Inside Futbol

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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison has explained that, in his view, Tottenham Hotspur are where they will finish in the league this season, following a damaging loss to Arsenal.

Tottenham have been plunged into an injury crisis that has stripped Thomas Frank’s side of creativity, halted their momentum and exposed the thin margins within the squad.

With players such as Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski all sidelined, Spurs have been struggling to find rhythm and Frank’s men have collected only four points from their last five Premier League matches.

Spurs’ latest setback came in a bruising 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium against rivals Arsenal, where Eberechi Eze delivered a ruthless hat-trick that reopened old wounds and raised fresh questions about the direction of Frank’s project.

One former Spurs star quickly insisted that Frank is not the right manager for the club.

The defeat leaves Tottenham sitting just ninth in the Premier League table and well adrift of the top five Champions League spots, which the club may well have seen as the key aim for this season.

For Morrison, Spurs’ current position of ninth is simply a reflection of where they will ultimately finish, especially given the number of key absences Frank is contending with.

The ex-hitman says the injuries have stripped Spurs of creativity, adding that Dominic Solanke’s absence has left them without a cutting edge in the final third.

Game Last season’s result Fulham (H) 1-1 Newcastle United (A) 2-1 Brentford (H) 3-1 Tottenham’s next three league games

Morrison said on BBC Radio 5 live: “Tottenham are where I think they will be at the end of the season.

“They are without Maddison and Kulusevski and they need creative players in these kinds of games.

“They miss Solanke too.”

The defeat stings all the more given Tottenham’s failed pursuit of Eze in the summer, when a deal appeared within reach before collapsing as the midfielder opted for Arsenal instead.

Currently sitting ninth in the table, Frank’s side are heading into a relentless December packed with fixtures.

With a tough trip to St James’ Park, a home clash against Liverpool, and midweek Champions League games, it remains to be seen whether the Lilywhites can steady themselves and push for a finish that secures European football next season.

Without key reinforcements, possibly in the January transfer window to add creativity, Morrison’s claim may soon harden into an unavoidable reality.

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Fixture: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 23rd November, 16:30 UK time

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will return from the international break by jumping straight into a north London derby at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta’s side have earned comparisons to George Graham’s vintage of the 80s and 90s through their defensive parsimony and set-piece dominance. Arteta, nearing six years as Arsenal manager, will also want to have some of the success Graham’s side, league champions in 1989 and 1991, achieved.

Arsenal have won five of their last six Premier League games against Tottenham and lost just once in their last 32, with the reversal coming in November 2010. Arsenal have also scored in each of their last 26 Premier League home games against Tottenham, and have remarkably netted at least twice in each of the last eight.

The Gunners have an excellent defensive record at home, only conceding once in eight games in all competitions at the Emirates Stadium this season, with Erling Haaland netting for Manchester City in a 1-1 draw in September. Arsenal have won their last five at the Emirates, and have a chance to equal a record six wins in a row without conceding, achieved between April and September 2008.

More goals from set pieces, excluding penalties, both overall with ten and as a percentage, 50 percentage, have come for Arsenal than any other side in the Premier League this season.

With Manchester City breathing down their neck, Arsenal will want to keep winning, with memories of the 2023/24 season and especially the 2022/23 campaign, when they led the division for a record 248 days, still fresh in the memory.

Gabriel is out for Arsenal after suffering an injury with Brazil, while Martin Odegaard is nearing a return to action.

Spurs enter the clash joint-fifth with Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Manchester United. Their season has been stop-start, not managing to string together more than two wins in a row, but equally not going more than games without a win.

All three of their losses have come at home, but hearteningly for Tottenham their away record has been stellar, being the only Premier League side to be undefeated on the road with four wins and a draw.

The Lilywhites are also the ones to have conceded the fewest, at 2, set piece goals this season, creating an intriguing game within a game this afternoon.

Thomas Frank might be without Randal Kolo Muani, who fractured his jaw after taking an elbow from Harry Maguire, but can look forward to welcoming Mohammed Kudus back into the side.

