James Ward-Prowse is blessed with all the technical talent a young English player could ask for. Yet, aged 23 and now 154 games into his Premier League career, you have to wonder whether the Southampton midfielder will find a way to consistently convert it into match-winning prowess.
Saints’ FA Cup clash with Fulham on Saturday gave us a snippet of a world where the one-cap England international realises something close to the full extremities of his powers, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win by anticipating a loose ball in the home side’s box and pouncing accordingly.
In addition, Ward-Prowse produced the most efforts at goal and created the most scoring chances of any Southampton player, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side claimed a confidence-boosting win against Championship opposition.
While Saints fans will be pleased to see the young midfielder produce good form, especially amid their struggles in the Premier League, Ward-Prowse’s performance was as frustrating as enjoyable – that irritation being his failure to use his obvious talent to prove the difference on a more consistent basis.
More than anything else, it appears a question of game intelligence, having the nous to get into the positions where his technical talent truly becomes evident.
That goal could well prove to be a turning point for the midfielder, who has struggled for game-time in the Premier League this season. But one thing is for certain; at the age of 23, Ward-Prowse needs to start producing to the levels he’s capable of, like he did against Fulham. Being a tidy footballer alone won’t suffice for too much longer.
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If there’s a problem or an imbalance in this Tottenham squad, it’s not at all obvious.
This is the first year in three that Spurs haven’t been considered to be in title contention after Christmas, but perhaps like the rest of the current top six, they can point to the fact that they wouldn’t be quite so far behind in a normal season – that Manchester City are simply doing something extraordinary so far this campaign.
But for the side who finished last season with both the most goals scored and the fewest conceded, to find themselves doing nothing special on either account so far this year clearly shows that the momentum has been curtailed somewhat. There are numerous reasons why – the Wembley situation at the start of the season and their impressive improvement in Europe, for example.
Indeed, there’s been improvement in the Premier League, too, since the final group game of the Champions League in December, even if it didn’t come straight away.
Since losing to Manchester City in mid-December, there’s been a marked change in Spurs’ defensive solidity. They’ve conceded just three goals since then, though two came in a game against Southampton and were consolations as Mauricio Pochettino’s side ran out 5-2 winners on Boxing Day. Getting Davinson Sanchez back was a boost after the City game, whilst the return of Toby Alderweireld will help strengthen even more at that end.
At the other end, meanwhile, it would be ridiculous to say that Spurs lack goals with Harry Kane breaking records left, right and centre. Beyond that, too, it would be churlish to point to a lack of support with some other fabulous players in the team.
And yet, that’s the place where Spurs should look to strengthen this January.
Attacking play is all about options and doing something out of the ordinary, especially for a manager like Pochettino, whose attacking systems can sometimes be a little rigid – and when it’s not working, it’s hard to force it.
That’s perhaps why Fernando Llorente found his way to Wembley this season. His height and aerial ability gives Spurs something than what they had last year, whilst the ability of the likes of Kieran Trippier when it comes to crossing or Christian Eriksen on free kicks seemed to make that a viable option. It hasn’t worked out that way, though there’s still time for the Spaniard to settle into becoming an important player for his club.
Then there were two other links last summer, neither of which came off. Ross Barkley was a player whose name kept cropping up in the Tottenham pages of newspapers, whilst Wilfried Zaha was said to have been another target, though that one was put to bed fairly early in the transfer window.
But now it’s January. Barkley is no longer and option and Llorente isn’t quite as effective as he might have been. That means you have to question what the link was between the now-Chelsea midfielder and the Crystal Palace winger: you wouldn’t think they’d be similar players, but clearly there was a reason Spurs turned their interest to Barkley when Zaha wasn’t available.
It might be to do with the fact that both players aren’t just adept at taking the game to their opposition directly, but they revel in it. Zaha with his pace and trickery, Barkley with his balance and poise, and his uncanny ability to play one-twos to take his team up the pitch.
This matters to Spurs. They don’t have a player who they can rely on to beat a man in order to break a press. They have to work their way around teams and hope that their systems and passing angles do the trick.
In January, Pochettino might have his sights on Zaha once again, but failing that, it’s Nabil Fekir who Spurs should be targeting.
A similar sort of tricky player, Fekir is a man who’s known bad luck and rebuilt. Seemingly on the verge of great things and a big money move from his current club Lyon a few years ago, the Frenchman ruptured his cruciate ligament and has only just come back to top form again this season.
