Tottenham Hotspur are lucky to be heading back to north London with all three points as they edged to victory in a gruelling encounter with struggling West Brom.
Several of Jose Mourinho’s top stars simply weren’t on their game at the Hawthorns this afternoon, especially in the first half where the home side were largely on top, winning every battle and every second ball.
In fact, Spurs failed to register a single shot on target until the hour mark, which is rather telling.
The usually red-hot Heung-min Son was underwhelming, managing to win just 33% of his duels with only one shot on target, whilst Gareth Bale struggled to make much of an impact either, recording one accurate cross from four attempts.
However, it was Sergio Reguilon who let the Special One down the most with his display, though he could be forgiven as he came straight back in after missing their Europa League tie through illness.
The €50m-rated (£45m) wing-back was rather wasteful on the left flank, losing possession a whopping 19 times, more than any other Spurs player. He also won just four of his 18 duels (22%), delivered just one accurate cross from five attempts and committed three fouls, via SofaScore.
It’s no wonder that Callum Robinson and Darnell Furlong enjoyed the most success on that side of the pitch.
Reguilon also had 97 touches, so he should have been an influential part of this Spurs side throughout but that wasn’t the case as he also managed just one successful dribble from four attempts and was dribbled past on one occasion too.
It was all energy but without much substance. The former Real Madrid man also wasted two golden opportunities in the second half by having a pop from range, when some of his teammates were left wide open.
Dan Kilpatrick claimed Reguilon was “off the pace” during the first 45 minutes whilst Football.London’s Alasdair Gold suggested that the Spaniard “struggled.”
Mourinho should probably feel embarrassed by his star’s display in the Midlands as against a better side, he’ll get punished tenfold.
Imagine if that was Mohamed Salah or Hakim Ziyech instead, they’d have had a field day on what was an off afternoon for Reguilon.
An abysmal game but only one that happens very rarely for the summer arrival.
AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt tips £50k-p/w Kane alternative for Spurs captaincy…
This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.
Chelsea have fielded some world class players over the years, boasting frightening squads including the likes of Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres. However, no player comes close to perhaps the biggest club icon that is Frank Lampard.
He’s constantly included in the debate over who was the best English midfielder and most of the time, he wins. The Romford boy had it all. Lampard set records for both club and country, drove Chelsea to the heights of the most prestigious silverware and now holds the reins of his beloved club where he stands as manager.
This all came from what is viewed these days as buttons. The Blues secured perhaps the biggest bargain of their history when they signed Lampard back in 2001.
After spending all but one year of his junior and senior playing days with West Ham, the midfield maestro shook on a deal that would transform Chelsea Football Club. All for the minimal fee of £11million (via The Guardian).
Lampard spent 13 years with the West London side and made a total of 648 appearances across all competitions. His phenomenal 210 goals scored remains the club’s highest amount in its history, with only Bobby Tambling coming close with 202.
Now 42, the Stamford Bridge legend can look back on a glittering career, dripping in silverware. Lampard won four FA Cups, three Premier League titles, one Champions League title and was crowned Footballer of the Year in 2005 (via Transfermarkt). But he isn’t done with helping his side win trophies.
After his first season at the hilt of the club he once played for, he is now hoping he will be just as successful as the manager. Big and exciting things are certainly underway at Chelsea with this man in charge. Not only did £11m buy the Blues a world class player, but potentially a world class manager too.
Blues fans, what are your favourite memories of Frank Lampard as a Chelsea player? Let us know in the comments below!
Ben Chilwell has already made a huge impact on many Chelsea fans following his latest post on Instagram.
The 23-year-old has shown off his latest Chelsea experience by posing with Stamford Bridge legend Ashley Cole. He has captioned the post with a heartwarming message, saying: “Great afternoon spent chatting to this legend! Hopefully I can have a career like yours at this amazing club.”
/CEo-en_FJSi/
The former Leicester man became one of the club’s latest signings after Chelsea met the Foxes’ £50m asking price (via Sky Sports). Adding Chilwell to the roster could mean he will usurp veteran Marcos Alonso, who has been linked with an exit.
Frank Lampard hasn’t held back on the transfer market in this window and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon either. A move for Kai Havertz is all but wrapped up and the Blues are also still eyeing West Ham’s Declan Rice. A goalkeeper is another priority of Lampard’s as the manager has lost faith in the ability of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chilwell and the rest of the Chelsea team are preparing to take on Brighton in their first match of the 2020/21 Premier League season on Monday week as the Blues will be looking to build on their fourth-placed finish from last term.