Predicted Lineups

Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur Raya Vicario Timber Porro Saliba Romero Hincapie Van de Ven Calafiori Spence Zubimendi Palhinha Rice Sarr Eze Richarlison Saka Simons Merino Kudus Trossard Tel Predicted lineups

Recent Form (league)

Arsenal: DWWWW

Tottenham Hotspur: DLWLW

Key Men

Arsenal

William Saliba will have to step up and commandeer the Gunners defence in Gabriel’s absence, being the senior partner to Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquerao or Riccardo Calafiori, if Arteta opts to move the Italian in from left back.

Eberechi Eze is in fine nick and can add salt to the injury to the side he was close to joining, before Arsenal swooped into hijack.

Leandro Trossard is the man in form and with Bukayo Saka yet to hit top form, Arsenal will rely on him to break the deadlock and to probe Spurs’ defence.

Tottenham Hotspur

Joao Palhinha has positively surprised since his return to the Premier League and will be key in soaking up pressure. It is also vital that he does not concede any unnecessary set pieces to Arsenal.

Mohammed Kudus leads Spurs for expected assists, 1.3 xG, and chances created, 15, in the Premier League this season, while only Richarlison with 19 has had more shots than Kudus with 17. Kudus is key at keeping hold of the ball on breaks and to mount effective counters.

Mathys Tel might get an unexpected opportunity to start, that is if Frank chooses not to field a masked up Kolo Muani, and can further his own chances of nailing down a starting spot with a strong performance against derby rivals.

Result Competition Arsenal 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur Friendly Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Arsenal Premier League Last three meetings

Match Prediction

Thomas Frank might be tempted to play three at the back to soak up Arsenal’s pressure and try and win it late on or on the counter.

Frustrating Arsenal might be the strategy to turn to for Frank, given Spurs’ recent struggles to create going forward.

In four of their last five meetings against Arsenal, a Tottenham player has scored an own goal which has given the Gunners the lead.

This Arsenal team can have issues with breaking down opponents when the game is goalless, and Spurs will be wise to avoid any individual errors.

Since the start of last season, Arsenal have won 61.5 per cent of their Premier League matches with Gabriel in the starting lineup, but that win rate drops to 40.0 per cent without him, with a marked increase in the rate at which they draw games.

While Frank might cudgel his brain over how to overcome Arsenal, the Dane’s best chance of obtaining a result from this game might involve relying on counters, pressure from a Manchester City result and a bit of luck, reminding himself of the underdog status he so relished during his time with Brentford.

Inside Futbol Score Prediction

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Where To Watch?

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League will be live on Sky Sports Main Event for a 16:30 kick-off in the UK.

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Tottenham Hotspur talent Jamie Donley has been hailed by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill, who believes that the Spurs attacker has serious potential.

Donley is a product of Tottenham’s highly rated youth set-up and has played for the club’s senior team, making his debut for the first team in late 2023.

He has four senior appearances for Spurs to his name and last season, he was loaned out to League One side Leyton Orient, where he impressed, clocking close to 3,700 minutes in 52 matches.

The versatile attacker scored eight times, providing eleven assists for the O’s, and he was regularly hailed by Orient boss Richie Wellens, who dubbed Donley a ‘special talent’.

In the summer, though, Championship side Stoke City got him on loan, but he is not a player who has been trusted by Mark Robins with minutes at the Potters.

Donley has clocked only about 77 league minutes, featuring only twice as a substitute in the last 13 matches for the Championship side.

However, on Monday night, Donley scored the only goal of the match between Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, and O’Neill stressed that the Spurs talent was amongst the best players and was excellent on the pitch.

Club Years Tottenham Hotspur 2023- Leyton Orient (loan) 2024-2025 Stoke City (loan) 2025- Jamie Donley’s career history

“They [the players] are pleased to win the game. It was a tough game; we knew it would be”, the 56-year-old told the BBC.

“I thought Jamie Donley was excellent for the period he was on the pitch.

“I thought Ethan [Galbraith] was very strong in the second half, and I thought Ciaron Brown did well and Jamal Lewis back as well.”

O’Neill is convinced that Donley has unquestionable talent, recognising that he is unlucky to have not played a lot for Stoke.

“He is a very talented boy.

“We are delighted to get him when we did.

“It was great, obviously being involved with England underage and having been born here in Northern Ireland, it was nice to get him as part of our group

“He has probably been a bit unlucky not to have played a lot more, but he hasn’t played a lot in his loan period at Stoke.

“I am sure he is disappointed with that.

“He has real talent.

