what a mortifying day this turned out to be for Manchester United; slapped 3-0 at home by Bournemouth and then forced to watch what a proper team does to the very Spurs team they had lost so cartoonishly against three days earlier. The second is that Postecoglou’s very correct prioritising of the Carabao at the possible expense of a humiliating collapse against Liverpool in the league is that he now gets two more games against them in the cup.

Liverpool will be more inclined to make changes for those games, but we wonder whether Arne Slot might look at this game, at a first leg in the first week of January when Spurs will still be similarly depleted to today, at a second leg in the first week of February when several missing men may have returned and wonder whether his best bet isn’t to just go full strength in the first leg and sort it all out there and then. There just seems no reason to risk allowing the second leg to be of any importance at all when Spurs have shown here – even at something close to their worst – that they remain capable of inflicting damage of their own.

They should absolutely expect to come out on top in that fight. And they’ll probably also do so in the Carabao without even really trying or caring. It might be they just have to settle for 6-3 as only an aggregate score in that one.

Jamie Carragher believes Arne Slot’s high praise for Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou and his brand of attacking football was ‘no accidental’ ahead of Liverpool’s 6-3 victory on Sunday.

Slot had defended Postecoglou against the criticism that his attacking style was costing Tottenham points at his pre-match press conference, saying: “People talk about trophies, trophies, trophies and that is so important. For me, his brand of football is so much more important.

“If he can combine it with winning something that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about ‘is it too attacking?’. How on earth can you play too much attacking football?”

Liverpool promptly went away to Tottenham and absolutely took them to the cleaners, with the scoreline flattering Spurs in the end – and Carragher believes Slot knew exactly what he was doing by baiting Postecoglou into sticking to his guns. We’re honestly not sure he needed much incentive, but there we go.

READ: Another ludicrous Ange Postecoglou-y scoreline flatters Tottenham as Liverpool run riot

The former Reds defender said on Sky Sports after the game: “That press conference from Slot on Friday was hilarious. I mean, people thought he was defending Postecoglou, but I don’t believe that for one minute.

“I actually thought he went too far, it was too obvious. He was desperate for Tottenham to play exactly the same way as they played against Manchester United, and they did – and Liverpool could have scored 10.

“So what he said in that press conference…honestly, everyone I spoke to Liverpool supporters, it was obvious what he was trying to get at.”

Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand meanwhile believes Tottenham must change if they are serious about rising up the table, saying: “Spurs, at the start of the season, we were talking about them being a top four side. OK, they’ve had their injuries and they’ve had a few problems like a lot of teams this season.

“But if you want be up there challenging the Liverpool and the Man Cities and the Arsenals and the Chelseas…they saw today what that’s all about.

“They’re a long way away from it at the moment, and that’s no disrespect, but Ange has got a lot to do. They have entertained this season at times. We’ve come here and they’ve played some outstanding football when they’ve got their best first XI. When they haven’t got their first XI they’re a pretty average side.”

Ferdinand added: “When we’re sitting here talking about making tweaks, we’re not saying to Postecoglou ‘you’ve got to be more defensive’ – we’re just saying that there’s obvious errors that are occurring week in, week out. At times it was one pass and Liverpool were in. That can’t be right if you’re trying to win games of football. We’re not saying ‘don’t be attacking’, but it’s costing them at the moment.”

Ange Postecoglou has been criticised for presenting the same answer no matter what question was posed of him. For much of this encounter against Liverpool, hopeless Tottenham did not even do that. They were just bad.

Until the result was already beyond any reasonable doubt, there was not even a sponge cake on offer from Postecoglou’s side here – just an empty plate. While their inappropriately gung-ho approach has been vexatious to fans and enormously fun for the rest of us, to be left without even that for so much of the game was far, far worse.

That Liverpool would control the run of play was to be expected, and defensively, Spurs at least have the excuse of playing almost a completely makeshift goalkeeper-and-back-four combo. But it was genuinely shocking how poorly they did regardless. Conceding six goals at home to a divisional rival should set alarm bells ringing anywhere, regardless of the quality of the opposition.

