Ange Postecoglou is on the brink of being sacked, UK pundits and press are saying – though it will cost Tottenham a fortune to part ways with the Australian manager.
A grim 2-1 home loss to relegation-threatened Leicester City has piled more pressure on Postecoglou and his injury-riddled squad.
Former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara, a constant critic of the Australian, said an “inquest” should be held into the half-time address, after Tottenham conceded two goals in four minutes straight after the break.
“It was one of the worst performances I’ve seen. Another shocking result, another shocking performance,” O’Hara said on Sky Sports.
“I don’t know how Ange can stay in the job. I don’t know what needs to happen and I don’t know what happens at the top with (chairman) Daniel Levy.”
Ange Postecoglou barks orders against Leicester.Source: Getty Images
O’Hara pointed out that Spurs had signed only a back-up goalkeeper thus far in the transfer window, despite the injury crisis; saying Levy’s leadership was an issue and the club was unwilling to pay star-level wages like other major Premier League clubs.
Yet for on-field performances, the buck stops with Postecoglou.
“Ange Postecoglou is out of his depth. Man management, in-game management, not good enough today. Running out of ideas, he tried to change the tactics against Everton last week and we were 3-0 down at half-time. We go 2-1 down against Leicester and I don’t see a change in a way that we play, I don’t see a change in the way we do things.
“They’re a relegation fight. Spurs are in a relegation fight, I’m telling you now. Teams are picking up underneath them.
“Every team around them, if you look at it — West Ham sacked their manager, Everton sacked their manager, Man United sacked their manager, Wolves sacked their manager.
“One win in 11, 13 defeats in the Premier League. Unacceptable. Spurs are in a relegation fight and they need to buck up their ideas, sign some good players – quickly – and make a decision on what you’re doing with Ange Postecoglou.
“Because at the moment, what he’s giving out ain’t good enough. And I know there’s injuries and I know there’s problems, but that is unacceptable. You can’t lose 13 games in the Premier League as a Spurs manager.
“I know you’ve got the Carabao Cup semi-finals second leg against Liverpool, who are by far the best team in Europe at the moment, and you’ve clinging on to hope that we might get to a final and Ange gives it, ‘Well, we’ll win a trophy in my second season’. Do me a favour. You’re the Spurs manager, you’re 15th in the table and you’ve lost 13 games. That’s not acceptable.
“I think he’ll get the sack after the Liverpool game (February 6). We’ll get beat.”
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou amid a poor loss to Leicester City.Source: Getty Images
Knives are being sharpened in the UK press also.
“A game that was supposed to ease fears of relegation brought another dismal defeat for Tottenham Hotspur, new levels of fury for the chairman, Daniel Levy, and left Ange Postecoglou under the kind of pressure most managers would not survive,” wrote Tom Allnutt in The Times.
“Spurs have now mustered one win in 11 in the Premier League, against Southampton last month, while this made it four losses in a row, the bottom three creeping ever closer to a side in freefall and a club in open revolt with their supporters.
“Tottenham’s injury crisis is well-documented and they were without ten players here, leaving the ones on the field either exhausted or unable to complete 90 minutes. Others, such as Richarlison, who came off with a sore groin, are returning only to break down again. For weeks this team have been down to their bare bones and, with the transfer window closing next Monday, the club are still to sign a single outfield player. That was the backdrop to the anger pouring down from the South Stand. The help Postecoglou has been calling for has simply not arrived.
“Yet Postecoglou will know what awaits managers when results send a team tumbling down the Premier League and when the fans turn their rage towards the board. Levy was sitting blank-faced here as the calls for him to go rang around the stadium. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven could be back next weekend for the trip to Brentford but will Postecoglou be there to see it?”
Utd pick up hard fought win over Fulham | 01:31
Wrote Matt Law for The Telegraph: “As the chants of “we want Levy out” echoed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ange Postecoglou will surely have been aware that days such as this rarely end well for the chairman’s head coaches.
“History tells us that when the fans turn on Levy, he usually turns on the manager and, no matter how desperate the club may have been not to rush into a decision on Postecoglou’s future, the Australian must now be in some peril.
“The mood was mutinous at the final whistle of Tottenham’s 13th league defeat of the season. Rather than hurrying for the exits, fans hung around to vent at Levy over the loud music and moved a banner that said “24 years, 16 managers, one trophy. Time for change” down to the front row of the South Stand.”