“I see a player who can be a real asset to this squad and can play in a number of positions”, he added.

Cambridge United boss Neil Harris is also a fan of Donley and he said that the 20-year-old has all the pedigree to play in the Premier League.

Now it remains to be seen if his luck will change at Stoke, as he is in desperate need of game time to nourish his potential; Tottenham could look to bring him back from Stoke in January if things do not change by then.

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Dutch legend Ruud Gullit has advised former Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott to not consider joining Wolves, but is clear he should look to move in January.

The Dublin-born attacking talent came through the youth ranks at Tottenham and got his first taster of the first team in Spurs’ pre-season Asia tour in 2019, which he admitted made him hungry for more.

Mauricio Pochettino was clear that no big pressure should be put on Parrott, while Jose Mourinho then did his best to guide the striker, but he did not break through into the Spurs team.

Parrott joined AZ Alkmaar on a deal worth £6.7m following a successful loan spell at Excelsior, and he has been brilliant for the Dutch side.

However, the current international break has given him an exceptional amount of limelight as he has had a couple of incredible games for the Republic of Ireland.

Parrott scored twice against Portugal in a 2-0 win last week and scored an incredible hat-trick against Hungary at the weekend to send Ireland to the playoffs for the next World Cup.

His fairy tale week has brought him a lot of attention and Premier League strugglers Wolves have been credited with an interest in the former Spurs man.

Club Years Tottenham Hotspur 2019-2024 Millwall (loan) 2020-2021 Ipswich Town (loan) 2021 MK Dons (loan) 2021-2022 Preston North End (loan) 2022-2023 Excelsior (loan) 2023-2024 AZ Alkmaar 2024- Troy Parrott’s career history

Legendary former footballer Gullit feels that it is a perfect opportunity for Parrott to cash in on his brilliant form and make a move in the winter window.

“He needs to cash in on this now. He’s 23 years old — it would be good for him, but also for AZ”, Gullit said on Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport about Parrott (via Voetbal Primeur).

However, Gullit strongly advised Parrott to avoid Wolves and choose a top-half side to take his career forward in a positive way.

“He shouldn’t do that [make a move to Wolves].

“He needs to go to a club in the top half, especially for his own development.”

Wolves are currently stuck in a rut, as they sit rock-bottom in the Premier League, and are hoping to get going under their newly appointed boss Rob Edwards.

It remains to be seen if Parrott will be coming back to England and the Premier League.

That could see him go up against former club Tottenham.

Parrott’s contract is valid until 2029 at AZ Alkmaar and he has scored 33 goals for them in 61 games.

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Former Aston Villa midfielder Karim El-Ahmadi believes that Villans attacker Donyell Malen is the Netherlands’ best winger option ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Xavi Simons and Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong.

The Dutch talent came through Ajax’s academy before he was picked up by Premier League giants Arsenal, where he impressed in their academy; Ajax did battle to hold on to him.

However, he left the north Londoners without playing for their senior team and made a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund.

Malen joined Aston Villa back in January on a deal worth £21m from the German giants, but has not been able to establish himself as a first-team starter under Unai Emery.

On Monday night, he started for his country against Lithuania on the right wing and scored in a 4-0 victory for the Dutch.

Ex-Villa star El-Ahmadi feels that Liverpool summer arrival Frimpong would not work alongside Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries on the right-hand side.

He also feels that Simons, who joined Spurs in the summer window, is not a good option to play out wide; one former Dutch star recently insisted that Premier League defenders have worked out how they can stop the attacking midfielder.

Club FC Twente Feyenoord Al-Ahli Aston Villa Al-Ittihad Clubs Karim El-Ahmadi played for

The 40-year-old dubbed Malen a ‘weapon’ and made it clear that, with Memphis Depay playing as the frontman, the Aston Villa attacker complements him the best.

“I do think he’s the best option”, El-Ahmadi said about Malen via Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur.

“Frimpong and Dumfries together won’t work. And with Simons, it won’t work either.

“Malen inside, I think he’s a real weapon.

“You also see Memphis getting the ball very often. Then others have to get into that space, and if anyone can do that, it’s Malen.”

The 26-year-old attacker recently admitted that it was not easy for him to adapt to the Premier League, but he insisted that he has been doing the right things consistently.

