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Manchester City endured another nightmare trip the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as a host of missed chances led to the Citizens suffering a 2-0 defeat against Jose Mourinho’s side.

The game was almost a carbon copy of last season’s result, which also saw Pep Guardiola’s side dominate proceedings for a lot of game, only to be undone by a clinical Lilywhites side playing with a real Mourinho identity.

An early goal from Heung-Min Son was added to by Giovani Lo Celso in the second-half to confine the Citizens to another defeat in North London, meaning that City would be in 10th position in the Premier League following the game.

One man who struggled throughout the game against Spurs was Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez. The former Leicester City man was restored to Guardiola’s starting XI but after a disappointing display, it would perhaps be a surprise to see him start in their next game against Olympiakos in the Champions League.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old managed to lose possession on 18 occasions, which was the second-most of any Citizens player in the game, only behind Kevin De Bruyne.

The winger was wasteful when given the ball in wide positions, as only two of his seven crosses found their mark, whilst he was unsuccessful on the three occasions he tried to dribble past an opponent.

It was also a poor display from the Algerian from a defensive point of view, as of the eight ground duels he was involved in, he was able to win just one (12.5%), suggesting that the Spurs players simply wanted it more than he did.

Therefore, it was no surprise that he was replaced after 72 minutes with City chasing the game and unfortunately for Mahrez, the performance was not particularly out-of-character when considering his displays so far this season, as he has contributed just one goal and one assist in 11 appearances in all competitions (per WhoScored).

The £120,000-a-week winger will have to show a lot more in his next performance if he wants to keep his place in Guardiola’s starting team.

Pep Guardiola has done an excellent job building an incredible Manchester City side for the last couple of years. And of course, the Citizens would also reap the rewards when they claimed the Premier League title two times in a row but now, once again, the Catalan coach will need to spice things up a bit.

And as ever, it’s the defensive line that will need some tweaking as Guardiola is looking to add to his team’s solidity. One of the names that have been continuously linked with Man City is none other than Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. Of course, the big defender is largely regarded as one of the best in the world and as such, it will be quite difficult to get him in the first place.

But according to the Manchester Evening News, City will need a big favour from their eternal rivals, Manchester United, if they are to get this deal over the line. Actually, it won’t be as much about what the Red Devils can do for them but rather about them not doing anything at all.

If we go back a couple of years, we’ll remember that it were United who snatched Harry Maguire in front of City and now, they are once again linked with Koulibaly as well.

MEN state an approach from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unlikely but as long as they are mentioned as interested or don’t categorically rule it out by signing someone else, Napoli will have all the negotiating power to slam a huge asking price for their defender.

So this time, Man City need United to stay out of the race. If history has taught us anything, however, it’s that the Red Devils have a knack of buying the Citizens’ targets.

Verdict

Needless to say, this is an enormous favour to ask, especially considering we’re talking about city rivals here. But Man City need defensive reinforcements and it will be interesting to see how they approach this situation.

Knowing how rivalries work, it wouldn’t be surprising to see United do everything they can to make Pep’s life that much more miserable in the transfer window.

Rangers remain interested in a key transfer target as the future of Ryan Kent continues to cause uncertainty at Ibrox Stadium…

What’s the word?

According to Herald and Times Sport, Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy is keen on a move to the Gers but Steve Bruce wants him to stay in Tyneside to fight for his place.

The 25-year-old has been on Steven Gerrard’s radar for quite some time and the prospects of clinching him on loan haven’t completely been destroyed yet, it’s something that could happen in January depending on his playing time.

Meanwhile, Kent has been linked with a switch the Premier League newcomers Leeds United over the course of the summer and with the window still open for another three weeks, that could yet rumble on.

Not fit to lace Kent’s boots

Irrespective of whether Kent goes or stays, a move for Murphy isn’t particularly exciting and it could raise doubts over the abilities of sporting director Ross Wilson.

He told Rangers TV that the club “are still in the market and are still looking to enhance the squad. But we’ll only do so if we think it’s the right player.”

Yet, there’s little to suggest that the Magpies outcast would be a hit in Scotland having failed to break into the Premier League outfit after three years at the club.