Even more surprising just how little Tottenham’s full complement of midfield and attacking personnel offered in return, Dejan Kulusevski excepted. The only surprising part of the scoreboard on the final whistle was the ‘3’ on Tottenham’s side, not the ‘6’ on Liverpool’s.

READ: Tottenham Hotspur urged to sanction ‘stunning move’ to sign Liverpool star as ‘brilliant’ replacement

Tottenham’s narrow 4-3-3 seemed to scream at Liverpool’s wide men: “cross all you like, we’ll defend the width of the box”. The wisdom of that is extremely questionable when facing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah in the first place – we hear they’re both quite dangerous from wide areas – but Liverpool gladly accepted their end of that offer; Spurs failed to live up to theirs.

Alexander-Arnold was in excellent form, and his cross for Luis Diaz from acres of space deep on the Liverpool right was inch-perfect, but the Colombian was completely unchallenged as he contorted his body to guide the ball into the far corner.

Liverpool’s second featured a similar build-up: Cody Gakpo found himself blocked off on the left, so simply tapped it back to Andy Robertson to cross instead. Dominik Szoboszlai could only head it straight up in the air, but Alexis Mac Allister was there to run under it and nod into the top corner.

The visitors had had an answer to every bit of what little Spurs did to test them for 41 minutes, but 30 seconds of inattention allowed Tottenham their first two shots on target.

Pape Matar Sarr shot straight at Alisson after Spurs countered off Szoboszlai’s heavy touch, but James Maddison was sufficiently more accurate to find the bottom corner after Kulusevski forced a loose ball out of Mac Allister just outside the Liverpool box. Virgil van Dijk bizarrely seeming to move out of the path to goal and Alisson beaten when it looked as though a better reaction would have made for a straightforward save.

That was as generous as Liverpool got, though, and they restored their two-goal advantage in added time in distressingly straightforward fashion: a lump of a long ball from Alexander-Arnold, flicked on by Szoboszlai for Salah, who slipped it back to the Hungarian as he charged into the box before firing through Fraser Forster’s legs.

Tottenham may have looked slightly more threatening after the break, but – in typical Tottenham fashion – of making them more porous than ever. Salah’s two tap-ins both came at the end of much too simple counter-attacks where Spurs found themselves completely outnumbered.

Szoboszlai and Diaz should each have matched Salah’s brace before Tottenham’s belated fightback, but the former fired wide after a long, straight ball from Alisson sent him clean through to round Forster, while Diaz lobbed onto the roof of the net after Salah had again given the poor Tottenham keeper a one-on-one to deal with.

Somehow, though, Tottenham found a way to make the scoreline extremely Ange-y as Liverpool gave every impression of assuming their job was complete. Kulusevski finished well after a blocked ball into the box fell nicely for him to fire past Alisson, and Dominic Solanke got free of van Dijk to slide home Brennan Johnson’s looping header back across the box.

Sufficiently roused by the prospect of having to defend a two-goal lead for another seven minutes plus stoppages, Liverpool confirmed the prior sense that they could score almost at their own will by restoring their three-goal cushion just three minutes later courtesy of Diaz, who this time made no mistake as he found the bottom corner off another Salah through ball.

For Tottenham to be the top scorers in the Premier League and yet to 11th at Christmas is just the most wonderful nonsense…but it does not speak at all highly of Postecoglou’s ability to rise to the kind of challenge expected of him.

Hosts Tottenham Hotspur come into the biggest Premier League game of the weekend as the underdogs as eight Liverpool stars dominate the combined XI…

(Disclaimer: Only fit and available players for this weekend’s match at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are considered for this XI, so there’s no Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven or Ibrahima Konate).

GK: Alisson Becker (Liverpool)

The Brazil international – who remains one of the best ‘keepers in the world – would be one of the first names on this teamsheet even if Guglielmo Vicario was fit, but this is especially the case with Fraser Forster – who produced a laughable disasterclass against Man Utd – as his main competitor.

Caoimhin Kelleher is among the best backup goalkeepers in the Premier League and he barely put a foot wrong as Alisson’s stand-in this season, but the wantaway Republic of Ireland international’s transfer fate has been sealed since his superior teammate’s return.

