I spoke to Eric Dier about how proud he is of how he behaved during his time on the Spurs sidelines, how that earned him his move to Bayern and why he still has so much time for Ange Postecoglou.
Arsenal’s circumstances might technically fit the new postponement criteria, but morally it is a scandal that a team can duck out of a game with 24 hours notice and one case of covid. Shows complete contempt for fans and opponents.
Never seen anything like that Antonio Conte press conference just now. 10 minutes of trying to take everyone else down with him. It was such an amazing performance you almost had to admire it.
That was only Antonio Conte's sixth league game in charge, it really is remarkable just how much better Spurs are than they were less than two months ago. Better defensively. Better going forward. Better statistically. Better to watch. Fitter. Hungier. Cleverer. etc etc.
Great news that Lewandowski's Poland will be at the World Cup (his second) after beating Sweden 2-0 tonight. Incredible career that he's had. Basically the career that Zlatan Ibrahimovic fans think that their guy has had.
The Champions League group stage starts in 11 days' time and still no-one knows what games are happening when. It's a complete insult to match-going fans.
Why is there still a tone of racial and religious discrimination among England’s away support? My piece from Seville on “Fuck the Pope” and the Football Lads Alliance.
Ian Holloway complaining about Watford loaning all those Udinese players in 2013 is basically the scientist at the start of the disaster film who knows what's round the corner but isn't listened to at the time.
A number of clubs plan to raise concerns with the Premier League regarding the proposed move of Allan Saint-Maximin from Newcastle United to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli.
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Tottenham open talks with Mauricio Pochettino about returning to the club from PSG. Will be a difficult deal to do, with one year left on his PSG contract, but there's a willingness on both sides.
Story:
"How dare he try and blame everyone else?"
Labour’s Ed Miliband tells Prime Minister Boris Johnson "it's time to take responsibility" over Brexit deal
"This is his deal, it's his mess, it's his failure"
In Turin for Juventus v Ajax tomorrow. Working in a cafe in the city centre run by a Torino fan. The wifi password is 'juvemerda'. This is why football is the best thing in the world.
One of the things that is so dispiriting about all this is that the One Love armband felt like it was designed specifically so that it would be permitted. The blandness and non-specificity of it was the whole point. And they've still ultimately decided against wearing it.
Pep Guardiola on Jurgen Klopp: "I will sleep better! The day before playing Liverpool, it was always a nightmare. We cannot define our period here without him, without Liverpool. The best rival I have ever had in my life."
Gareth Southgate uses the first answer of his press conference to mention the players he had to leave out of the squad tonight. "They're such a massive part of what we're doing. It's so difficult to keep a group of this size involved, happy and valued. Those guys are phenomenal."
FT 1-0. Spurs' best performance of the season by a mile. One of the best of the Conte era? Kane made history but everyone contributed. Bentancur excellent. Dier back to his best. Emerson the best he's ever looked for Spurs.
This cannot be said enough. Not getting a vaccine is not a "personal choice". This isn't personal. Not wearing sunscreen in a heatwave is *personal*. Not getting a vaccine in a pandemic is inherently *social*.
Ultimately it comes down to: do you care about other people or not?
So 16% of players are unvaccinated.
There's been a lot of dancing around this over issues like perceived confidentiality and "personal choice" but the reality is these "personal choices" have been in many cases based on genuinely bizarre theories and misinformation.
Manchester City fans can have no complaints if the club is punished, and they are under no obligation to defend the practices of their owners. It's time to untangle the club's identity from the UAE. My piece:
Explosive Antonio Conte press conference there. He openly threw doubt on his Spurs future: "I am open for every decision because I want to help Tottenham. I am too honest to close my eyes and continue in this way, and also take my salary."
“We need more security. I am not condoning guns at games but if the police are going to be armed, I think that is the way forward."
David Cotterill says there needs to be a 'stamp down' on pitch invaders.
More:
Organised without the ball, fluid with it, Kante dominating in midfield... this feels more like the Chelsea that won the 2021 Champions League, and less like the side from the back end of last season.
Antonio Conte makes the point here that he launched Juventus' run of 9 Serie A titles by winning three in a row, then ended it by winning the title with Inter Milan last season. "I started... then I stopped this cycle."
News: Tottenham very close to agreement with Heung Min Son on new long-term contract. Player rewarded for his form in last two years, brought closer to top earners Kane and Ndombele. No longer feels undervalued at the club.
Manuel Pellegrini with some classic 2013 banter here in the press conference: "Klopp is used to offside, he scored against me with Borussia Dortmund against Malaga, with a goal that was 7 metres offside. He cannot complain about nothing."
Big shout out to all the "well actually Joachim Loew was clever not to take Leroy Sane, only a blinkered Premier League fan would have taken him" tweeters. You've had a great few days here.
Obviously there are a lot of takes this morning on Mourinho's tactics etc but my own view is that I would be more critical of how Spurs played against Crystal Palace than against Liverpool.
Still can't really get my head around the team or the system Pep Guardiola played last night. I don't understand why you would rip up almost four years of playing an attacking 4-3-3 to play 5-3-2... against Lyon.