Last season’s spell at Sheffield Wednesday was the eighth loan move of his career. He provided nine goals and four assists whilst averaging 1.7 shots, 1.7 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Owls goalkeeper Cameron Dawson lauded Murphy earlier this year, he said: “I thought he was terrific at Brighton and great against Leeds. He scores goals like that in training every day. He has an absolute hammer foot and I am delighted he showed everybody against Leeds how hard he can strike the ball because normally it is my fingers that take a pounding!”

Kent has already contributed to six goals in seven matches this term, adding to his eight goals and four assists last term, so he’s clearly going to be Gerrard’s top choice.

Even if it’s a loan move, you’d imagine the Glasgow giants would take up a substantial size of his reported £40k-per-week wages – that’s double what the former Liverpool man is on.

It’s also thought that he could be available for just £3m in a permanent move too, but Wilson really should look elsewhere instead of even considering this deal.

AND in other news, Rangers fans hail one man after Dundee United win…

Key information about St. Mary’s Stadium

St. Mary’s Stadium was built in 2001 and it now houses the Premier League side Southampton FC. The ground is located in the heart of the city of Southampton and has replaced the club’s iconic ‘The Dell’ stadium.

Its current capacity stands at 32,384 with a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with natural grass, has undersoil heating installed and is not surrounded by a running track.

The record attendance at St. Mary’s Stadium was set 28 April 2012 when Southampton hosted Coventry City in front of 32,363 fans.

A history of St. Mary’s Stadium

For the vast majority of long-lasting Southampton fans, The Dell will always be synonymous with the Saints. However, even though they have been playing their football there for ages, the early ideas of a relocation were conceived in the 1980s when the club’s ambition began to outgrow their stadium.

The Dell’s location was quite cramped, which meant there was no efficient way to expand it and following the Taylor Report which converted it into an all-seater in 1993, the capacity dipped and the idea to vacate the ground springed up again.

Despite all the far from ideal circumstances, Southampton pushed on until they finally decided to move. However, there was another problem on the horizon and after a lengthy and unsuccessful attempt to construct and move into a new 25,000-seater stadium and leisure complex at Stoneham, the Saints were offered the chance to build a new stadium on the disused gas work site in the centre of the city, a bit less than two miles from old ground.

Construction started in December 1999 and St. Mary’s Stadium was finished by July 2001. The total cost was around £32m but it was worth it since Southampton finally had the stadium they wanted and more importantly, the stadium they needed. The club moved in in August and haven’t looked back ever since.

The first game to be played at the new ground was a clash against RCD Espanyol on 1 August 2001 and unfortunately for the hosts, the Spanish side would end up winning 4–3 on the night.

Interestingly, at first, the stadium was officially named ‘The Friends Provident St. Mary’s Stadium‘ but following fan pressure, the club opted against naming it purely after the sponsors and in 2006, the new sponsors, Flybe.com, decided against buying the naming rights, meaning the name reverted back to St. Mary’s Stadium.

The current highest attendance was actually set for the Football League Championship clash between Southampton and Coventry City on 28 April 2012 with 32,363 fans flocking in to watch the game. On the other hand, the lowest league record was Southampton’s bout against Sheffield United, which could only attract the crowd of 13,257 people.

Tickets to watch Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium

All tickets to watch Southampton play at St. Mary’s Stadium can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The price will vary depending on the age group and the location you choose to be seated in. The cheapest adult ticket costs £40.

The Saints also have season tickets and memberships on offer that can get you discounts throughout the season.

Related links

https://www.southamptonfc.com/ – Official website of Southampton FC

https://www.southamptonfc.com/season-tickets – Southampton FC Ticket Office

Tottenham Hotspur face stiff competition from Arsenal to sign French midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille, according to reports from France. 

French publication Le10 Sport claims, as cited by football.london, that Arsenal have entered the race for the 10-cap former France international.

Recent reports suggested Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Sanson in the summer, as his agent Pini Zahavi was instrumental in bringing Jose Mourinho to Chelsea (talkSPORT).

Zahavi has been given the job of “opening doors” to bigger clubs like the Lilywhites, while the centre-midfielder has attracted attention from several Premier League sides, including West Ham and Newcastle United.

Le Parisien revealed earlier this year that Spurs were considering signing the former Montpellier man as a replacement for the club’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele.

Ndombele shares a fractured relationship with Jose Mourinho which has been well-documented in recent weeks and questions remain over his future in north London.