READ: Big Weekend: Tottenham v Liverpool, Pep Guardiola, Southampton, Havertz, Barcelona

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Pedro Porro is excellent in his own right, but Alexander-Arnold’s proposed transfer to Real Madrid likely needs to happen for him to ever be included in a Spurs vs Liverpool combined XI.

Porro has been linked with Real Madrid as an alternative, but Alexander-Arnold is perhaps the most likely of Liverpool’s three soon-to-be out of contract stars to leave as a free agent in 2025. The 26-year-old has been less of a threat going forward under Arne Slot but has been much stronger defensively and has contributed to the Premier League leaders’ progression into a complete winning machine.

CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Reports claim Van Dijk (and another of Liverpool’s favourites) are expected to sign new contracts and this will be a major boost for all linked with the Premier League giants.

Van Dijk rightly had his critics since recovering from his horror knee injury as his form fluctuated, though the 33-year-old has rolled back the years in 2024/25 and looks capable of at least a couple more seasons of his relentless brilliance under Slot.

CB: Radu Dragusin (Tottenham Hotspur)

Each side’s injury issues left slim pickings at centre-back as we opted to give the nod to Romania international Dragusin over Joe Gomez.

When Ange Postecoglou has a fully fit squad, Romero and Van de Ven are clearly his standout centre-backs, but Dragusin is the best of the rest and he’s gradually getting better. His batsh*t agent is great, too.

LB: Andy Robertson (Liverpool)

There are few weak links in Slot’s Liverpool side, but Robertson is one as it’s become increasingly clear that he is finished and needs to be replaced sharpish.

It’s been a shame to see, but Robertson – like the bulk of Man City’s squad – looks knackered after running too many miles. Still, he’s included as Destinty Udogie has not been much good either as each team are far stronger at right-back than at the left.

READ: Seven Liverpool options to replace finished Andy Robertson include Newcastle, Milan defenders

CM: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)

After Liverpool missed out on top target Martin Zubimendi in the summer, it was feared that the No.6 position would be a weak area for the club this season; Gravenberch’s extraordinary rise has ensured that’s not been the case.

Gravenberch has been a revelation since moving into a deeper position as he’s made this role his own after an underwhelming debut season at Liverpool. They still could do with signing a midfielder to provide cover, but the Dutchman’s immense form makes this much less of a priority than in the summer.

CM: Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kulusevski is another player who has flourished after being moved into a deeper position as he’s comfortably been Tottenham’s best performer this season.

Even as a winger, the Sweden international has been one of Spurs’ most consistent players in recent years, but this switch centrally has been genius as the always-dangerous creative spark is often in the middle of anything good that comes from Postecoglou’s side.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

Before Gravenberch’s resurgence, World Cup winner Mac Allister was comfortably Liverpool’s standout midfielder following the 2023 summer rebuild as he seamlessly settled following his move from Brighton.

Mac Allister struggled in the No.6 role way more than Gravenberch but has profited from being nudged further forward during the latter days of Klopp’s reign and Slot’s first few months in charge.

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RW: Mo Salah (Liverpool)

As excellent as the aforementioned Liverpool players have been this season, Salah’s been leading their charge for the Premier League and Champions League.

Last season, it felt like we were nearing the end of Salah’s time at Liverpool, but the confidence boost of a noticeably successful hair transplant – which put Wayne Rooney’s to shame – has seen the 32-year-old return to the peak of his powers.

He’s doing everything he can to make Liverpool give him the contract he wants and his 29-goal involvement (and counting) campaign appears to have forced FSG’s hand with an ‘agreement’ supposedly reached.

ST: Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham’s £65m long-term Harry Kane replacement was backed to fail and thrive in equal measure as pre-season predictions flooded in, but he’s very much trending towards being a great addition.

The England international’s finishing isn’t always the best, but his hold-up play and ability to bring others into the game has been priceless as he’s a player the club sorely lacked last season following Kane’s exit.

With Darwin Nunez flattering to deceive and Diogo Jota gradually returning from injury, we felt Solanke – especially after his midweek brace against Man Utd – deserved to be given his flowers as he’s proven to be one of the signings of the season in the Premier League.

