Hugo Lloris is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League, perhaps even the world, but he was far from his best against Manchester City yesterday.With two high-profile errors that allowed the Citizens to storm into a two-goal lead, Lloris was fortunate to see his team fight back to secure a point- but it doesn’t change the fact that the French international boasts an unwanted record.
In the last four Premier League seasons, only Simon Mignolet has committed more errors that have directly led to a goal- which raises questions as to whether the Spurs captain is as reliable as many believe him to be.
Having said that, the stat may be seen as deceiving as nine errors in four years isn’t necessarily a calamity- and the difficult job for goalkeepers usually means that an error on their part usually ends with the ball in the back of the net.
Tottenham Hotspur could celebrate in midweek despite dropping points in the 0-0 draw with Sunderland, as they moved ahead of arch-rivals Arsenal after the Gunners shock defeat at the hands of Watford.
Whilst Spurs’ advantage currently only stands at goal difference, the Lilywhites will be confident of keeping themselves above Arsene Wenger’s side following a run of five matches unbeaten in the Premier League during January.
Facing Middlesbrough this weekend, whilst Arsenal travel across London to tackle league leaders Chelsea, Spurs have the chance to extend their advantage this weekend- and former Arsenal defender Paul Merson is backing them to do exactly that.
Making his predictions for the Premier League weekend for Sky Sports, Merson said:
“Middlesbrough are quite solid at the back but they don’t score enough goals. They are not going to blow Tottenham away and if Spurs get an early goal they could run away with it.”
“Middlesbrough will set up to make things difficult for Tottenham but Mauricio Pochettino’s side need to win this game. It was a poor result against Sunderland but I expect them to bounce back.”
“Arsenal were shocking on Tuesday against Watford and they won’t be relishing this trip to Stamford Bridge. It’s a must-win game for Arsenal after their defeat to the Hornets, and they have got to go for it against the best team in the country. That will play into Chelsea’s hands. I just can’t make a case for Arsenal here. Chelsea are running away with the league and I think they’ll claim a comprehensive victory.”
Backing Tottenham for a 3-0 victory over Aitor Karanka’s side whilst tipping Chelsea to beat Arsenal 3-1, those results would certainly make for the perfect weekend in the eyes of Spurs supporters and they’ll know what they have to do come kick-off, as their clash comes after the Gunners’ trip to Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham Hotspur visit Liverpool on Saturday evening knowing that a win will put them in a very commanding position to earn a Champions League spot come the end of the season.
A victory against Jurgen Klopp’s side will leave them up to seven points clear of fifth and also edge them closer to Chelsea ahead of their match on Sunday.
It’s vitally important they pick up the win then. It may not be so easy, even taking into account Liverpool’s current form, though. The Reds went to White Hart Lane just three games into the season and picked up a 1-1 draw in a highly competitive and even encounter.
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The Anfield side always carry a danger and although they are going through a period of poor results, they still have enough threat to punish Spurs on their day.
Since that draw in August, Pochettino’s men have come a long way, experiencing highs and lows on the way to their current status.
Here are TEN photos that tell the story of that journey…
The first big win
The matchday after drawing to Liverpool, Spurs travelled to Stoke to pick up their first big win of the season.
It was a 4-0 rout of Mark Hughes’ men and demonstrated that, despite a fairly slow start to the season, Spurs still had the flair and attacking ability of last year’s campaign.
Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Dele Alli were the team’s top performers, demonstrating the important roles all three would go on to have at various points in the months to come.
Importantly for Kane, it was his first goal of the season and as you can see he was delighted to open his account.
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Contenders
Spurs had to wait until October to face another of the teams expected to contend for honours this season and they made that wait worth it.
They produced a fine display at home to Manchester City to make it four wins in a row in the Premier League, ending Pep Guardiola’s perfect start to league action.
At this point, Spurs were the only unbeaten side in the entire division and sitting in second definitely showed that they have the chance to be title contenders this season.
Dele Alli got the second goal before wheeling away to celebrate in front of his supporters and it wouldn’t be the last time he turned up in a big game.
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Stung by Sturridge
Spurs’ EFL Cup hopes were dashed by this weekend’s opponents Liverpool when a Daniel Sturridge double dumped them out of the competition in the Fourth Round.
It, of course, wasn’t a priority for Pochettino with league and European action his main focus, but still a disappointing evening for supporters who have waited so long to see silverware come home to White Hart Lane.
