Tottenham Hotspur released a club statement on Monday regarding the latest developments surrounding the build of their new stadium, and Spurs fans on Twitter were generally not happy with the news.
Chairman Daniel Levy confirmed in the statement that the Premier League clash with Manchester City had been moved to Monday 29 October, the day after it was originally meant to be played, so that it could be held at Wembley Stadium rather than the new ground which may still not be ready.
Thanks to UEFA rules that state clubs must only play at one home ground, all three of the Lilywhites’ Champions League group stage matches against Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan will all be held at Wembley.
Spurs fans on Twitter were disappointed with the further delays and some could no longer attend the game, although others did acknowledge that the club had reduced prices for the game against City and had finally begun to open up to supporters.
[ad_pod ]Mesut Ozil’s current situation at Arsenal ought to be a real concern for all those involved with the club. How Unai Emery handles the treatment of the German playmaker will be one of the main early tests of his reign at the Emirates Stadium.Ozil returned to the North London club at the start of this season off of the back of a torrid summer. The 29-year-old was part of the German national team squad that crashed out of the World Cup in the group stages.It was a disaster for the national side, and despite creating a number of chances that his teammates repeatedly spurned, Ozil himself was singled out for criticism by much of the media.ÂNot long after the curtain had fallen upon the tournament in Russia, Ozil took to Instagram to announce his retirement from international football. His message cited racial discrimination he had suffered at the hands of the German Football Association, and in particular from its president, Reinhard Grindel.The backlash to this announcement has ranged from heartfelt support to further criticism of the Arsenal man from those who refute his claims.ÂEven in these early stages of the new campaign, it is clear that Ozil is still out of sorts. Against Chelsea, the German put in an utterly anonymous performance before being hauled off with more than 20 minutes still to play. In over an hour of football at Stamford Bridge, the Gunners’ No. 10 managed a mere 29 touches and didn’t play a single key pass.For the following fixture, at home against West Ham United, Ozil was ruled out with illness. However, ESPN journalist Joao Castelo-Branco reported that the German’s exclusion was in fact due to a bust up with Emery when he heard he was to be amongst the substitutes and subsequently refused to attend the game at all.
Emery has categorically denied these rumours, but it certainly seems as though things aren’t all quite right with Ozil at this time.
Since taking up the hot seat in North London, the Spanish coach has had to field plenty of questions about the wellbeing of the creative midfielder. In the aftermath of Ozil’s retirement from international football, Emery said that he wanted Ozil to feel at “home here with us – like a family†and that the club were “going to help him feel goodâ€, as reported by the BBC.
Although Emery’s English is still very much a work in progress, he will have known that those were particularly emotive words to use when talking about his player’s condition. Emery’s words suggested that Ozil was, understandably, struggling in some way. He likely still is, which may well be affecting his form on the pitch.
If Ozil has returned from illness in time to face Cardiff City this weekend then it will be fascinating to see if he is included from the off. If he is, it would be a big indication that Emery is prepared to invest his faith in the German, and that kind of vote of confidence could be exactly what Ozil needs following the intense criticism he has faced in recent months.
However, beyond issues of form, confidence and fitness, the question remains as to whether or not Ozil actually even suits the style of play Emery is currently attempting to implement at the Emirates.Â
The manager has made no secret of his desire to build an Arsenal team that presses hard and high up the pitch, and works together as a cohesive defensive unit. In Emery’s teams, everyone is expected to fully understand and commit to their defensive duties.
Ozil’s attributes, for all of his undeniable technical excellence, may not be conducive to this style of football. The former Real Madrid man must prove that he can function effectively within Emery’s tactical set up. The boss is extremely unlikely to be willing to compromise upon his principles in order to accommodate the midfielder.
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Should it prove that Ozil doesn’t fit into Emery’s system, the consequences for the club could be disastrous. The ink is barely dry on Ozil’s current contract with the club, which is worth £350,000-a-week, according to The Telegraph. The deal runs until 2021. The idea of the German being surplus to requirements at this stage is not one the club will wish to countenance.
Arsenal’s options for offloading Ozil appear thin on the ground. Of all the clubs in world football who could afford his transfer fee and wage package, almost every single one already has a star player in his position. What’s more, Ozil is currently out of form and not exactly living up to his wages, so it would make no sense for another club to take such a risk on a player approaching 30.
This state of affairs leaves Arsenal, and Emery, with no real choice other than to make Ozil work well within this team. This process of integration may require faith and patience, but if Ozil can come good for Arsenal then he remains a player capable of leading them to silverware.Â
Whilst he shouldn’t be pandered to, the team set up can be designed so as to get the best out of Ozil. Playing him in his preferred central position and surrounding him with mobile players he can combine with is a must.Â
Without doubt, Emery faces a challenge to get the best out of Ozil this season, and failure is simply not an option.Â
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Mousa Dembele’s disappointing performance in the 2-1 defeat to Watford in Tottenham Hotspur’s previous Premier League match suggested that his time as a regular starter for the north London outfit is coming to an end, with the search for his long-term replacement surely already underway.
