England’s 18-year-old winger sparkled at times on his return to London, even if Tottenham’s Son Heung-min stole the showTwo lucrative transfers, two academy stints and one dramatic overseas switch into Jadon Sancho’s career the English football prodigy, a talent-riddle waiting to be solved, has finally played a club game in his home country.He might expect a few happier returns in future. They came to watch Jadon, or at least to gawp just a little. In the event it was an evening that offered glimpses of his talent in a fine first half but brought a chastening end for the Bundesliga leaders. Related: Jan Vertonghen inspires Spurs to take Borussia Dortmund to the cleaners Related: Tottenham 3-0 Borussia Dortmund: Champions League...
Sarri is heading into Chelsea danger zone, Martial is showing up Mourinho’s poor judgment and is Mee ready for England?Maurizio Sarri is heading into the shark-infested waters that did for Luiz Felipe Scolari and André Villas-Boas, who were sacked midway through their first seasons in charge of Chelsea. They were removed by Roman Abramovich once his team’s place in the following season’s Champions League was endangered and this weekend ended with Manchester United in fourth spot. Villas-Boas lost his job on 4 March 2012 while Scolari departed on 9 February 2009. At least Sarri has now lasted longer than the Brazilian, but ‘Sarriball’ has lately looked as poor a fit for Chelsea as his laissez-faire attitude and Villas-Boas’s overly methodical...
Sean Dyche cannot wait for VAR, Higuaín and Hazard lift Sarri and the Pogba-Rashford combo looks good for UnitedSergio Agüero’s hat-trick, scored from a collective distance of 10 yards, was not achieved by accident but thanks to his instincts and endurance. At times City looked sloppy against Arsenal but Agüero made the difference, repeatedly finding himself in the crucial position to jab the ball home with any available limb. All of City’s attacking midfielders know where the Argentinian wants to be once they break into the area and Agüero’s improved fitness under Pep Guardiola helps him get there. Superior fitness was one of the things that made the difference as Arsenal wilted while Agüero and City thrived. The striker is...
The Tottenham manager has his reasons for prioritising league finish but winning silverware is a habit his team need to develop – no one takes photos of a fourth-placed finishPerhaps the kindest thing to say about Mauricio Pochettino’s honesty in excusing Tottenham’s removal from two cups in four days is that he cannot be accused of self-interest or personal promotion.If it is true, and it seems widely accepted, that the Spurs manager’s name is on some very short lists for consideration at some of the most select clubs around Europe, there will be people at those clubs pointing out that for all his personable promise Pochettino has won precisely nothing yet, and furthermore his team have regained a reputation for...
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is proving his tactical ability every week but Accrington’s manager could not see the magic of his Cup tieIt was a pity John Coleman saw fit to savage Jon Moss, stealing the headlines when his players’ tremendous performance against Derby deserved more attention. The referee did not get everything right but the Accrington manager was wrong to describe his decisions as horrendous, particularly as his supposedly worst call only led to the corner that resulted in the goal. Frank Lampard was on safer ground talking of the magic of the FA Cup. “We had 2,500 fans here and I thought it was great, it felt like a proper game,” the Derby manager said. “I’ve played in Cup...