Are you glad that Chelsea signed Ben Chilwell? Join the conversation in the comments below!
One of the brightest young talents in European football, it appears Tottenham have now set their sights on RB Salzburg starlet Dominik Szoboszlai.
The midfielder has been an ever-present for the Austrian side this season, making 37 appearances across all competitions. And despite playing across the midfield for Salzburg, he has been a consistently impressive performer, racking up ten goals and 16 assists.
Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…
Reports in recent days had suggested Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal are interested in securing his services this summer, but now, according to Italian journalist Alessandro Jacobone, the Lilywhites, along with Serie A giants, Milan, are in the race to sign him too.
After hearing about their links to the talented 19-year-old, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.
One Spurs supporter simply talked up his potential, with Szoboszlai himself previously revealing that people had compared his game to the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Toni Kroos.
A couple of fans urged the club to do everything in their power to sign Szoboszlai, and insisted that this is one player where money shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
It’s no surprise to see Spurs fans get so excited at the prospect of seeing Szoboszlai make the switch to north London this summer.
Still only 19, the Hungary international looks set for a bright future in the game, and if Spurs can beat off interest from the likes of Arsenal and Milan for his signature, then it would be a real statement of intent.
Chelsea have identified their main target for bolstering their defensive line ahead of next season.
Frank Lampard has named Jose Gimenez as his ideal defensive signing for the summer, according to Football Insider. Defence has been an area of concern for the Blues this campaign, which saw them leak 54 Premier League goals – the worst record of any other top ten side.
The report claims Atletico Madrid have a £110million release clause in place for Gimenez, but Chelsea are hoping to sign the Uruguay international for much less. A fee of £60m has been branded ideal for Chelsea, who will push for his signature once the La Liga side have finished their Champions League run.
According to The Times, Lampard is willing to cash in on four senior defenders this window in order to stock up on funds to kit out his squad. Marcos Alonso, Emerson, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen are all on the market and able to leave Stamford Bridge.
Roman Abramovich has allegedly granted Lampard a £120m budget to splash out on new recruits, on top of the money already spent on Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
Gimenez has been limited to just 26 appearances across all competitions this season, missing a total of 19 games due to numerous injury problems (via Transfermarkt). However, this hasn’t put the West London side off, who are eager to see this 25-year-old join their youthful team as they push for silverware next term.
Would you like to see Chelsea sign Jose Gimenez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
When the news broke this week that Carlo Ancelotti had been sacked by Napoli, despite guiding them to the Champions League knockout stages the very same evening, it took less than a nanosecond before numerous sites and social media were linking the veteran Italian coach with the vacancies at Arsenal and Everton.
This was a wholly expected development, of course, given Ancelotti’s track record that has seen him compile a managerial C.V. that only the very elite can equal. In nearly a quarter of a century in the dug-out he has won league titles across four different countries, a feat that is unique and deserving of significant acclaim. He is one of only three managers to win the Champions League a trio of times. He is a perpetual collector of high achievements and even in his final game the 60-year-old added another to the list with Napoli’s progress meaning he is only the second coach to steer six different sides through the Champions League group stages.
Add a cabinet stuffed with other honours into the mix along with a compendium of well-organised, marvellous football teams – not to mention his fluency in English and proven Premier League credentials – and its little wonder that the Gunners and Toffees are reportedly keen to secure his prestigious services. Indeed, they would be crazy to at least not place him under serious consideration.
That, however, is not to say that he is the ideal man for either club. Perhaps he is not even the right man and at Everton in particular that is absolutely the case.
It is always something of a disservice to typecast any manager’s careers into neat tropes and that is especially true of the cosmopolitan and erudite Ancelotti. Even so, when seeking consistent traits that run throughout his long time as a coach two come strongly to the fore, as relevant in Milan as they are in Madrid; from Parma to Paris.
Firstly, the former midfielder manages as he used to play – with a minimum of fuss and pragmatism always trumping unnecessary dramatics. This lends itself to a calm working environment in which his players thrive and more so has led to Ancelotti often being credited – correctly – as one of the best man-managers around. His is a friendly approach and in motivational terms that usually means all carrot and very little stick. We will return to this shortly.
