Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says the team must change their mentality as they prepare to meet neighbours Arsenal on SundayFor Hugo Lloris, the low point of Tottenham Hotspur’s season was defined by something unacceptable. The team’s style suffered a jarring breakdown in the 1-0 Champions League defeat against Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley on Wednesday night but it was the reason why that so infuriated the captain. According to him, the players had lost their focus. The mentality was flawed.“You cannot pretend to be a challenger, you cannot pretend to be a big club in Europe, if you are not ready to compete,” Lloris says, his measured tones somehow amplifying the force of the sentiment. “My feeling was that the...
Hugo Lloris is in goal, Santi Cazorla pulls the strings and Alexis Sánchez leads the line – while Arsenal players outnumber their rivals by seven to fourBased on form, fitness and a desire to wind up supporters of both clubs before the north London derby on Sunday, here is a combined XI chosen from the two sides, taking into account who is currently fit and available. Be gentle. It wasn’t easy. I know the team is a bit light in central midfield. Maybe Petr Cech can go in goal for the second half. And yes, leaving out Igors Stepanovs and José Dominguez caused unimaginable pain. Enjoy. Continue reading...
The podders examine Spurs’ winless streak before a crucial north London derby. Plus, Manchester City get the beating of Barcelona and Inter axe De BoerSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & StitcherIt’s a jam-packed edition of Football Weekly Extraaaaa, with James Richardson joined by Barry Glendenning, James Horncastle and Gregg Bakowski to look back on a busy week in the Champions League. Continue reading...
After Miroslav Klose’s retirement, Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League tie with Tottenham showcases another with rare talents of movement and anticipationThere are many things in football that are incredibly beautiful. Lionel Messi at full flow. A Dimitri Payet free-kick. Or, indeed, a simple toe poke, such as Ronaldinho’s against Chelsea back in 2005.The list is long. We can marvel at warm-ups (Diego Maradona with Opus in the background is a classic ), crossfield passes or even sliding tackles. Not to mention nutmegs. Wonderful things. Continue reading...
Marcus Rashford needs restoring to centre stage, Victor Moses is shining for Chelsea at last and David Moyes should be allowed to rebuild SunderlandThe splurge of title-winning questions after Liverpool’s breathless victory at Selhurst Park provoked a wonderfully enigmatic response from Jürgen Klopp. Can his team conquer the league playing in this wild fashion? “I’ve no idea,” he said. “It’s my first proper season in the Premier League. I have no idea what to do to win the Premier League. I’m pretty sure it was never decided at the end of October. We feel good in the moment, that’s all.” The notion that an experienced manager with 15 years on the job – who won the Bundesliga twice and has...