With odd positional shifts, a lumpen midfield and perhaps the least Wenger-like team in two decades, the Arsène Wenger endgame has taken a surprising turnAmong the many oddities of Arsène Wenger’s long goodbye at Arsenal – the anger, the corporate vacuum, the sense of some dying sun-king exploring the outer edges of his own vanity – one of the more interesting details is the weird, gimmicky switch to a back three in the past few matches.It is an unsettling move at this stage, a kind of ageing-swinger version of tactical innovation. At one point in his classic Rabbit novels, John Updike sends his paunchy, middle-aged anti-hero Harry Angstrom off on a slightly sad wife-swapping escapade during a golfing holiday in...
It is a sobering thought that Spurs’ excellent season has elevated them to a world were you can look great, win friends, play well and still not cross the line firstKingsley Amis once wrote the act of getting drunk was much better than actually being drunk. Those first few glasses, the process of moving from sober to drunk is 90% of the fun. Being drunk, on the other hand, is a slog, a losing game, each extra sip a case of chasing with ever-decreasing returns that initial spitz of happiness.By this register, two seasons into the Mauricio Pochettino revolution and with Arsenal finally reeled in after the derby win on Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur are probably on their fourth or fifth...
The New York Mets have been ravaged by injuries. But who is to blame when a team’s chances are ruined by players forced on to the sidelines?Death, taxes and injuries to Mets starters – a few of life’s certainties. Just when the furor over the Mets’ parade of injuries had seemingly reached a climax with news that Yoenis Cespedes’ strained hamstring would put him on the 10-day disabled list, Noah Syndergaard was pulled from Sunday’s game after lasting only 1 1/3 innings. In an era when arm problems frequently shelve baseball’s best young pitchers – often those that throw the hardest – this is troubling news, especially given Syndergaard’s record of past resilience.But while the Mets appeared to have poorly...
Spurs’ ability to switch between systems, driven by Dier’s skills as both defender and midfielder, gave them a decisive edge against Arsenal at White Hart LaneAmong plenty of discussion about Arsène Wenger’s decision to abandon the four-man defence he has used for 20 years in favour of a back three it was notable that Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham were essentially playing both systems simultaneously in this 2-0 north London derby win. Eric Dier’s ability to play in both defence and midfield meant Spurs seamlessly switched between the systems, nullifying Arsenal’s major attacking threat and putting themselves in control. Related: Dele Alli helps Tottenham eclipse Arsenal and stay on Chelsea’s tail Related: Harry Kane: Tottenham now have higher ambitions than looking down...
Gabriel and Arsenal falter under pressure, Crystal Palace have a problem with fan behaviour, Sunderland must keep Didier Ndong while Hull’s Harry Maguire continues his excellent formSean Dyche laughed off the fact James Tarkowski had been struck by a plastic cigarette lighter as Burnley’s players celebrated their first goal but Crystal Palace will find the incident far from amusing. This was the third time a visiting player has been struck by an object thrown from that corner of the Holmesdale stand since the club returned to the Premier League in 2013. Wayne Rooney and more recently Fabricio Coloccini were the others hit and the Metropolitan police appealed for witnesses over the coin flung at the Newcastle defender. The Football Association...