The second constant in Ancelotti’s distinguished employment is that typically he has inherited fantastic sides a touch under the weather. Early into his vocation he took on the reins at Parma, the club where it all began for him as a player in the mid-seventies and here – twenty years later – the Emilians were enjoying a golden era that had them challenging for the Scudetto on an annual basis. It was a high point still fondly recalled in Romagna, a time of Buffon and Cannavaro, Zola and Chiesa. Ancelotti took charge of a sumptuously talented side that had finished a disappointing fifth the previous campaign and in his first season guided them to second.
Juventus came next, with Zidane, Davids and all and then the gloriously gilded Milan set-up of the 2000s where the names roll easily off the tongue. Maldini. Nesta. Pirlo. Kaka. Shevchenko.
Football – AC Milan v Olympique Lyonnais – UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg – San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy – 4/4/06 AC Milan’s Paolo Maldini and manager Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the game Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Michael Regan Livepic
At Chelsea the savviest of operators inherited a successful squad jaded by Jose Mourinho’s demands and put his arm around each of them before repeating the trick at Real Madrid. In between these largely triumphant stints there were two years at PSG where he was heavily bankrolled to the tune of bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Motta and Thiago Silva to an average league in his first full window.
Later there was a season at Bayern Munich – succeeding Pep Guardiola – and latterly came Napoli and a pattern emerges from all of this which is undeniable.https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x7n0hnm
For while not wishing to diminish the undoubted nous of Carlo Ancelotti – one such example is that it was he who first reimagined Andreas Pirlo as a deep-lying creator – by and large he is a top-end restorer, not a rebuilder. He takes on great teams and makes them great again.
Everton are currently a very long way from being deemed great. Conversely they are a squad in dire need of remodelling and this despite some copious spending in recent years. They are ill-balanced and sorely lacking in genuine quality, as their present league standing starkly illustrates.
If that places doubt on Ancelotti’s suitability we return to his practice of getting the players on-side and content.
Within the fierce confines of Goodison Park it is not a softly-softly approach that is required, as was proven so bombastically last week as Duncan Ferguson roared passionately from the touchlines, demanding unremitting commitment from his players as they out-played Chelsea in a highly entertaining 3-1 win.
An arm around the shoulder doesn’t cut it at Goodison whereas a kick up the backside does and though Evertonains might take umbrage with the following assessment, they have typically shone brightest under sergeant major types such as David Moyes. Ancelotti, though, doesn’t do intensity.
Furthermore, as difficult as it may be for the club’s hierarchy to admit, they are currently a full pay-grade below what Ancelotti does so well. He is a man for the finishing touches.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are facing a £20m financial hit even if the Premier League is completed by the end of the summer.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has described the coronavirus pandemic as the greatest challenge he has faced during his 19-year spell in north London. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has previously warned that clubs could face a combined £1billion bill if the season finishes incomplete.
Football Insider has revealed that the Lilywhites would lose roughly £20m in broadcasting rebates should the campaign end prematurely. The Premier League’s broadcasting contracts stipulate that the season should be wrapped up by 16 July.
Therefore, clubs will have to pay a whopping £330m even if the campaign is completed in July. Understandably, the sides who finish at the top half of the table will have to repay a bigger sum, as broadcast fees are decided on league position and TV appearances.
Analysis suggests that Spurs will owe around £20m if they finish in the top six at least. Tottenham recently surpassed Chelsea as London’s richest club, as they generated the highest revenue in the 2018/19 season.
Jose Mourinho’s side are currently eighth in the table, seven points off fourth-placed Chelsea, with nine games remaining. However, the Lilywhites are missing out on matchday revenues, just like their counterparts, as fixtures will be played behind closed doors when football resumes later this month.
It is likely that this latest news will be a bitter pill to swallow for Levy, as he has developed a reputation for penny-pinching over the years but could see his profits slashed due to the unprecedented circumstances.
Moreover, the report will be a major blow for Mourinho, who already faces the prospect of having to balance a squad overhaul with a severely restricted budget in the summer.
Tottenham fans, what do you think of the latest financial hit? Let us know in the comments below!
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Manuel Pellegrini has spoken out to reiterate the confidence he has in his managerial abilities, as reported by West Ham United’s official website.
What’s the word?
The Hammers have been struggling in recent times, having failed to win a single one of their last eight games in all competitions – they have also taken just one point from their last six Premier League games.
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This has seen him come under plenty of pressure, with The Daily Mail reporting that he now only has two games against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers to save his job.
However, the manager has remained intent that he can turn things around, while implementing the style of football that he believes in, as he was quoted as saying: “When you are in a bad moment, you must have good self-criticism. That is the first thing you must do, but you cannot have doubt of all you are doing. Maybe there are a lot of reasons why we are not getting the results.