Ange Postecoglou is on thin ice after a loss to lowly Leicester.Source: Getty Images
The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg wrote: “It could be a defining result for both sides. While Leicester revelled in their show of defiance, with Boubakary Soumaré superb in midfield, an injury-hit Spurs floundered again. Postecoglou, who saw tired limbs and frazzled minds on the pitch, is in trouble. Spurs are eight points above the relegation zone after one win in 11 games and it would not be a surprise if this proves a defeat too far for the Australian.
“However this is a decline that goes right to the top, which is why the venom directed at Levy felt significant. “Nothing will change until he leaves,” was one Spurs fan’s verdict on a chairman whose tenure has brought only one trophy in 24 years.”
Parting ways with Postecoglou won’t come cheap, if that is to be Spurs’ decision in coming days/weeks.
“Should Levy decide to sack Postecoglou though, it is sure to cost him a pretty penny,” Anthony Chapman wrote for The Sun.
“Former Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness told the Inside Track podcast that Big Ange is earning £5 million-a-year ($9.9 million) on a four-year deal.
“And with Postecoglou only being 18 months through it, Levy would have to shell out £12m ($23.8 million) to get rid of him right now.”
After mounting a surprise title tilt last season, with Granit Xhaka enjoying one of his finest campaigns for the Gunners, Mikel Arteta still believed he could find an upgrade in the centre of the park – and he splashed a Premier League-record £105m for Declan Rice.
Now, Rice is becoming an integral cog in the engine room as the Gunners remain firmly in the mix for the title.
What impresses Arteta most about Rice? “The way he dominates key aspects of the game,” replied the manager.
“First of all, it’s the way he reads the game, his intelligence, his decision-making on and off the ball, when to pass the ball, how to pass it, where to look, how to execute, and the timing of that, which is very, very relevant, especially in his position.”
He’s only growing more and more connected with his teammates. He could be the key to going one better than last season and finishing with the coveted trophy.
Although the Gunners rounded out the first half of the season with a disappointing defeat at the Emirates to West Ham, it doesn’t take away from what’s been yet another dazzling run for Arteta’s side.
Declan Rice has looked worth every bit of Arsenal’s major investment. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ASTON VILLA (3rd, +15 GD, 39 pts): A
Mid-season MVP: Douglas Luiz
Plenty of expert predictions for this season had Villa finishing well out of the title race. Manchester United great Gary Neville predicted a sixth-place finish, while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher had them out of the top six. It’s fair to say precious few predicted a genuine title challenge, but that’s what Unai Emery’s men have served up. A staggering 15-game win streak on home soil came to an end just before Christmas, though they salvaged a draw with a 97th-minute equaliser against Sheffield United.
Villa’s inability to beat a number of lower-table teams this season — see Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Bournemouth and now Sheffield United — is their biggest blemish this season.
Three of those four games also came away from home, so if Villa are serious about a top four finish they must find a way to take maximum points when expected, especially against those who are struggling.
Ollie Watkins continues to turn in several all-action displays up front, contributing nine goals and six assists to date this season.
But the player most vital to Villa’s transformed fortunes is Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz who orchestrates every deadly move from midfield.
Luiz’s box-to-box displays have been something to behold as he breaks up opposition attacks only to drive the team up the field and thread the needle with aplomb.
Douglas Luiz is the midfield lynchpin driving Aston Villa forward. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)Source: AFP
BOURNEMOUTH (12th, -5 GD, 25 pts): B+
Mid-season MVP: Dominic Solanke
Last season was a shemozzle, a mess, a rollercoaster (but not the fun kind). Remember the 9-0 thumping from Liverpool that saw Scott Parker sacked in August? Then came an ownership takeover, a slump to last place in March, before a late-season resurgence to finish 15th under Gary O’Neil, who probably deserved to win manager of the season.
They embarked on a stunning spending spree in the off-season, with a whopping net spend of €126.19m – sixth in the Premier League and in front of Liverpool and Newcastle United. Then they sacked manager O’Neil before the season began. The new owners had high expectations – but while there’s been some promising signs, things haven’t been smooth sailing. They were 19th and winless after nine games (three points), but have since turned things around impressively to rack up 22 points from the next nine games (W7 D1 L1).
After a 6-1 defeat to Man City they could have fallen apart, but instead they’ve been one of the form teams in the league to soar out of the relegation battle.
