Nuno seems scared of his Spurs bench, Manchester United players must stand up and Joshua King haunts Goodison ParkSubstitutions have been permitted in English league football since 1965, but maybe nobody told Nuno Espírito Santo. The Tottenham manager has been curiously reluctant to use his well-stocked bench in recent weeks, and even as his side sleepwalked to defeat at West Ham, he waited until the 84th minute to make changes. Even if the likes of Dele Alli and Steven Bergwijn have hardly sparkled of late, a worrying gulf is opening between the first XI and the rest. Meanwhile, Nuno’s continuing stubbornness – “The game was under control,” he explained curtly – is hardly likely to endear him to the fanbase....
Bruce potentially set for his final game at Newcastle, Ranieri begins tough spell at Watford and Guardiola has Sterling decision It feels trivial discussing mere football matters when set against the ethical concerns arising from Newcastle’s Saudi takeover, but it feels as if whatever happens on the pitch against Tottenham will accelerate Steve Bruce’s departure. He is unlikely to get much credit if his side record a first league win of the season; instead it will only heighten the sense of “new broom” momentum that would require a bigger-name manager as soon as possible, while defeat would only serve to demonstrate the immediate need for change. It helps Bruce that Newcastle’s first opponents of the new era are a side...
Tottenham play mid-table football in a shiny new stadium and fail to bridge the gulf to the rich elite – just like their derby rivalsThe phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached Spurs. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing visible save one outstretched hand. It pointed to the south-west and in that moment Spurs understood. Spurs looked at Arsenal and saw not a rival but their own future. Could it be that Arsenal are a vision of Tottenham yet to come?This is a tale of Daniel Levy, of course, and of Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane and dozens of others, but it is also about the broader sweep of...
Is playing in front of fans again good for everyone? Two Premier League managers are already sporting that haunted lookThree weeks into the Premier League campaign, the international break has presented us with an early opportunity to take stock. And while it’s far too soon to draw definitive conclusions from what we’ve seen, we must make do with what little evidence we have got.For the prognosis looks bleak. Given the predictably furious reaction that greeted the Arsenal social media team’s tone-deaf decision to flag up a behind‑closed‑doors training ground win over Brentford this week, we can probably safely assume that any plans to release a commemorative DVD of this stirring victory have, much like any realistic aspirations of a top-four...
The Belgium striker’s second debut gave a glimpse of what to expect this season, albeit against a weak defence that made it too easyOnce he had been confirmed in the starting XI, did anybody doubt that Romelu Lukaku would score against Arsenal on Sunday? Was there anybody who thought, “You know what? I think Arsenal might come up with a viable plan to stop him?” Lukaku had scored on his debut for each of the other five clubs he had played for; he required a second debut to score for Chelsea, but from kick-off on Sunday it only ever felt a matter of time. Related: Ruthless Romelu Lukaku puts feeble Arsenal to the sword on Chelsea return Related: Arsenal appear...