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But now he’s back, orchestrating attacks behind the forward line and showing his skill, directness and flair for a key pass. Those are traits which will allow him to fit into this Spurs side well enough, but something else is impressive about Fekir this season: he’s scoring goals.
14 in 17 Ligue 1 games is a wonderful tally for an attacking midfielder, and a further two in Europe shows his pedigree. Indeed, he’s currently on a run of four goals in four games, which might suggest a January move would suit him, as he can hit the ground running and carry over his form.
Spurs aren’t in dire need of an attacking threat. They arguably have the foremost attacking threat in the world at present. But they do need a spark to ignite those game where they just can’t seem to break the deadlock. They tried in the summer with Llorente, but there’s certainly no harm in bringing a player in with a different profile to his teammates, and who can bring something new to the table.
If Zaha is still off-limits, then Fekir should be that man.
Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has claimed that Marcus Rashford might be forced to leave Manchester United for the sake of his career.
Rashford, 20, has already made 36 appearances in all competitions for United this season – scoring an impressive 10 goals in the process.
The attacker is without a goal in his last eight Premier League matches, however, and has struggled to hold down a regular position in the team in recent weeks.
Alexis Sanchez’s arrival is also expected to harm Rashford’s chances of securing a position in Jose Mourinho’s starting team at Old Trafford.
Pundit Redknapp has said that Rashford ‘probably needs to go and play football somewhere’ following Sanchez’s switch from Arsenal.
Redknapp told Sky Sports:
“I just feel for people like Marcus Rashford. They go down the pecking order and he’s probably thinking where do I fit in now.
“He might have to go in the end. It doesn’t help your confidence. Every time you are training you think ‘I’m not going to play on Saturday’.
“He probably needs to go and play football somewhere. It is a shame but that’s modern day football and that’s why it’s so hard for young British players to get opportunities.”
United will look to continue their impressive run of form when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
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Rashford was on the scoresheet in United’s 4-0 win over Yeovil Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup last week.
According to reports in the Daily Echo, £6m Southampton flop Florin Gardos is free to negotiate a move away with his contract unlikely to be extended in the summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Saints signed the Romania international in a £6m deal from Steaua Bucharest in 2014, but the 29-year-old has been hampered by injuries throughout his time at St Mary’s and has made just 18 appearances in all competitions, with 11 of those coming in the Premier League.
The centre-back’s contract with the south coast outfit is due to run out in the summer, and according to the Daily Echo the club has no intention of renewing it, meaning the defender can now speak to other clubs about signing a pre-contract agreement deal before the end of the season.
The report adds that Gardos’ teammate Jeremy Pied also finds himself in a similar boat, with an exit likely for him this summer too.
How has Gardos done with Southampton?
It has been a tough three-and-a-half year spell for the Romanian centre-back.
When he initially joined in 2014 he had to battle with captain Jose Fonte and loanee Toby Alderweireld for a place at the heart of the defence, and even when the latter joined Totteham Hotspur he was then replaced by Virgil van Dijk.
Injuries have also played a big part in the 29-year-old being labelled as a flop, although there were some games where he looked as though he had the ability to be a success in the Premier League – he played 69 minutes as the club won 1-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford in January 2015 and looked more than capable.
Will he be missed?
Probably not, no.
Saints supporters have barely seen enough of Gardos to know whether he is good enough to play for them regularly or not, but given his lack of involvement this season even though he is fit, they probably have their answer right there.
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With Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida, Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek all ahead of him in the pecking order, it is no surprise that he will be on his way out of St Mary’s in the summer.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers boss Graeme Murty has confirmed that midfielder Jordan Rossiter is again injured after suffering an ankle injury in an U20s match last weekend.
The midfielder has made just ten appearances for the Light Blues since joining from Liverpool, where he also had significant injury problems in his attempt to break through to the first team.
It’s frustrating for the player, his coaches and supporters too, all of whom are hoping he has what it takes to make the grade at Ibrox. In his few appearances so far, he’s showing glimpses of quality that could make him a big hit at Ibrox.
Fans though are losing patience, with many now believing that the club should cut their losses with the 20-year-old this summer due to his failure to be fit for any decent length of time.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…
Sunderland fans have been praising the brilliance of Bryan Oviedo, after the Costa Rica international scored a sensational goal in the Black Cats draw at Millwall.
There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Sunderland fans this season, but the travelling support certainly enjoyed Oviedo’s strike to open the scoring at The Den on Saturday.
Oviedo played a quick one-two from a corner before dummying past one defender and smashing a left-footed strike into the top corner. The hosts drew level in the 69th minute through Shaun Hutchinson and the Black Cats are still four points adrift of safety, so there is work to be done yet.