LW: Luis Diaz (Liverpool)

If reports in Spain are to be believed (they are not, obviously), Diaz is still leaning towards a move to a European giant as he stalls on a new Liverpool contract.

It remains to be seen if this goes anywhere, but Diaz’s form this season has solidified his status at Liverpool after he was heavily linked with an exit in the summer. He’s no Salah, but the electric winger’s performances have vastly improved under Slot as this season looks certain to be his best yet for the Premier League giants.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to sign the Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool as a pundit has rejected two alternatives.

On Thursday night, Spurs overcame Man Utd, winning 4-3 to book their place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Dejan Kulusevski found the net between Dominic Solanke’s brace as Ange Postecoglou’s side led their Big Six rivals 3-0, but they were at risk of an embarrassing collapse as they made the end of the match unnecessarily difficult.

Stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been heavily criticised as he was at fault for Man Utd’s first two goals.

The 36-year-old started as No.1 Guglielmo Vicario has been ruled out for months after undergoing surgery on his ankle.

In January, Tottenham could look to sign a replacement for Forster and former Spurs star Paul Robinson has encouraged them to sign Kelleher.

READ: Man United and Spurs send in the clowns for some riotously stupid Carabao slapstick

The 26-year-old performed brilliantly when he recently filled in for Alisson, but he’s returned to the bench and could leave in the summer following the arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili.

In an interview with Football Insider, Robinson backed Spurs to make a ‘stunning move’ to sign ‘axed’ Kelleher, who should be targeted over two alternatives.

“There’s nobody out there at the moment, which is why I disagree, I don’t think there’s a huge rush,” Robinson told Football Insider.

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“Fraser Forster’s done okay, he’s a good goalkeeper. You look at him, you look at the experience that he’s got, I don’t think for what you’re going to get on loan or as an emergency signing now for what you’re going to buy now, you need to buy better than what you’ve got.

“I’m not so sure you do when you look at the options out there, January is always typically, it’s a difficult month to do business.

“They’re linked with John Victor, aren’t they? Remember where he plays his football now, he’s on loan at Botafogo, he’s on loan at Valladolid last year, I think.

“He’s got a little bit of experience but you’re paying five or six million for a goalkeeper that’s untried and untested at that level.

“[They’re] linked with Anthony Patterson at Sunderland, 24 years old. He’s a good goalkeeper, not so sure he goes in ahead of Fraser Forster, not sure you trust the goalkeeper that you bring in at that age.

“Don’t bring somebody in who’s not better than what you’ve already got, [I] just don’t think there’s anybody out there in January that would fit the bill.

“Kelleher’s time at Liverpool with Marmadashvili coming in, that would be a brilliant option if we were talking in the summer.”

Despite two disastrous Fraser Forster errors, Tottenham overcame Manchester United in an absolutely bonkers Carabao Cup quarter-final, winning 4-3 on Thursday night.

Archie Gray started centre-back next to Radu Dragusin with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies all still injured.

Djed Spence moved to left-back after Destiny Udogie picked up an injury at Southampton on Sunday.

Man Utd goalkeeper Altay Bayindir started again in the Carabao Cup as Leny Yoro made his second start of the season, partnering Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof in defence.

Tottenham’s defence might be depleted but their attack is not, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son all starting behind Dominic Solanke, who opened the scoring on Thursday evening.

Solanke was quickest to react to Pedro Porro’s rebounded shot, converting past Bayindir – who should have dealt with the long-range strike better – after 15 minutes.

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Both teams went into the break at 1-0 with the game in the balance but within nine minutes of the restart Spurs were 3-0 up.

A poor Martinez clearance fell to Kulusevski, who converted from close range in the 47th minute before Solanke’s second in the 54th.

With Spurs seemingly out of sight, Fraser Forster decided to make things interesting by assisting two Man Utd goals and putting the visitors in the ascendency.

For 3-1, the big goalkeeper passed it to Bruno Fernandes, who squared it to substitute Joshua Zirkzee, and for the Red Devils’ second, he kicked the ball into an onrushing Amad Diallo.