“Before these six games, we worked exactly the same way we have these six games. Exactly the same. The same players, the same way of working, the same technical skills, the same physical work. We changed nothing.
“More than ever, more than ever [you have to] trust the way you work. Because you have a career behind you and you’re not just starting a career, continue to believe in what you know or which is the way you must find the solution.
“For me, it’s clear. We need a good performance, not to change it all.”
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Showing some fight
Considering the position that Pellegrini currently finds himself in regarding his job security, it is good to see that he is still backing the abilities of his management and the players.
He has shown in the past that he is unwilling to sacrifice his footballing philosophy, as he has previously been quoted in The Express as saying: “I don’t like coaches who are only interested in results. The concepts of spectacle and creativity are fundamental to me.”
It can be said that his reluctance to change his thinking has played a large part in the Chilean getting into the position he’s in, with an example being that he has so far kept Roberto in goal, despite the numerous errors he has made while filling in for Lukasz Fabianski.
However, it is admirable that he is sticking with his philosophies and ideas about the game as he looks to keep hold of his job.
In other news, a pundit has suggested a change that Pellegrini should make to the team.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Real Madrid have taken a serious interest in Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and are even willing to sacrifice their own player, James Rodriguez, in order to land the speedy Gabon man, according to El Desmarque.
What’s the word, then?
Aubameyang is slowly but surely approaching the end of his contract which is due to run out in the summer of 2021.
Of course, with him being the only shining light of the Gunners’ squad in the ongoing campaign – having already netted 12 goals in 17 games played across all competitions – losing him could prove to be disastrous for the London team.
But Real Madrid would even be willing to send Rodriguez in the other direction along with a sum of £70m as well.
Needless to say, seeing how the 28-year-old is still valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, this deal could suddenly become tempting for the Gunners but a bit too costly for Los Blancos.
Auba not needed
There’s a case to be made for Rodriguez’s potential departure.
After all, we’re talking here about a player who has only managed to tally 422 minutes under his belt throughout the ongoing 2019/20 campaign for Real Madrid and with the competition always being fierce at the Spanish capital, he might have a bad time trying to impose himself on Zinedine Zidane.
From that point of view, looking for an exit and a chance to prove his worth elsewhere could be a good idea. But why get rid of him when there’s so much the 28-year-old can still offer, especially when the man going the other way would not even make the squad and is already 30 years old?
Aubameyang’s goal-scoring record is impressive, that much we’ve already seen, but with both Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic in the team, the Galacticos have no need for Arsenal’s hitman.
Rodriguez tallied one goal and one assist at the very beginning of the campaign when he was getting regular football and has even quickly turned into a fan-favourite at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This season he averaged 1.3 shots and two key passes per game while his 22 goals for the national team prove he’s lethal and prolific when actually given a chance to shine.
For the player, there might be a case to be argued in favour of leaving Real Madrid but for the club, not so much.
Especially considering they would be losing a big talent, a lot of money and would get someone they don’t need in return.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
The Athletic’s Sam Lee believes 19-year-old Phil Foden will start against Liverpool this weekend.
What did he say?
Manchester City will travel to Anfield this Sunday in a massive clash in the title race. A win for the Reds puts them nine points clear in the table and Pep Guardiola will need all hands on deck for this one.
However, with injuries across the pitch, including David Silva and Rodri, it is unclear who will start for the Champions. Although, Lee believes now could be the time for Foden to step up.
The City correspondent wrote in his Q&A for The Athletic: “I’ve changed my mind and think Foden will start and Bernardo will play on the right. Obviously this is no more reliable than my first answer, but at least it keeps you updated!”
Too early for him
The battle at Anfield has turned into a must-win for Guardiola, considering the current gap. Also, with the Reds unbeaten as it is and looking unlikely to drop points, the Spaniard can’t fall much further behind.
As Liverpool have been so tough to beat at Anfield, the City boss will need his most experienced players on Merseyside. Foden has not yet started in the Premier League this season and has had to settle for four substitute appearances instead.
The academy graduate does, however, boast great form from when he has played. In his two Champions League outings, Foden has registered one goal and provided an assist.
However, with Bernardo Silva capable of playing in the centre, it makes sense for him to step into midfield. Plus, this could make way for Riyad Mahrez on the right side, who has been in great form this season.
Mahrez has proven down the years to be a game-winner and boasts two goals and three assists in eight league matches thus far.