Daunting task for Tottenham in City duel

Following their home loss to Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur face another testing away tie this weekend, against reigning champions Manchester City who stand in their way.

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou believes the loss against Villa was because 10 first-team players were missing due to injury or suspension and this included both his favourite centre-backs, his entire first-choice midfield and other squad members.

When I spoke to Tottenham this week, they said Rodrigo Bentancur is likely to be out of action for several weeks following a tackle by Villa’s Matty Cash, which tore his ankle ligaments.

James Maddison, Richarlison, Micky van de Ven and Manor Solomon were all in the medical room this week for treatment.

Postecoglou had only eight subs on the bench last weekend and two were goalkeepers which shows the seriousness of Tottenham’s injury list.

They have a squad of only 25 players and started against Villa with four full-backs, no defensive midfielder, and youngsters on the bench.

However, it was Giovani Lo Celso who impressed Postecoglou most even though he had not started a game in the Premier League since October 2021, under Nino Espirito Santos.

He was bright, full of energy, scored a goal, and did enough to convince the coach that he could cover for James Maddison. Against City, Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal will probably have to play out of position as Spurs face a very tough Sunday afternoon.

City will start with their most recent selection of players all available and Jack Grealish has recovered from an illness and Pep Guardiola will decide on Saturday whether to start him or Jeremy Doku.

Reports from the medical team at City suggest John Stones could miss the Tottenham game.

He has been very unlucky, sustaining one injury after another. He was an unused substitute in Saturday’s game but Guardiola made it clear that this was a medical decision... not to rush him back into the team.

Stones was training this week but Manu Akanji will likely deputise for the defender. Guardiola said: “He feels good but I want one or two weeks to have proper strength training sessions. I want him to be completely ready.”

“Manu and Rodri are playing excellently together, they move with the right tempo at the right moment, the way they interact with the wingers and break the lines. It was really good against Liverpool and at Chelsea. What a signing Manu is. Full-back, centre-back, holding midfield. What a player Txiki (Bergristain), our sporting director, has brought me.” 

United plan big clear-out in January

Manchester United are preparing to clear out several players in January. Fourteen who had played in the first team left in the summer and United want to further reduce their wage bill.

Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans are out of contract in June and an extension to their current arrangements is under discussion. Full-back Brandon Williams is on loan at Ipswich where he has been playing well and Alvaro Fernandez is in Italy with Girona.

Both loan periods could be extended or United will cash in on both players. Erik Ten Hag wants a new centreback and that threatens Victor Lindelof, who is on a short contract even though he has started 11 of United’s 18 games so far this season.

Harry Maguire’s improvement in form has relegated Raphael Verane to the bench and he is looking for a way out. His large salary is something United want off their books.

Scott McTominay has regained his place in Ten Hag’s team selection but word around Old Trafford is that the club will accept a reasonable offer.

United have an agreement in which they can sign on loan Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina but he has struggled in the Premier League and United are contemplating whether or not to keep him.

Christian Eriksen’s contract runs out in 19 months and both he and Casemiro will be 32 in February. Both could be sold.

Anthony Martial could be released rather than being offered an extension to his contract by another year because United recognise that he will not attract high bids from European clubs. He has scored only 18 goals since September 2020 and hits 28 this month.

Donny Van De Beek and Jadon Sancho are definitely not wanted by Erik Ten Hag and if decent offers come in, they will go unless there is a dramatic turn of events such as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s intervention if he purchases 25 per cent of the club shares in time.

He is known to regard Sancho highly. United will probably have two more transfer windows in which to receive a fee for Mason Greenwood as both supporters and players say they do not want him back at the club. He is currently loan at Getafe in Spain on. 

Hamstring injuries ko Alisson and Jota

The injury to Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is not as bad as first feared. He is likely to be back to face Manchester United on December 17.

Alisson, for my money, the best stopper in Europe, sustained a hamstring injury against Manchester City last weekend. He is likely to miss games against Fulham, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace before United visit Anfield.

Klopp will again give Caomhin Kelleher his chance between the posts. Liverpool fans were also dismayed to see Diogo Jota suffer yet another hamstring injury, also against City, and he too will be missing this weekend’s home game against Fulham.

Emery plays down Villa success

Aston Villa coach Unai Emery is a realist. Despite his team reaching the dizzy heights at the top of the Premier League table, he believes a top-six finish is still a tough challenge.

Emery thinks Manchester City, United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle all have a better chance than Villa in reaching the Champions League next season.

However, he says: “With 25 matches still to come, a lot of things can happen. We will continue to be demanding and focused.”