Amad pressed the Spurs ‘keeper relentlessly and Forster, moving at an incredibly slow pace, could not get the ball out in time as the Ivorian winger’s block ricocheted into the goal.

Man Utd piled on the pressure but Spurs somehow found a fourth to blow a huge sigh of relief.

After limping over to take a corner, Son’s cross went all the way in and he wheeled off in celebration with his injury seemingly healed.

Bayindir pleaded for a foul and was booked for his protests, claiming to be fouled by Lucas Bergvall.

Man Utd did not go down without a fight as Jonny Evans headed in his side’s third in the 94th minute.

Victory for Spurs sees them reach the last four of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Liverpool, Newcastle United or north London rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou insists he is “not interested” in reports linking Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford with a move to north London.

Rashford was dropped, along with Alejandro Garnacho, for Ruben Amorim’s 20-man squad for their Manchester Derby against Man City.

Man Utd forward Rashford has been linked with moves to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain and revealed on Tuesday that he is ready for a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford in an interview with journalist Henry Winter.

Tottenham has been mooted as a potential destination for Rashford although there haven’t been any concrete links as the England international decides his future.

When quizzed about Rashford, Tottenham boss Postecoglou said: “There’s always noise about Manchester United, come on mate. Where have you been?

“No interest. Don’t care. Not interested. He is a Manchester United player. A very good player, they have plenty of good players, but I manage my players and other managers will manage their own players.

“In terms of Marcus’ situation, I have no real desire to examine it any further.

“If I looked at everyone we were linked to, I would have no time to do anything else to be honest. I have got other people to do that part of the process.

“For us, we’ve been pretty disciplined in what we’re trying to build here and we’ll continue to be so.”

Asked once more if Rashford was a potential target for January, Postecoglou insisted: “That’s not on my radar. You can ask me about Marcus but you can ask me about every single Premier League footballer and I’ll say the same.”

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Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that a move to Spain is the “dream” destination for Rashford as he considers a move away from Man Utd.

Romano said: “Looks like Marcus Rashford confirms that he’s opening the doors to a Manchester United exit. And what I can say is that on the club side, they are absolutely feeling the same.

“Not now, not even on Sunday. It’s even before that Manchester United felt that it could be time in 2025, January or summer, based on proposals, to part ways with Marcus Rashford.

“At the moment, Man United have not received any formal bid, any formal approach.

“The dream of Marcus Rashford one day is to play in Spain. Marcus Rashford would love to play in Spain one day.

“But what I’m told is that at the moment, there are still no advanced or concrete negotiations. For example, from Saudi, they are very attentive to these sort of situations.”

We can surely all agree that football simply does not get bigger than Carabao Cup quarter-final week. Just one of the great midweeks of the year, a chance to squeeze in yet another fixture just before Christmas and test the hamstrings of anyone yet to suffer that familiar winter twang.

There are eight teams still standing, in accordance with quarter-final traditions, and it would be fair to say that for many reasons old and new the dear old Carabao occupies contrasting positions of significance and importance for the eight managers involved. So let’s rank them, shall we? Everyone loves it when things are ranked.

It would be quite the story, but a lot has had to go right and also really very wrong indeed for Rusk to even still be in charge at Southampton when the Carabao final rolls around in March.

Looks certain at the very least to have the chance to steer Southampton into the last four this week, though. A permanent replacement for Russell Martin doesn’t appear all that imminent, so it falls to Rusk to tick the boxes and complete the formalities of getting past Liverpool in the last eight.

The most obvious Bigger Fish To Fry situation among the eight remaining managers, with Liverpool cruising in the now hibernating Champions League but more importantly now in the process of seeing their lead atop the Premier League trimmed by Chelsea’s relentless form and their own new-found tendency to draw games or even more carelessly have them postponed.

Should make it into the last four without trying too hard given the identity of their last-eight opponents, but almost certain in that case to come up against more Carabao-invested opposition in the semis.

