Liverpool’s Croatian centre-back produced the worst half-hour on the pitch in recent memory, during which he appeared to have completely forgotten he was actually playing in a football match, in the 4-1 hammering by TottenhamThe humane thing to do, looking back on this exhilaratingly open 4-1 Wembley victory for Tottenham Hotspur against Liverpool, would be to focus on the ruthlessness of Harry Kane, the brutal speed of Spurs’ counterattack, the running of Son Heung-min.Things are rarely that easy, though. In Germany they have a concept called Ruinenlust, which describes the irresistible pleasure of seeing a deeply distressed object in the process of falling to pieces. And for half an hour here Liverpool provided something similar as Jürgen Klopp’s team produced...
Tottenham and Liverpool are well-matched in skill and ambition and their managers are seeking to construct futures that will end obsession with the pastMauricio Pochettino loves a hug. The pre-match handshake may be no more than a glazed formality for most Premier League managers. But not for Pochettino who, when he gives himself, gives himself completely and who has taken the Poch-hug to new and ever-manlier levels in his four years in England, from simple chest-bump to full-blown neck-fondling embrace. What seems certain is that Jürgen Klopp will get something from the most fraternal end of the scale when Tottenham and Liverpool meet at Wembley on Sunday. Related: Tottenham reaping rewards of Pochettino’s vision, on and off the pitch |...
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...
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...
Everton’s defence has gone walkabout, Swansea and Southampton are serving up stodgy fare and Antonio Conte may rue being in a tougher league than Serie AChris Hughton, the Brighton & Hove Albion manager, said it all when he highlighted how his team had not been “out of sight” against Arsenal, just as they had not been against Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season. On both occasions, the final scoreline of 0-2 hinted at respectability. Which, in truth, was Brighton’s priority. The gap to the Premier League’s top six clubs yawns like a chasm and Hughton’s approach at the Emirates Stadium – an approach born out of necessity – was characterised by damage limitation. Hughton used a 4-5-1...