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Ending the slump
In October and November, Spurs went through a period of seven games without a victory in all competitions so when Harry Kane slotted home a penalty in the 90th minute to win 3-2 against West Ham, you can imagine the relief around White Hart Lane.
In many ways this might be one of the most important goals Spurs scored all season. It maintained their unbeaten run in the Premier League but they were picking up too many draws and badly needed to start stringing together some wins if they were to be a genuine title force.
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Salvage job
Tottenham Hotspur didn’t have the best of Champions League campaigns and required this win over CSKA Moscow in December to salvage European football after Christmas.
The victory ensured they finished third in their group and while they didn’t qualify for the Last 16 of the Champions League, they do drop into the Europa League and start their bid for that trophy next week against Belgian side Gent.
It may not be as prestigious a tournament as the one Spurs want to be in, but it’s still something fans would surely love to win. If they do go on and have a run in the competition then this match will have been a big part of it.
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Starting over
Britain Football Soccer – Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City – Premier League – White Hart Lane – 14/12/16 Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama celebrates scoring their third goal Reuters / Dylan Martinez Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for furth
After travelling to Old Trafford and losing 1-0, Pochettino’s side risked seeing their season go off the rails a little. That loss to Manchester United saw them rooted to fifth, just three points ahead of Mourinho’s men and three points adrift of fourth.
Just three days later they hosted Hull and battered them 3-0 with Victor Wanyama putting the cherry on top of the result with a rare goal.
This was to be the start of an excellent winning run that would see them go from fifth to second in just over a month of frantic football.
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Bursting the bubble
When Chelsea came calling to White Hart Lane in January they were looking to make history by picking up their 14th successive Premier League win in a single season.
Dele Alli had other plans, though. His superb double burst the Chelsea bubble and blew the title race wide open, at least for a week or two anyway.
It was an impressive statement from Pochettino’s side and showed they have the quality to be the country’s best side on their night.
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Comeback kings
Spurs’ point away to Manchester City ensured they held on to second place and ensured they maintained their unbeaten run.
It wasn’t easy, with Guardiola’s men rushing towards a 2-0 lead before Dele Alli and Son Heung-min rallied their side and clawed their way back to 2-2.
The point showed the character and spirit Pochettino’s side have. They aren’t just attacking football and bluster, they have a resilience that only very good teams possess.
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Breaking hearts
Wycombe Wanderers nearly produced the mother of all upsets in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup when they came calling to White Hart Lane last month.
The League Two side were 2-0 up, then 3-2 up before an incredible two goals in the final minutes of the game ensure Spurs progressed into the next round.
It was a heartbreaking moment for Wycombe, and probably most neutrals too, but again it showed that this Tottenham side are going to fight to the bitter end for everything they can this season.
Spurs now take a trip across London to face Fulham for a place in the quarter-finals.
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Eleven not out
Spurs are now on an eleven-game unbeaten streak heading into this weekend’s game with Liverpool and look the most likely team to give Chelsea something to think about at the top in the closing months of the season.
They’ve attracted attention this season for a wonderful brand of direct, attacking football and their latest win against Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane showed they can grind out results too.
That’s going to be necessary as the pressure ramps up and expectations build towards the end of the season. By staying unbeaten and continuing to pick up wins, they are well placed should Chelsea do the unthinkable and slip up once or twice down the road.
Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has admitted he’s concerned for his club’s chances ahead of their important clash with Arsenal this weekend, as he feels the Reds will struggle without Jordan Henderson.
Jurgen Klopp’s side continued their woeful run in 2017 on Monday night with a 3-1 defeat at Leicester, leaving their record this calendar year standing at just two wins from 12 matches, and Arsenal could all but end their hopes of a top-four finish this weekend.
Whilst Liverpool have impressed against the top-ranking sides in the Premier League this season, with their struggles coming against teams in the bottom-half of the standings, Aldridge told The Liverpool Echo he doesn’t rate the Reds’ chances without Henderson in midfield.
“Monday night showed, as if it were needed, just how much we miss the captain when he’s not there. It was ridiculous how light we looked in midfield without him.”
“Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum went missing in the first half, and the damage was done by half-time. It sounds like he’s a major doubt for the Arsenal game, and that worries me greatly. I fear for us if he’s not there.”
Arsenal will have notable absentees of their own this weekend, with Santi Cazorla once again missing from their own midfield, but the Gunners boast a depth that Liverpool do not possess- and that could be decisive at Anfield come Saturday afternoon.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to extend the deal of Toby Alderweireld with a new contract that will also remove his current release-clause, The Sun reports.