Known for his quality on the ball, strength and his ability to dribble and get himself out of tight situations, he will leave a huge void in the middle of the park for Spurs, who face leaders Liverpool at Wembley on Saturday, when he eventually does leave.
While he was heavily criticised by his own supporters on Twitter following a below-par display against the Hornets earlier this month, he will still undoubtedly go down as a club legend – at least in the modern era.
Mauricio Pochettino may well already be thinking about possible players that could come in and strengthen his side’s midfield, and perhaps he should be taking a closer look at one of Dembele’s Belgium teammates in Youri Tielemans, who currently plies his trade for Monaco in Ligue 1.
The 5ft 9in tall ace started alongside Axel Witsel in the middle of the park for Roberto Martinez’s men as they beat Iceland 3-0 in their latest UEFA Nations’ League fixture, and he made a big impact.
The 21-year-old, who earned a move to France following an outstanding 2016/17 campaign for Anderlecht in which he scored 18 goals and provided a further 15 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions, showed his quality in his nation’s latest success.
A passing accuracy of 86% shows the quality he has on the ball, while the fact that he made two key passes and produced six accurate long balls proves he would make a difference in the final third for Tottenham.
Meanwhile, he didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either – as Dembele mustn’t do under Pochettino – making four tackles and producing two clearances, as per WhoScored.
The fact that Tielemans plays for Monaco means that he shouldn’t cost an extortionate fee, and he looks to have all of the ingredients to be the club’s ideal Dembele successor.
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Manchester United travel to the Swiss capital on Wednesday evening for their opening Champions League match against BSC Young Boys, but José Mourinho’s men will hoping for a better result than the last time they played a match in Switzerland.
What happened?
In November last year United had a Champions League encounter against Basel and after beating the 2017 Swiss League champions 3-0 at Old Trafford, the Red Devils would’ve fancied their chances of picking up points to go through the group stage with a perfect record.
But Mourinho’s side only had themselves to blame when the 90 minutes was over, losing 1-0 thanks to a second half goal by Basel defender Michael Lang. Despite having close to 70% of the possession throughout the match, United failed to get the ball in the back of the net as poor finishing let the side down in what could and should have been a comfortable win.
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Paul Pogba captained the side that night and United were quick out of the blocks with centre-forward Romelu Lukaku and wingers Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard applying loads of pressure on the Basel defenders.
Midfielder Marouane Fellaini squandered three golden opportunities before half time with accuracy letting him down and one headed chance deflecting off the post. Marcos Rojo also had a powerful long range effort bounce back off the bar.
In the second half, however, Basel started to up the ante and got their rhythm going with some slick interplay, piling the pressure back on United. Basel would eventually sneak a winner in the 89th minute when Lang slipped in behind United defender Daily Blind to tap home a pass from Raoul Petretta.
Current form
On Wednesday, Mourinho and his side will have a good opportunity to make up for last year’s result and start their Champions League campaign on a positive note. United are coming off the back of two good Premier League victories at Burnley and Watford after suffering defeats to Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur earlier on in the season.
Young Boys, on the other hand, head into the match as the current Swiss champions after winning the league in April with four games to spare. Just like Basel last year, Young Boys could be a threat if Mourinho gets his tactics wrong.
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After back to back trebles, Celtic’s start to the season hasn’t been the best as the league champions sit sixth in the table and are currently coming off a run of form that saw the Glasgow side lose 2-1 Kilmarnock and draw with St Mirren in the league.
The Scottish champions are enduring their worst start to a league season in 20 years and look like they could be seriously challenged for the title this season. Brendan Rodgers recently admitted that the fans should be worried by the team’s poor start to the season following their loss to Kilmarnock.
To add even more woe to the club’s plight, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has claimed that Celtic have a divided dressing-room and that players like Olivier Ntcham and Dedryck Boyata don’t really care about the club after their respective transfers fell through.
The Breakdown
Olivier Ntcham had attracted interest from Porto over the summer, while Boyata was incredibly close to a move to Fulham and recently had an argument with Rodgers over his ability to play in the club’s Champions League qualifying loss to AEK Athens.
Both players have still featured heavily for the club so far this season and if both aren’t fully committed to playing for the side, it’s not going to make it any easier for Rodgers. With Hearts starting the season so well and Rangers seemingly rejuvenated under Gerrard, it looks like it’s going to be a tough season for the Glasgow club.
Liverpool’s unbeaten record in the Premier League was extended against Chelsea thanks to a late goal from Daniel Sturridge.
The Reds had plenty of opportunities to be out of sight against the Blues but were unable to find a way through Kepa Arrizabalaga. Chelsea were quick to seize on an error by Trent Alexander-Arnold with Eden Hazard racing clear to beat Alisson Becker. Jurgen Klopp’s side were seemingly heading for their first Premier League defeat of the season before Sturridge curled home a sensational effort in from range against his former team.