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Still, the travelling fans were treated to a glorious goal from Oviedo and have clearly enjoyed his performances this season. The 28 year-old, valued at £2.2million on Transfermarkt, has grabbed two goals and added four assists this season after signing from Everton last January.
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Sunderland fans took to Oviedo’s post match tweet to congratulate him on the goal, and tell him just what they think of the season he’s having…
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League when they host Juventus in the second leg of their last 16 tie at Wembley on Wednesday night.
Spurs looked to have a tough task to progress when they found themselves 2-0 after just nine minutes in the first leg in Turin last month, but Harry Kane scored ten minutes before the break to bring them back into the game.
A missed penalty by Gonzalo Higuain on the stroke of half-time proved to be the turning point, with Christian Eriksen securing a 2-2 draw for his side against the Serie A giants.
The north London outfit know that any win or a goalless or 1-1 draw will be enough to take them through to the last eight, and they will be confident of achieving that given they are unbeaten in their last 17 fixtures in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against Manchester City in December.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have also only lost at Wembley twice all season – with their previous reverse at the stadium coming in October – and he will know the importance of this match for the club both now and in the future in terms of revenue, keeping their stars and future player recruitment.
Pochettino has made minor changes to his XI in recent weeks between games in Europe, the FA Cup and the Premier League, and he could be tempted to make some more against the Italian team to ensure they get the result that they want.
Here is how Tottenham must line up against Juventus on Wednesday, ahead of Hugo Lloris in goal…
Defence
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With Toby Alderweireld set to miss out against Juventus as he continues to get back to fitness following his injury, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen pick themselves at the heart of the back four right now.
Ben Davies also looks to be ahead of Danny Rose in the pecking order at left-back, but things are less clear on the opposite flank.
Serge Aurier started at right-back against Juventus in the first leg and against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, but as he is suspended for the second he will be replaced by Kieran Trippier, and that could prove to be a blessing given the Ivory Coast international clumsily gave away the penalty that Gonzalo Higuain missed last month.
Midfield
Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele have played alongside each other in the middle of the park for the majority of the campaign with Victor Wanyama absent with a knee injury, and the Kenya international has struggled to break into the XI on his return.
While he did start the 1-0 win against Crystal Palace, he once again found himself on the substitutes’ bench against Huddersfield Town on Saturday and he should find himself there again given the good form that both Dier and Dembele seem to be in right now.
Attack
Pochettino once again has some big decisions to make for the three attacking midfield positions against Juve, with Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-Min, Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura all fighting for a spot in the XI in recent weeks.
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Lamela got the nod against the Italian giants in the first leg but he was only a substitute against Huddersfield at Wembley – alongside Lucas – and the Argentine must start the home leg too with the Brazilian and Alli settling for places on the bench again against Juve, with Eriksen and the in-form Son – who has scored four goals in Spurs’ last two games – both deserving to start.
Harry Kane will once again lead the line up top, as he looks to fire Tottenham to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since they faced Real Madrid in 2011.
Prior to Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, much of the talk was dominated by how Manchester United would go about stopping the Reds’ lightening fast front three and, in particular, Mo Salah.
Nobody at United has been able to truly nail down the left-back slot, with converted winger Ashley Young filling the berth in recent games but by no means a long-term option. His performances in recent weeks had been patchy and that led many United fans to believe that Luke Shaw should have got the nod to face the red-hot Salah, who has 56 caps for Egypt.
However, it was the former Aston Villa man who was tasked with keeping the Egyptian quiet and the numbers show that he certainly rose to the challenge. Salah really struggled on Saturday, there’s no doubt about that.
He only had one shot on goal – a stoppage-time volley that sailed well over the bar – no shots on target and no dribbles. On top of that, he was dispossessed seven times as he couldn’t find any space in which to operate and also had four unsuccessful touches. A rather abysmal return for the Premier League’s top scorer.
And Salah’s individual display only summed up Liverpool’s afternoon at Old Trafford – a frustrating affair in which United’s resilient defensive shape stopped them from hitting anywhere close to the level of attacking form we’ve come to expect from them this season.
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With his Manchester United career seemingly in tatters after being hauled off at half-time during a 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday and then publicly lambasted once again by Jose Mourinho, Luke Shaw will surely be one of the hottest properties in the Premier League transfer market this summer.
The then-teenager was rated as arguably English football’s most exciting prospect when he completed a move to Old Trafford in summer 2014, commanding a world-record fee for a full-back, and although it hasn’t worked out for him at United, the young defender is still just 22 years of age – he’s got more than enough time to realise his potential at another major Premier League club.