However, given the imminent arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton, and it is unclear if they will make a move for the Frenchman in the summer.

Sanson, 25,  scored 25 goals and supplied 4 assists in Ligue 1 last season, taking 1.4 shots per game, averaging 1.1 key passes, and successfully completing 1.5 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

The £20m-valued ace is reportedly eyeing a move to the Premier League, although he has already rejected interest from Crystal Palace and Wolves, as he wants to play Champions League football in the future.

Transfer speculation surrounding Sanson has circulated for several months, but a move has failed to materialise so far. While Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas is willing to let him leave, a move to Spurs seems unlikely at the moment, as they have focused all their efforts on signing Hojbjerg instead.

Tottenham fans, do you think the board should sign Morgan Sanson in the summer? Join the discussion in the comments section!

Roberto Firmino’s wait for a first goal at Anfield this season will continue beyond Christmas after the Brazilian drew another blank today.

All four of his goals this season have come in away fixtures and the Liverpool forward endured a frustrating afternoon in his team’s 2-0 victory over Watford.

Although he managed two shots on target against the Hornets, Firmino was frequently guilty of being sloppy in possession with a moderate passing success rate of 73%, with just 25 of his 34 passes finding a team-mate, while only two of his five dribbles were successful. [via Sofascore]

Having begun the season with three goals in his first six Premier League games, the 27-year-old has now managed just one in his last 11 league appearances, and one in his last 16 matches in all competitions. [via TransferMarkt]

Firmino was substituted in the closing stages of the Reds’ win over Watford, coming off in the 88th minute for Divock Origi (as per Sky Sports).

However, these Liverpool fans on Twitter were calling for the Brazilian to have been substituted much earlier:

Do you think Firmino should have been brought off earlier against Watford? Has his form been poor lately? Share your views in the comments section below!

Tottenham target Ryan Fraser has rejected an offer from Bournemouth and is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the month. 

According to Sky Sports, while his teammates Simon Francis, Andrew Surman, Artur Boruc and Charlie Daniels have all signed short-term deals, Fraser has turned down an extension.

Earlier this year, Football Insider revealed that Spurs are prepared to offer him a lucrative contract, as Jose Mourinho has made it clear he is at the top of his shortlist.

Last month, the Daily Star claimed that the Lilywhites are leading the race to sign the Cherries winger, and this could be good news for Mourinho.

Although Fraser has failed to hit the same heights he enjoyed in the 2018/19 campaign, it is worth remembering that he scored seven goals and created 14 assists in the Premier League last season, a figure which was bettered only by former Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard for the latter metric.

Moreover, he could be a very reliable player, as he last picked up an injury all the way back in 2015.

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Meanwhile, Son Heung-min is the club’s second-highest goalscorer this season, only one goal behind Harry Kane, while he has provided more assists than the striker at the time of writing.

In comparison, Steven Bergwijn gave fans a brief glimpse of what he has to offer before he was forced to miss the Lilywhites’ last game against RB Leizpig after sustaining an ankle injury. The 22-year-old has scored two goals in five league games, including netting in front of the home crowd against reigning champions Manchester City (Transfermarkt).

Mourinho has been plagued by constant setbacks this season. Son and Bergwijn have finally returned from spells on the sidelines, which will no doubt give the team a huge boost as Spurs had slumped to several poor results in their absence. However, to add further insult to injury, youngsters Japhet Tanganga and Troy Parrott have been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

While Fraser has struggled to replicate his sensational form, he could provide solid cover for the wide options, and signing the speedster makes perfect sense, as he will soon be available for free. Son has been an integral part of the squad for many years, and the Scotsman could share the workload with Bergwijn to reduce the risk of injury.

Moreover, it doesn’t matter if he fails to live up to expectations, as Daniel Levy will have gained a valuable asset for no extra cost if the transfer goes through.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Ryan Fraser in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Leeds United have been linked with a  £7.5m move for Matej Vydra (The Mirror, 22/11, page 74).

The Whites have struggled in front of goal this season, as their xG tally shows, so signing a former Championship golden boot winner ought to ease a number of those problems.

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However, signing the Czech may add another problem to the squad that Marcelo Bielsa would have to deal with.

