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English teams get their Champions League groove back – Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden and co discuss English teams’ success so far in the Champions League, a shambolic day for the FA and look ahead to the weekend’s action Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Paolo Bandini and Archie Rhind-Tutt discuss the best and the worst of the English game – where their teams reigned supreme in each of their respective Champions League groups but off the field it’s been a depressing week. We cover the key points of the DCMS select committee inquiry into the FA and Mark Sampson which put its governance through a grilling as they apologised for racist remarks made...

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Uneasiness pervades at Chelsea, with Antonio Conte among the malcontents | Sachin Nakrani

The champions picked up more knocks in the 3-3 draw with Roma but it is the mood of their manager that must be most vexing for the Stamford Bridge boardWho says the Champions League group‑stage games are boring? Anyone who does should have been at Stamford Bridge on an evening when the early scent of smoke in the air preceded a firecracker of a match between teams who sit fifth in their respective top flights. Six goals and enough passages of enthralling play to leave everyone in attendance giddy on the spectacle of it all.Or perhaps not, if Antonio Conte’s reaction to the final whistle was anything to go by. While the majority caught their breath, the Italian grimaced, politely...

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Tottenham reaping rewards of Pochettino’s vision, on and off the pitch | David Hytner

Spurs manager ran through his options in the commendable draw at Real Madrid and the Argentinian is increasing his sphere of influence at the clubIt numbers among the many construction projects at Tottenham Hotspur but, perhaps, it is the one to have drifted under the radar. The London club have committed £30m to the building of a 45-bedroom player hotel on a site adjacent to their Enfield training ground and the rationale is illuminating.Mauricio Pochettino and his staff are obsessed with marginal gains, with new angles and the creation of the optimum environment, and the private player accommodation lodge, as it is officially known, is another example of the growth that they are seeking. Related: Harry Kane can be one-club...

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Harry Kane relishes Real Madrid experience but key moment proves elusive | Sid Lowe

Tottenham’s top scorer could not find the decisive finishing touch at the Bernabéu but still made an impact that demonstrates how far he has comeA backheel at the Bernabéu. That is quite a baptism or it would have been if, as most of this stadium first thought, it had actually happened. The replay told a different story but it was Harry Kane the Tottenham Hotspur players ran towards as the ball settled in Keylor Navas’s net, giving them the lead just before the half-hour. The problem was that at the end of the game it was also Kane they sought out, Hugo Lloris putting an arm round his shoulder and walking him to the touchline. This was an excellent result...

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Champions League review and the importance of analytics – Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden and the panel review all the latest action, debate whether Harry Kane is world class and look ahead to the weekend’s Premier League fixturesRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden reviews all the Champions League action after a dramatic round of second group game fixtures with Barry Glendenning, Paul MacInnes and Ted Knutson. Continue reading...

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