Jose Mourinho just said on the Zoom press conference that the decision to fine but not ban City was a "disgrace" because they're either guilty or they're not. Said FFP is over. "Better to open the circus door" now.
Chelsea's ability to shut down a game once they go ahead without just dropping deep... pretty pretty good. It's like the Champions League final all over again.
If Postecoglou had compromised and defended on the edge of the penalty area, and tried to nick it on set pieces, do you think Spurs would have got a better or worse result?
Middle class guys who watch two fights a year and who still tweet their ‘scorecards’, as well as a lot of knowing analysis lines they hear on commentary… tonight is your night. Enjoy it. You’ve earned it.
Eric Dier reveals that Aaron Ramsdale has been winding him up about the fact that his crucial winning penalty against Colombia in 2018 was a "bad penalty", but Dier says that he tells Ramsdale he doesn't mind because it went in.
(Ramsdale is surely right here.)
Obviously I've been thinking a lot about David Silva. Game of opinions etc but for me there is no question he is the best and most important player in Manchester City's history.
Genuine question: why are so many Spurs fans so down on Hojbjerg at the moment? He's been run into the ground since they signed him, and Nuno has played him out of position. It's not his fault he's not a natural attacking midfielder...
Tottenham finally hit their nadir at Newcastle. My report from St James' Park on the worst 21 minutes of football I have ever seen from any team at any level.
🔵
#htafc
's new home kit for the upcoming 2019/20 season has today been revealed!
Produced by main supplier
@UmbroUK
, the new home kit features a modern spin on the traditional blue and white striped home shirt thanks to new title sponsor
@paddypower
.
Watching Kane for Spurs right now is like watching a good batsman who is running out of partners and has to make sure he's always on strike, scoring runs and never getting out.
We are 10 years on from Richard Keys and Andy Gray's shock departure from Sky Sports. I looked back at the week that dominated national news, the tapes, the radio interview, the fall-out, the legacy.
I don't mean this in a snarky way at all, but it is true: Japan *are* celebrating like they've won the World Cup. And why shouldn't they? They've beaten Germany AND Spain and won the group!
One of the last links with the Pochettino era, and the man who started it all off at Upton Park almost 10 years ago. Only Ben Davies left now who was there at the start.
We have reached agreement with Bayern Munich for the loan of Eric Dier for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the move permanent.
We wish
@EricDier
all the very best for the future 🤍
Danny Greaves, Jimmy's son, has done a video message here for Harry Kane about Kane breaking the Spurs record. "If anyone was to beat it, he'd be absolutely delighted it was you." Everyone stands to applaud. Lovely moment.
Signing Ivan Perisic would be a fascinating change in transfer strategy for Tottenham. When did they last sign a legendary player in his 30s… Edgar Davids?
(Gareth Bale doesn’t count for the purposes of this, as he was ex-Spurs and on loan)
Best day of the Southgate tenure and it's not even close. Better than Colombia or Sweden in 2018. Better than Spain in Seville. First ever Euros knock-out win in 90 minutes? First proper defeat of a top nation in any tournament knock-out game since ... I don't even know.
Manchester United seem to perfectly replicate the level of whoever they are playing. Good against Spurs, brilliant at City, but routinely bad against the lesser sides. They are a chameleon team. Like a glitzier version of Slaven Bilic’s West Ham.
On Thursday Mourinho was asked about his plan for this game. "I look up, I don't look down. If Arsenal was 7 pts ahead of us, I'd look to them. But because we have seven points more than them, I don't look down."
And yet Spurs set up today like they were David facing Goliath.
Mourinho on Ndombele's best position. "A top player plays in every position, and it's not a problem for a top player. Top players they don't get excuses about the system, the position, the way the team plays. Top players they play in every team, in every system, with every coach"
With Pochettino leaving, can’t help but feel PSG have appointed some great managers but in completely the wrong order. Poch would have been good with hungry players at start of process, then Tuchel, then Emery to win in Europe, then Carlo to gently manage a group of superstars.
54 goals in 81 games is a ridiculous record and there's every reason to think Kane will end up getting ... 75? 80? He will set the bar so high I don't know if it will ever get beaten.
I think it's always been broadly assumed that Xavi was the greatest midfielder of that generation just gone (born early 80s-ish), but it's Modric isn't it.
Longer career at top level, more consistent, dragged worse teams to bigger things. Maybe a bit more range to his game too?
Lots of talk about ticket sales at Wembley today. If you are shaming football fans for not having as much disposable income as you do, please think again.
Tottenham have had their heads in the sand over Fabio Paratici. By allowing him to stay in the job so long they have done untold reputational damage to the football club. My piece on a self-inflicted PR disaster.
An all-time great football moment. Toby Alderweireld joined hometown club Royal Antwerp last summer, as he always promised he would. Tonight, he has won them their first league title since 1957 with this incredible strike vs Genk in the 94th minute!
But most clubs would take advantage of this loophole if they could. The real fault here is obviously with the rules themselves. How has the Premier League blindly handed clubs the power to play at their own convenience?
I know it’s unusual for a transfer to go through after the window shuts, but I understand the Vatican did in fact submit their deal sheet before the deadline