Emery has quietened reports that Villa could sell Douglas Luiz in January despite Arsenal claiming they will pay big money to take him to the Emirates Stadium.

Emery said: “Douglas is a very important player for us but is also very happy here so we want to keep him.”

Villa travel to Bournemouth on Sunday and Emery expects a hard-fought game against a team that is continuing to improve. 

De Bruyne back after Christmas

Good news for Manchester City fans: Kevin De Bruyne expects to be back in January. It seems such a long time ago since he limped off the field after 22 minutes of the first game of the season in August.

He had surgery on his hamstring which was an ongoing problem. He is now back at the club where the medical team are working hard on his return to fitness.

Kevin has been enjoying himself, however, despite the disappointment of his injury. He attended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend and was mixing with the drivers on the grid when he was asked when he might return to playing for City.

He said: “It’s going well, getting along. Hopefully, I will be back sometime in the New Year.” 

United keep tabs on Bayern’s Muller

Manchester United have put together a report regarding Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller. The 34-year-old Germany star has only started four games this season and usually comes on as a late sub in the second half.

Thomas has been at Bayern his entire career but with his contract expiring in the summer, he has hinted that he might not sign a new deal. United coach Erik Ten Hag is a long-time admirer of Muller. 

Possible increase in VAR powers

In what might be a step too far for most supporters, the body which writes football’s rules is considering whether to extend VAR’s powers to include checking free kicks, corners and second yellow cards.

A working group appointed by Fifa has been studying video assistant referees with regard to giving them greater responsibilities.

The obvious objection is that it will slow games down and leave supporters frustrated and angry because of longer and more frequent delays.

No decision will be taken before March 2024 but the subject was on the agenda of a meeting in London this week held by the International Football Board (IFAB).

The problem is that referees on the field are currently responsible for deciding corners and free kicks and there have been frequent mistakes recently leading to goals that should not have been allowed and players being sent off after a second caution which should not have been yellow carded.

Other possible changes include a rugby-style ‘sin bin’ where a player who commits a bad foul can be sent off for a while during the match but can return to the match once that punishment is served.

Lukas Brud, the chief executive of IFAB said: “There is a lot of interest from different stakeholders for the idea where only the captain can legally approach the referee. Players approaching aggressively simply cannot be tolerated any longer.”

There have been instances lately when a player has been booked for persistently complaining to the referee. 

Chelsea again targeting Osimhen

Last summer, Chelsea tried to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli. The Italian giants fought off the Blues challenge for the 24-year-old and Villarreal’s Nicolas Jackson went to Stamford Bridge instead.

Fast forward a few months and it appears that Osimhen has fallen out with his Italian employers, who released a video which appeared to mock him although the club owners deny this.

Chelsea are not 100 per cent happy with Jackson, who blows hot and cold, and are again focusing on Osimhen but Napoli’s huge price tag of £100 million could end any genuine interest.

There is no doubting the Nigerian’s quality. He has scored 26 goals in 32 appearances and this season he is again in excellent form, netting six goals in nine games. 

Hojberg tells his agent to 'look around'

Dutch club Ajax have joined a queue of interested parties in Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojberg. He was hoping for a decent run in the starting team with most of the midfield unavailable for various reasons but is constantly left on the bench.

Hojberg has now spoken to his agent and told him to explore serious offers. He turned down a move to Fulham in the last transfer period but the Cottagers are still interested in signing him, alongside Juventus and Atletico Madrid.

Tottenham’s £30million valuation is putting off a lot of teams but I understand they might be willing to revise that price when the January transfer window opens. 

Hudson-Odoi returns to help Forest

Forest coach Steve Cooper says he is delighted Callum Hudson-Odoi looks to be over this recent hamstring injury. He came on as a second-half substitute against Brighton but Cooper told us that he didn’t intend to play him quite so early in the match but “it was good to get him back and he is going to be important for us.”

Leading goalscorer Taiwo Awonyi will be out until the New Year as his groin injury requires surgery. 

Sheffield beating Burnley is vital for coach’s survival

Against all the odds, Paul Heckingbottom is still the coach at Sheffield United. After two years at the club, The Blades find themselves in the bottom three with five points, just one point above Burnley and Everton— after their 10-point deduction.

It is a league table position they have been in since August. The club did not have big money to spend at the beginning of the season and most of the players were at the club which won promotion from the Championship last year.

Heckingbottom remains cool, calm, and confident he can turn things around. It all depends on how the team performs this Saturday.

After a heart-breaking 3-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth, a win or loss at Burnley could define Sheffield’s season and also the survival of Heckingbottom.