What’s the word?
Toby Alderweireld has been a big-hit at White Hart Lane since moving to the club from Atletico Madrid, following a successful loan spell with Southampton, but his long-term future has remained up in the air due to a release clause.
Available for £25m in 2019, if Spurs activated a one-year extension in his current deal, Spurs have been frantically working to secure the Belgian down to a new deal and removing the possibility of a cut-price exit- and now The Sun states a deal is close.
Crucially, that clause will be removed and Alderweireld will earn £75k-a-week in a new five-year deal which, given the contracts of other big names in the Premier League, represents a bargain for the Lilywhites.
Could he leave?
There is always the possibility of Toby Alderweireld leaving though, as modern day contracts don’t mean too much, and Spurs will face a battle to keep their stars this summer if they fail to secure a top-four finish- especially with the World Cup awaiting in 2018.
Currently sat second, four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, Spurs will be wary that their advantage could be reduced to just two points if Manchester United win their game in hand- whilst Manchester City would leapfrog them into second-place if they won the clash.
Arsenal, meanwhile, can draw level with Spurs if they win their game in hand and it means there’s a lot of work left for Spurs to do- with Mauricio Pochettino’s side still having to play Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Aston Villa will be looking to get back to winning ways, and Sheffield Wednesday will hope to further cement their spot in the play-off positions when the two sides meet at Villa Park on Saturday.
Villa have endured a miserable campaign despite being one of the pre-season favourites for automatic promotion, and they currently lie in 15th position with seemingly little to play before in their final 10 Championship fixtures of the season.
A run of three straight wins was brought to an end on Tuesday night as Steve Bruce’s men were beaten 1-0 by high-flying Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium, a result which wasn’t helped by the fact that the club are currently missing a number of their first team players because of injury.
Meanwhile, the Owls maintained their hold on sixth spot in the standings with a 1-1 draw at home to Burton Albion in midweek, which keeps them five points ahead of seventh-placed Fulham.
Carlos Carvalhal will be keen for his team to pick up another positive result when they make the trip to the Midlands at the weekend and, like Bruce, he knows he has some players at his disposal that can trouble the opposition.
Here are FIVE players that could play a pivotal role in the huge Championship clash…
Jordan Rhodes
If Sheffield Wednesday were looking for a boost in their race for promotion at the start of 2017, then bringing in Rhodes from Middlesbrough was the perfect tonic.
The 27-year-old is known to be a proven goalscorer at this level and he has got off to a decent start for the Owls, scoring three goals in his first eight league games.
The Aston Villa defence will know that they need to stop the supply line to the striker, because if he gets an opportunity in the penalty area, the ball usually ends up in the back of the net.
Henri Lansbury
Like Rhodes, the midfielder only moved to current club Villa during the January transfer window, but he is already impressing in the middle of the park for Steve Bruce’s men.
Able to press as well as provide that goal threat too – Lansbury scored six league goals for struggling Nottingham Forest before sealing a transfer to Villa Park – the 26-year-old came close to opening his account for his new side when he hit the crossbar in the defeat against Huddersfield in midweek.
He will be hoping to see the net ripple on Saturday.
Fernando Forestieri
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Despite now having the likes of Jordan Rhodes and Steven Fletcher to call upon, it is Forestieri that is Wednesday’s top goalscorer in the Championship this season.
The Italian forward has quickly established himself as one of the division’s best players since making the move to Hillsborough in 2015, and he has netted 11 league goals for the Owls this term.
With three of those coming in his last five fixtures, the 27-year-old is a man in form coming into the clash at Villa Park.
Jonathan Kodjia
While Villa have endured a disappointing campaign, it hasn’t all been bad news.
After signing from Bristol City towards the end of the summer transfer window, Kodjia has gone on to score 13 league goals for the Villans.
He quickly established himself as the club’s first choice striker – despite having competition from the likes of Rudy Gestede and Ross McCormack earlier in the campaign – and will once again be his side’s main goal threat for the visit of the Owls.
Ross Wallace
Wallace has become renowned for his deadly accuracy with shots from outside the penalty area in recent seasons, and Villa boss Steve Bruce will surely have been telling his players that they can’t afford to give the midfielder space to shoot from range this weekend.
With five league goals to his name – including two in his last two and four since the end of January – the 31-year-old winger is in great form and will be full of confidence ahead of the trip to Villa Park.