We would suggest the Carabao is slightly more of a priority for Slot specifically than Liverpool more generally. But only slightly. It’s definitely a bonus to be able to get that first trophy under the belt, and Jose Mourinho used to speak with great fondness – back when such emotions were still available to him – about the League Cup as a launch-pad for further, greater success. It would be a lovely little bonus, but harsh as it is, if Slot’s season were now to end with a Carabao and nothing more it would be distinctly underwhelming.

As for Liverpool, they’ve won two of the last three. Nobody needs that much Carabao.

Tricky for Ruben is the Carabao. On the one hand, it’s very clear from his shifting team selections and use of absolutely every single substitution available to him that he is desperately using every available match to glean as much information as he possibly can about the squad he’s inherited.

But it’s equally clear that he’d very much like some time and space to be able to do some proper training-ground work to impart his vision and methods to a squad still understandably struggling to adapt to what is a very different way of doing things.

Spurs up next for Amorim so literally anything could happen there, but if he emerges from that trip to north London with a semi-final place you’d imagine he’d give it plenty when the time comes. After all, Erik Ten Hag won this thing in his first season and that worked out absolutely brilliantly.

Probably more interested now than he was a few weeks ago when Palace were still straining desperately to ease clear of a relegation fight in which they should really be nothing more than half-interested spectators.

When the quarter-final draw was made it would have been hard to make a case for Palace going to Arsenal and getting anything more out of it than the relief of a game that didn’t have potentially dread-filled real-world consequences for their Premier League status.

No longer quite true, that. Arsenal are more vulnerable, and Palace less wretched. It does appear quite clearly now that there are – as we all very strongly suspected – at least three teams much worse than this Palace side and their very decent manager.

Arsenal in a Carabao quarter-final now feels like a much more appealing genuine free hit with actual chance of progression.

It’s not going to usurp the 2022 Europa League success with Eintracht Frankfurt atop his CV, but it would be a welcome second major title for a manager whose ability doesn’t really tally with a relatively blank honours section.

Frank has absolutely nothing left to prove at Brentford given where he’s taken them from and to, but the slightly negative corollary is what does he really have left to achieve? There is a ceiling for clubs like his that is almost impossible to break through, and even the League Cup isn’t the potential source of glory for smaller but well-established Premier League sides it once was.

As squad depth across the Big Six – and really specifically here United, City, Liverpool and Chelsea – has grown it has become so much harder for teams like Brentford now to do what your Leicesters and Birminghams, your Middlesbroughs and Swanseas, the Blackburns of this world once did.

The last 11 League Cups have been hoarded by Liverpool, United, City and Chelsea and there is no longer the expectation there once was that a club like Brentford might be able to snaffle one.

It nevertheless still represents the least unlikely way for Frank to do something truly new to put a cherry on top of all he’s achieved here.

And then you get a shot at the Conference League.

Would address a couple of quirks, at least. First, that for all Arsenal’s dramatic improvement under Arteta the only actual silverware to show for it remains the FA Cup win from his first Covid-interrupted season, a season in which Arsenal were for the most part really quite rubbish in all the other competitions.

The second is Arsenal’s own p*ss-poor record in this competition. Sure, it’s never been the absolute tip-top number-one priority but they haven’t won the thing since the Domestic Cup Double of 1993 and that was only their second win.

Even perennial trophy-dodgers Spurs have won it twice since Arsenal last managed, while all told the other five Big Sixers have won 23 Carabaos and Coca-Colas and Worthingtons and Capital Ones and Carlings since Arsenal got their hands on one. That seems quite silly.

One of two managers in this list who a) could really do with a trophy this season and also very importantly b) could definitely point to even this most tinpot of all the majors as a significant breakthrough moment for him and his club and then also c) should welcome anything that does anything to ease the pressure on their job and silences the whispers for any length of time.

Howe himself – for understandable enough reasons – still has no top-tier team trophy to sit alongside an undeniably impressive collection of individual manager of the month and year gongs.

Newcastle’s own silverware drought, meanwhile, is one that would make Tottenham blush having failed to add a single proper bauble to the St James’ Park trophy cabinet since the 1950s. We’re really sorry, lads, but the Intertoto Cup absolutely does not count.

A certified genuine Carabao, though? Now you’re talking.