With the World Cup looming next summer, Malen will want to do all he can at club level to make sure he is a vital part of the Netherlands group.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur star Mathys Tel is on Roma’s transfer wish list for the January transfer window as they seek forwards.

The 20-year-old centre forward was the centre of attention during the last winter transfer window and Spurs managed to agree to a loan with an option to buy a deal to sign Tel from Bayern Munich.

During the summer, Bayern Munich were eager to cash in on Tel, but Spurs did not want to pay the €50m they agreed and in the end the Germans settled for €35m.

The 20-year-old has yet to nail down a spot in Thomas Frank’s starting lineup this season, starting three games in the Premier League so far.

Tel made a slow start to the campaign and last weekend he scored his second goal of the season against Manchester United after coming off the bench.

Despite the young attacker’s limited impact in north London, his stock remains high and he is now attracting interest from Italy ahead of the winter window.

Italian giants Roma are interested in signing Tel, with their boss Gian Piero Gasperini keen on adding forwards to his squad in January.

Attacker Club Joshua Zirkzee Manchester United Mathys Tel Tottenham Hotspur Mika Godts Ajax Yuri Alberto Corinthians Jeremy Arevalo Racing Santander Attackers on Roma’s radar for January

According to Italian daily Leggo (via La Roma 24), Tel is high on Roma’s transfer wish list and they might try to sign him in January.

Tel left Bayern Munich to get regular first-team football, which he is currently not receiving at Tottenham and it has been suggested that he is prepared to move.

It is, however, not clear whether Frank will be ready to let Tel leave without bringing in a replacement for him.

Also unclear is what type of deal Roma would put on the table and whether it would be acceptable for Spurs.

Tel has featured in a total of 31 games so far in his career at Tottenham and has netted five goals with two assists to his name.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Mikey Moore has insisted that talk he was ready to bring his Rangers loan to an early end and return to Tottenham Hotspur was wide of the mark.

The Gers signed highly rated 18-year-old Moore from Tottenham on loan in the summer window, seeing off competition from English Championship clubs and he arrived with high expectations, but his performances during his early days at Rangers failed to convince.

Former Scotland star Andy Walker dubbed Moore awful while slamming Rangers’ recruitment, and ex-Rangers star Ross McCormack said the Gers should be starting Findlay Curtis over the Spurs talent.

However, in recent weeks Moore has managed to shut up his critics with his performances and ex-Gers assistant manager Alex Rae admitted that he is showing signs of fulfilling expectations.

It was suggested that Moore was considering a return after a tough start in Scottish football, but the Spurs star insists that has never been the case.

Moore scored in Rangers’ win over Dundee on Sunday and he added that he was confident that the situation for him in Scotland would change if he kept focusing on his job.

He stressed that he has managed to change the scenario a little bit, but he will work hard to become a better player.

When asked about claims regarding him considering a return to London, Moore said at a press conference (2:35): “A lot of stuff goes in the media that is never true.

Club Years Tottenham Hotspur 2024- Rangers (loan) 2025- Mikey Moore’s career history

“I was never ready to go back.

“I always knew that at some point it would change and I have changed it for myself a little bit in the last few weeks, but I need to keep building and playing even better than I am.

“So I am picking up goals and assists; I said in midweek that I need to, so I am happy with a goal today.”

Moore’s form has improved since the arrival of Danny Rohl at Ibrox and he is clocking regular minutes for Rangers.

Tottenham are sure to be watching very closely to see how Moore does at Rangers, with the talent rated highly in north London.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Alex Rae believes that there are now signs at Rangers of Tottenham Hotspur loan star Mikey Moore living up to his exciting reputation after it took him time to settle.

The 18-year-old is a Tottenham Hotspur academy product and last season clocked 17 appearances for the London outfit while making three goal contributions.

Several clubs showed interest in loaning Moore in the summer window, including Championship outfits Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City, but he snubbed them in favour of Rangers.

However, the Spurs loanee’s start at Ibrox left Rangers fans wondering why he was being selected and one former striker suggested he should not be starting ahead of Findlay Curtis.

Under new manager Danny Rohl, Moore has featured in the last three games and Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has seen improvement.

That sentiment has been echoed now by former Rangers star Rae, who believes Moore is getting to grips with life north of the border.

Rae is of the view Moore is now showing what he can do after initially seeming ‘miles off it’.