According to reports in the Yorkshire Post, Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has confirmed that key defensive duo Tom Lees and Glenn Loovens will return for the club’s huge Championship clash against Reading on Friday night, but has refused to speak on two more injury doubts.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Portuguese manager says that Lees will be available for the first time since January, while Loovens has recovered after limping off in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
It is a timely boost for Carvalhal and the duo’s return looks to have avoided a potential defensive nightmare for the Owls boss, who will also be missing Vincent Sasso after he was dismissed at Villa Park.
So, who are the mystery duo?
It’s top goalscorer Fernando Forestieri and another key man in Sam Hutchinson, so it is no wonder that he doesn’t want to give anything away before the clash at Hillsborough on Friday.
The former has scored 11 league goals for the Owls this season.
What did Carvalhal say, then?
He said: “Don’t ask me about the injured players, I will tell you absolutely nothing, sorry.
“We cannot be sure of the other players who will be involved in the game, and I don’t want to say something today and tomorrow people say you are lying to us.
How big is the game against Reading?
It is vital.
Sheffield Wednesday are currently in sixth position as they look to finish in the play-off positions, but there position has come into threat in recent weeks.
The Owls have won just one of their last five Championship fixtures – and taken just a point from their previous two – which means that seventh-placed Fulham are now just one behind them.
However, with the Royals just two points ahead of them, Carvalhal knows he can leapfrog their opponents with a win.
Sheffield Wednesday’s hopes of reaching the Championship play-offs took a massive blow on Saturday after they were leapfrogged by Fulham.
Dropping points away to Barnsley, that poor result was compounded as the London side picked up all three points away to Rotherham United.
Fulham are now a point ahead of Wednesday, with a vastly superior goal difference. Given there’s only 7 games remaining between now and the end of the season, fans are now very worried their season has comes off the rails.
It was all going so well for Carlos Carvalhal’s team, who took the lead at Barnsley just after half-time thanks to Sam Winnall. However, an injury time leveller from Angus MacDonald delivered a hammer blow that left the travelling support gutted.
They now have a massive two weeks ahead with a trip to Rotherham on the cards before hosting Newcastle and Cardiff in successive weekends.
Can they rally and get back in front of Fulham or is their play-off dream dying?
Supporters took to Twitter to call for drastic change in the closing weeks of the season…
Chelsea have issued a champions response to their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United last week, giving Tottenham Hotspur what-for at Wembley in the semi-final of the FA Cup whilst re-asserting their dominance over their title rivals in the Premier League with a stunning 4-2 win over Southampton.
The six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge was by no means an immaculate performance; sloppy defending at a set piece allowed Southampton back into the match after the Blues had already gone one-nil up, whilst concentration at the back slipped once again as former Chelsea youngster Ryan Bertrand grabbed a consolation goal in the closing stages.
Nonetheless, Chelsea were relentless going forward, carving Southampton open on four occasions with four high-quality goals.
Eden Hazard opened Chelsea’s account early on with a tidy finish, Gary Cahill’s powerful header re-established his side’s lead just before half time, Diego Costa nodded home from close range after the interval to grab his first goal in eight and the Spaniard doubled his tally late on, following some brilliant combination work between himself, Hazard and Pedro.
So, Chelsea fans, who was your Man of the Match from Chelsea’s impressive win? Let us know by voting below…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out making a move for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, and the fans have given mixed reactions.
The England number one is expected to be available at the end of the season after he was shipped out on loan to Torino.
City manager Pep Guardiola made it clear that Hart would not be his number one at the start of the 2016-17 campaign after he brought in Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.
It has not quite gone to plan, though, as numerous blunders have led to Bravo fighting Willy Caballero for the first-choice spot.
Hart is likely to be a regular name in the transfer gossip pages when the window reopens this summer, but his destination is uncertain.
From Klopp’s point of view, though, the 30-year-old will not be arriving at Anfield any time soon.
When probed in Thursday’s press conference about possibly adding to his group of goalkeepers, the German coach told reporters:
“Extra competition? You ask about goalkeepers but even though you don’t say the name, is it about Joe Hart? We don’t usually talk about these sort of things but in this particular case I think we can.
“He is a fantastic goalkeeper, the goalkeeper of the English national team, the highest quality, but we have highest-quality goalkeepers. It is not for us in this moment and hopefully not for us in the future – not because of Joe but we already have two strong goalkeepers.”
Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius currently occupy first and second in the goalkeeper ranks, and both have come under criticism this season.
Despite this, some fans do not think that Hart is the answer, while others are disappointed by Klopp’s admission.