Liverpool fans will be pleased to take a point from Stamford Bridge, but many were concerned over the performance of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian was particularly wasteful against his former club, missing chances he was scoring for fun last season. Salah had more shots than any player on the pitch but was unable to find the back of the net and was eventually hooked for Xherdan Shaqiri just after the hour mark.
After a record-breaking first season at Anfield, his second campaign in the Premier League was going to be under a magnifying glass. Despite suggestions that Salah is nowhere near his best, only nine players have more goals than the former Roma winger in the league so far. Salah has also had more clear-cut chances than anyone in the league and more shots on target than anyone in the division – it won’t be long until he starts finding the back of the net consistently.
Salah’s current situation is very similar to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debut campaign at Manchester United. The Swede was missing a host of chances but still found himself in dangerous areas throughout his drought. Eventually, the goals started to flow – if you are making opportunities, you will eventually start scoring.
The cream always rises to the top as the big Swede proved and, considering the amount of chances Liverpool can create, Salah isn’t likely to be struggling for long.
Liverpool definitely do not need to worry about their star forward who will undoubtedly find his top gear soon.
Tottenham Hotspur completed a surprise £30m deal to sign Moussa Sissoko from Newcastle United on the final day of the 2016 summer transfer window, but he has struggled to make much of an impact for the north London outfit since.
The France international has become something of a laughing stock among his own fans on Twitter when he has got on the pitch, while he took 44 matches to score his first goal for the club during a 4-0 win against Huddersfield Town last September.
The 29-year-old, who still has more than two-and-a-half years remaining on his Spurs contract, has never been a regular in the starting XI, and that appears unlikely to change with out-of-form players like Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele still being picked ahead of him.
The Frenchman was handed a rare start in the Carabao Cup tie against Watford at Milton Keynes Dons’ stadium on Wednesday night, and while he didn’t do too much wrong there is no doubt that Mauricio Pochettino’s men looked a lot better after he had been taken off in the 64th minute.
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Reports have suggested previously that Tottenham are keen to recoup the money they paid for Sissoko should they sell him, but in our view that is completely unrealistic and, in truth, he is probably worth less than half of that now.
So, Spurs fans, do you agree? Let us know how much you think Sissoko is worth by voting on our poll below…
Leeds United are set to open renewal talks with Kemar Roofe in order to fend off growing interest in his services, Football Insider reports.
What’s the word?
Marcelo Bielsa has improved Leeds significantly and the Peacocks have established themselves amongst the early-season favourites for promotion, although this naturally means that interest in their best players is rising.
Amongst those turning heads is forward Kemar Roofe, who scored four goals and contributed two assists in Leeds’ opening six Championship matches before being sidelined with an injury – missing the last four matches as a result.
Interest in the 25-year-old is rising and Leeds are keen to secure his future as he edges into the final 18 months of his current deal, according to Football Insider, as the club prepare to sit down with the forward to discuss a new contract.
A necessary boost?
It does not take a genius to identify that Leeds have struggled in Roofe’s absence, as the Peacocks have won just one of their four matches without the striker in their side, subsequently opening the door for early title rivals West Brom and Middlesbrough.
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Roofe is currently edging towards a return from his injury absence, which could come after October’s international break, and a new contract could provide a new lease of life into a forward who is looking to maintain his stellar start to the season.
Having scored 11 goals last season, Roofe is already well on his way to surpassing that tally and a new deal is well deserved for a player signed from Oxford United in 2016.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Oliver Skipp has been named Premier League 2 Player of the Month following a fine showing of performances in September. Mauricio Pochettino had him on the bench for last weekend’s game against Cardiff City at Wembley due to injuries, but the newly turned 18-year-old has also performed with such maturity that warrants first-team opportunities in the near future. Spurs fans have had their say on the academy prospect and they are full of praise for their youngster.
With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the reaction.
A pair of fans even felt that a start in Spurs’ next fixture after the international break against West Ham United is the best option.
One fan even made the bold statement that Skipp is better than two of Spurs’ first-team midfielders at this moment in time.
West Ham United are planning to reignite their pursuit of Porto winger Yacine Brahimi when the transfer window reopens in January, according to O Jogo.
What’s the word?
In the summer it was widely reported that the East London outfit wanted to bring in Brahimi.
The 28-year-old, who has scored 44 goals and created 35 assists in 177 matches for Porto, was believed to be closing in on a switch to the London Stadium.
However, the deal broke down due to wage demands from Brahimi’s camp.
Now, O Jogo claims that the Hammers will reopen discussions with the winger regarding a free transfer when his deal expires at the end of the season.
Is this a good idea?
There is no doubting Brahimi’s talent and the quality he could bring to West Ham’s team, but it does put Felipe Anderson’s position under threat.
The Brazilian signed from Lazio in the summer and in nine outings in all competitions, the 25-year-old has scored once and registered two assists.
Anderson has been playing on the left wing under Manuel Pellegrini, but Brahimi is positioned in the same spot.
West Ham’s summer signing is versatile, though, in that he can switch to the right if needs be.
If Brahimi does join, it could have a negative effect on Anderson, potentially knocking his confidence.
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