“In hindsight, if you look at Mikey Moore in the previous games, I think he is really starting to assert the ability that everyone spoke about when he first came up”, Rae said on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard (47:00).

Loanee Max Aarons Derek Cornelius Nasser Djiga Jayden Meghoma Mikey Moore Rangers’ loan stars

“I feel as if he has settled in now. He knows what the expectations are. Absolutely it’s taken him time.

“If you’d looked at the initial opening games that he had with Rangers you think ‘this boy is miles off it’.

“Then you hear from the fans who say ‘you bring all these World Cup Willies up from the top teams but they never quite do it’.

“Well, I think we’re seeing shoots of this boy showing the potential that he is actually capable of.”

Moore will be looking to continue on his upward curve over the coming weeks, with Tottenham likely to be watching closely.

Whether Spurs might consider recalling Moore in January remains to be seen and is sure to be heavily dependent upon his playing time at Rangers.

Martin Ole Wold/Getty Images

Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 12:30 UK time

Thomas Frank has named his Tottenham Hotspur lineup to welcome Manchester United to north London in the Premier League this afternoon.

Frank watched his side crush FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League in midweek, but there are still question marks about Spurs’ recent domestic performances.

They were comfortably knocked out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle United and produced a poor display in a league loss to Chelsea.

One former Spurs player has suggested Brennan Johnson needs to work on the defensive side of his game, though there have also been encouraging signs from Randal Kolo Muani.

Now there is another big test for Frank’s new-look Tottenham as Champions League spot rivals Manchester United arrive in town, with the Spurs boss feeling they are getting better.

Ruben Amorim’s side played out a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest in their last match to stretch an unbeaten run to four games, marking real progress for the Red Devils.

Manchester United’s recent record against Spurs though is nothing less than shocking and Tottenham have won five of the last seven encounters, drawing the other two.

Tottenham have Guglielmo Vicario between the sticks this afternoon, while in defence, Frank plays a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence.

The midfield engine room is likely to be a key battleground and Tottenham play Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr, while Xavi Simons adds creativity.

Richarlison, Brennan Johnson and Randal Kolo Muani lead the attack.

If Frank needs to try to influence the game during the 90 minutes with his substitutes then he has options to call for and they include Mathys Tel and Destiny Udogie.

Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs Manchester United

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Sarr, Simons, Johnson, Richarlison, Kolo Muani

Substitutes: Kinsky, Danso, Tel, Udogie, Odobert, Bentancur, Scarlett, Akhamrich, Rowswell

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Danny Murphy is keen to see Micky van de Ven go forward more as he feels he has goals in his locker and floated the possibility he could play at left-back.

The defender scored a wonderful solo goal after running out from the back to give ten-man Tottenham a three-goal lead against FC Copenhagen in the 64th minute on Tuesday night.

Spurs eventually won the match 4-0 to keep themselves well in contention to book their spot in the next phase of the Champions League and ease some pressure on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who came in for criticism following their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.

Murphy was more than impressed by the performance of the Dutch defender, who he feels has got the attributes in his locker to play attacking football and go forward.

However, he cautioned that doing it against better opposition could sometimes lead to Tottenham being exposed.

“He has just got that type of attribute in his locker, he has got the pace and the willingness to run with he ball”, Murphy said on talkSPORT (4th November, 22:05).

“Sometimes it can cause you problems if you are against better opposition.

“[Against] Chelsea – he tried to take on [Moises] Caicedo, doing a similar thing on the edge of the box that he did there tonight before he got the goal.

Club Years Volendam 2019-2021 Wolfsburg 2021-2023 Tottenham Hotspur 2023- Micky van de Ven’s career history

“So, if you are comparing it, he is a bit of a risk taker. He is that type of a centre-half.”

Murphy admits he wants to see the Dutchman more involved in Tottenham’s attacking play and floated the idea that Van de Ven could play at left-back, where he thinks he would make life tough for opposition wingers.

“I would like to see him go forward more.

“I know he has played left-back for his country on occasions as well, probably because the manager has seen that positive in it.

“Imagine trying to play against him as a winger when he is flying past you as a left-back.”

During Ange Postecoglou’s spell as boss, Van de Ven admitted he liked the attacking set-up preferred by the Australian.

Van de Ven had his partner, Cristian Romero, beside him in the Tottenham defence against Copenhagen.