Set his stall out very early this season with his infamous ‘I always win something in year two’ claim. While historically undeniably accurate, it was nevertheless a wild move to leave oneself quite such a hostage to fortune when said fortunes are those of Tottenham Hotspur, the final-level boss of banter clubs.

It does, though, also feel like Postecoglou’s Spurs absolutely could do it. Unlike previous iterations of Spurs that possessed the wherewithal to potentially challenge for a cup, Postecoglou has masterminded a situation where their league form is so absurdly inconsistent that it is no longer a viable route to anything. He’s playing 4D chess, mate. How to stop this club being obsessed with finishing fourth? Somehow be 10th with a goal difference of +17. He’s a genius, a visionary.

There are thus multiple reasons for Postecoglou and Spurs to absolutely throw everything at the cups this season. They are in many ways a glorious and high-gloss version of the classic Spurs sides of old; a threat to absolutely anybody in a one-off game but a threat to absolutely nobody across 38 or 42.

Three eminently plausible routes to trophy success exist for Postecoglou and his band of merry man (and Timo Werner) with a home quarter-final here against a plausibly less interested Manchester United, a kind third-round FA Cup draw and the weakest-looking Europa League in years.

For the rest of us it now only remains to sit back and discover precisely how and when they go about f*cking each one of those opportunities directly into the sun.

Jack Grealish might need to leave Manchester City to save his “legacy” from being “ruined”, according to former Premier League striker Troy Deeney.

England winger Grealish joined City from Aston Villa for a then-British record £100million in the 2021 summer transfer window.

He took a while to settle at the Etihad but had an outstanding 2022/23 campaign, helping Pep Guardiola’s side win an historic Treble.

Grealish didn’t really kick on after that, though, and has been in and out of the starting XI since the start of 23/24.

The 29-year-old has struggled with niggling injuries but has not made enough statement performances when given the chance to prove himself ahead of Jeremy Doku.

There has always been transfer speculation given Grealish’s inability to thrive since leaving Villa, with Tottenham frequently linked with him.

A move elsewhere could help rejuvenate the England international’s career and Spurs would be a better fit than most teams, says ex-Watford captain Deeney.

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Deeney adds that staying at City could ruin Grealish’s “legacy” as he has not “lived up to” the potential from his Villa days.

“I think he is danger of having his legacy ruined,” he told talkSPORT.

“And what I mean by that is, I don’t think you can say he hasn’t lived up to his potential, because look at what he did at Villa and he did it for a sustained period of time.

“What’s happening now is, in football, it’s, ‘What have you done lately?,’ and he hasn’t done a great deal lately due to injuries and being out of the team.”

Birmingham fan Deeney continued: “I don’t wan’t him to go back to Villa for two reasons, selfishly, because I don’t want Villa to get good again, [saying this] with a Blues head on.

“But genuinely for him, I always think if you go back, there’s an expectation you’re going to be that person you was when you left.

“I think a fresh start would be great for him and somewhere where he’s the main man again and everyone is giving him the ball.

“Because people like Jack, they need to have the ball every couple of minutes – and not being stood on the side – and when they get it, run a little bit and pass it back.

“But I think you’re going to see a new role for him at City, I think you’re going to see him as a No.8 – just driving out of midfield.

“I think he can handle that position really well, and that’ll be good for England as well.”

On who Grealish could join if he does decide to leave City, Deeney said: “Spurs, he walks into that team in every position.

“Whether that’s as a winger, No.10 or No.8. Arsenal, no, I don’t think he works at Arsenal. Liverpool, he doesn’t at Liverpool.

“He’s obviously not going to go Manchester United, but he’s better than what they’ve got.

“Newcastle, easy. There’s loads of teams, anyone outside the top four, I’d argue he’d do well at Chelsea, but they’ve got about 75 wingers.

“He’s probably too cheap for them at £100m to be fair, they’d want to waste a bit more money!

“Anyone outside the top four, he would easily go into and dominate, if he went to Newcastle, it would be considered a massive step down for him.

“But it’s a great club with a great fanbase and I think Jack needs to feel that again, feel that he’s loved, feel that the fanbase love him, but also he’s the man to drive them forward.”