Mirror Football moot Arsenal and Chelsea as potential summer suitors, while The Times moot Tottenham and Everton as contenders for Shaw’s signature and The Chronicle have even suggested a surprise move to Newcastle.
And yet, for all the apparent interest in Shaw – who Transfermarkt now value at just £13.5million – and for all the glimpses of prodigious ability he’s shown in his short career, the constant criticisms from his managers can no longer be ignored, painting a picture of a player with all the talent in the world but lacking the right mindset.
In fact, pretty much the only manager to work with Shaw at senior level who hasn’t publicly questioned him at some point is current England boss Gareth Southgate. Here’s a look at what the remaining five all had to say…
Perhaps the first time the public became aware Shaw wasn’t quite the complete package, despite his lofty transfer fee. During the same summer he was brought to Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal revealed he wasn’t happy with the England international’s fitness, to the extent that he’d been put on a personal regime that saw him train away from the rest of the first team squad. At the time, van Gaal’s criticisms weren’t read into all that much – this was, after all, an 18-year-old’s first pre-season at an elite Premier League club. It soon became apparent though that other managers shared the Dutchman’s concerns.
Luke Shaw’s 18 months under Mauricio Pochettino’s guidance at Southampton is widely seen as the most affluent period of his career, starting games more often than not and excelling in a philosophy that required dynamism on both defensive flanks. However, even the Spurs boss, who has been tipped to seek a reunion with Shaw this summer, had serious doubts over the seven-cap international which he shared in his book Brave New World, published last year. Rather than fitness or ability, his biggest concern with Shaw appears to be his commitment and mindset. A diet and extra fitness training certainly won’t change that.
Roy Hodgson is the kind of man who can criticise with a smile on his face, and his concerns over Shaw’s fitness certainly didn’t come with the same undertones of disappointment as van Gaal’s. But also publicly expressing them in 2014, the real significance here is how both managers share the same point of view, seemingly fearing Shaw lacks the fitness and industry to consistently meet the demands of modern day full-backs. This would soon become a recurring theme throughout his United career.
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While Mourinho has questioned Shaw’s fitness at times as well, this quote from April last season is a far more damning indictment of the defender, claiming he made every decision for the Englishman after bringing him on from the bench in a 1-1 draw with Everton. It came just days after Mourinho had questioned Shaw’s focus, creating a picture of a player who has failed to grasp the necessary positional intelligence to become a top-quality full-back. Mourinho’s comments last Saturday after hauling Shaw off shared similarities, particularly in referencing defensive positioning.
Nigel Adkins gave Shaw his big break at Southampton, but later revealed to TalkSPORT that precautions were taken because of the youngster’s lack of fitness, claiming he’d rarely even completed ninety minutes for the U18s before being bumped up to the first team. In fairness, a big part of that was due to Shaw’s age and concerns that his body hadn’t fully developed. But the fact so many managers have questioned Shaw’s fitness at senior level too gives Atkins remarks something of a new meaning; for whatever reason, it seems to have been an almost permanent struggle for the United defender.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Dundee manager and former Rangers star Neil McCann has blasted Bruno Alves for a challenge on Craig Wighton during the clash between the two sides on Saturday.
The Light Blues dominated the Scottish Premiership match-up at Ibrox, winning 4-0, but Dundee boss McCann believes Alves was lucky to stay on the pitch after an incident just two minutes after the Portuguese came on as a substitute.
It involved Craig Wighton, who is just recently returning to action after a cruciate ligament injury. The 20-year-old attacked was scythed down by Alves, who was booked for the challenge.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, a fuming McCann said:
I have to say that was a disgusting challenge from Alves – a joke.
I’ve got a boy who’s just returning from a cruciate ligament and that’s a scissor action. It is almost thigh-high.
I am furious with it. It is a yellow card, could easily have been red in my mind. I did an interview the other day when I said the game is not too tough but I am all for protection.
It was a shocking challenge.
Strong words indeed from the former Gers winger, who won nine trophies with the club in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
The incident comes after a number of high profile red cards in the Scottish Premiship recently, such as the one dished out to Andrew Davies last week, who was condemned after he flew into a heavy challenge on Celtic captain Scott Brown.
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The Scottish game has a reputation for being hard hitting, perhaps to its benefit on occasion, but nobody likes to see players out for lengthy periods of times and although Wighton was ultimately unscathed, it’s not surprising to see his manager seek protection for him in the weeks and months to come.