As the above infographic shows, Vydra’s last season in the Championship was exceptional as not only did he score more goals than anyone else, but he also made the most of his chances as he only had 75 shots throughout the campaign.

However, Vydra’s best position is quite clearly not as a lone forward as he started the majority of his games at Derby as a second striker just behind whoever was playing centre-forward. In fact, he’s scored 21 times in 42 games from that very position, per Transfermarkt.

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The problem is that Leeds’ current system doesn’t allow for a player like that. United usually play a 4-1-4-1 or a 3-3-1-3 depending on how their opposition lineup, and neither of those tactics incorporate a second striker.

The closest thing Leeds currently have to that is Tyler Roberts, but his game isn’t heavily based around scoring goals as he’s netted just four in his last two seasons.

The fact of the matter is that Vydra is much more effective in his second striker role as his goal contribution ratio is 0.63 while playing there whereas when he plays as a more traditional number nine that drops to 0.36.

Bielsa’s frontline would undoubtedly be bolstered by the arrival of the 27-year-old, but figuring out how to best utilise him would be another added problem for the Argentine.

Luckily, Vydra isn’t the only attacker Leeds are after as they’re also chasing another Premier League forward…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli continued his recent resurgence with a fine display against Burnley at the weekend.

On the chalkboard

A clip of the England international showing his frustration after his substitution on Saturday could well have fooled you into thinking he played badly.

In fact, the exact opposite is true.

Alli enjoyed an excellent game as Jose Mourinho’s men ran riot, winning 5-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Per WhoScored, the attacking midfielder registered two assists throughout the game, providing goals for Lucas Moura and Harry Kane.

Alli had 45 touches of the ball across the 90 minutes, had one shot on goal and chalked up a pass completion rate of 85%. Two of his completed passes were key.

The 23-year-old also completed one dribble and made three interceptions in his role as the link between the attack and the midfield.

Low-key

This wasn’t as headline-grabbing a performance as Alli has enjoyed previously.

He scored a brilliant goal in midweek against Manchester United and netted a brace against Bournemouth but, still, this was a quietly effective performance.

Alli has been unshackled by Mourinho and allowed to roam in that No.10 role and it is showing; here, he opted to provide the ammunition instead of firing the bullets.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

It clearly worked, too, with Spurs dominant throughout and creating chances at will. In total, they had seven shots on target compared to Burnley’s one.

It goes to show that Alli doesn’t need to score to help his side to a comprehensive victory and that sometimes he can be understated and yet still vital.

That is an excellent trait to possess.

Meanwhile, Spurs should be looking at three players if Christian Eriksen leaves.

The following article is a special report; all information presented has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources unless otherwise stated.

RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the top candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham Hotspur if the Argentine leaves the club, Football FanCast has learned.

Spurs are in the midst of something approaching a crisis, having won just three times in the Premier League thus far this season.

Their 1-1 draw with Sheffield United at the weekend leaves them in the bottom half of the table and 11 points behind Manchester City in fourth.

There is no suggestion that Pochettino’s job is in immediate danger but Levy is exploring his options should circumstances lead to the former Southampton manager’s departure.

Nagelsmann is 32 and has been with Leipzig for just five months, having previously managed Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. His contract runs until 2023, meaning any deal to bring him to north London would likely prove expensive for Levy.

At his former club, the young manager guided Hoffenheim to the Champions League for the first time in their history and has Leipzig second in the top-flight, four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.

Sources familiar with Spurs’ recruitment have told FFC that Levy is “all over” Nagelsmann but they are also insistent that contact will only be made if Spurs’ form goes “belly up”.

Pochettino pleaded for time after the draw with the Blades, insisting that the club are currently in a transitional period.

Per Sky Sports, he said: “We need to find a balance. We are building a team when we play in the Champions League and the Premier League, the toughest league in the world. It is dangerous as situations like this can happen. You expect better results than you get.

“We are in the process to build and we will see if we have the time to build what we want.”

Sources have also said that this process is normal and that doing due diligence makes sense amid an alarming dip; Spurs have not won away from home in the league since January.

Pochettino’s side face a vital London derby after the international break, with a trip to West Ham United looming, before a game against Olympiacos in the Champions League.

If Spurs win the latter, they will qualify for the knockout stages, having reached the final last term.