The big difference from last season has been Solanke’s form, with the ex-Liverpool striker hitting 12 league goals in 18 games – more than last campaign’s top scorer Philip Billing (7) managed in a full season. If he stays at Bournemouth (amid interest from Tottenham and West Ham), the Cherries could even threaten a top-half finish.
Dominic Solanke is enjoying an absurd goalscoring run. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
BRENTFORD (14th, -3 GD, 19 pts): C-
Mid-season MVP: Bryan Mbuemo
It was always going to be a tall task spending half a season without star striker Ivan Toney, but Brentford have managed to survive.
Toney was banned from playing until early January after breaching the FA’s gambling rules, meaning the Bees had to rely on other sources for goals.
Cameroonian winger Bryan Mbuemo has largely shouldered the burden and has a club-leading seven Premier League goals to his name.
However, Brentford — and this will be a constant theme for a lot of these teams, so bear with us — have been crippled by serious injuries throughout the season.
Kevin Schade, who turned his loan move to Brentford into a permanent one in the summer, was meant to help share the goalscoring duties but has been out of action since late September with no return date set in.
Star defender Rico Henry is out for the season while right back Aaron Hickey has also been sidelined for several months among others.
The Bees’ form this season has also been quite patchy, winning just one of their first eight games before four victories in their next six. But they’ve now lost four in a row and six of their last seven, seeing them slide towards the relegation zone.
With Toney due to return in mid-January, it could be the boost Brentford need to kickstart their season once again.
Brentford have struggled without their star striker Ivan Toney this season. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
BRIGHTON (8th, +5 GD, 30 pts): B-
Mid-season MVP: Pascal Groß
After the lofty heights of a sixth-place finish last season, high expectations had been set for the Seagulls in the 2023/24 campaign.
But a bright start in which Brighton won five of their opening six games is in the distant past, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side have tasted victory just three times in the following 12.
Although De Zerbi’s great entertainers have been kept scoreless just once this season, they have scored two or more goals just five times since a 3-1 win over Bournemouth in late September.
What is most alarming about Brighton this season is the number of goals they’ve shipped, which stands at 33.
For reference, 16th-placed Nottingham Forest and 18th-placed Luton Town have conceded 34.
Part of this is no doubt down to a backline crippled by injuries.
Star left back Pervis Estupinan had been out for some time before marking his return to action with a screamer against Tottenham, while Tariq Lamptey and Adam Webster have also spent time on the sidelines.
De Zerbi has also switched between Jason Steele and summer signing Bart Verbruggen in the goalkeeper position, offering little consistency in a crucial part of the field after Roberto Sanchez’s exit to Chelsea.
One shining light of consistency this season has been German stalwart Pascal Groß, who continues to be a vital cog in De Zerbi’s Brighton machine.
Another bright spot for Brighton is the goalscoring prowess of Joao Pedro, who joined from Watford for a club-record fee of £30 million.
And despite all of the things that have gone awry for the Seagulls this season, they’re still just three points away from the Europa League spots.
Joao Pedro (centre) leads the goalscoring charts for Brighton. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
BURNLEY (19th, -20 GD, 11 pts): D
Mid-season MVP: Josh Brownhill
Burnley won the Championship last season at a canter but life in the Premier League has most certainly not been kind.
There was plenty of intrigue as to whether Vincent Kompany’s brand of football at Turf Moor would hold up against the best England has to offer and so far, the answer has been a resounding no.
Kompany took a significant risk going into the season with the youngest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 24 years and 170 days.
So far, it is a risk that has not paid off as Burnley sit 19th and have conceded the second-most goals in the league.
Burnley lost 11 of their first 13 games, achieving a win and a draw over fellow relegation candidates Luton Town and Nottingham Forest respectively.
But apart from that, there hasn’t been much to sing about on the terraces of Turf Moor although a much-needed 2-0 victory away at Fulham will give Kompany’s troops a needed lift going into the second half of the season.
Skipper Josh Brownhill has been one of the few shining lights in this Burnley team, providing a wiser head in a team brimming with young and eager minds.
Staying up this season will be a mammoth task but with Kompany’s remarkable leadership skills, don’t count out the Clarets just yet in the fight for survival.
Vincent Kompany has a massive job on his hands to keep Burnley in the Premier League. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
CHELSEA (10th, +2 GD, 25 pts): F
Mid-season MVP: Cole Palmer
If Chelsea fans thought last year would be the worst of it, well, can only provide our condolences.
A fresh start under new manager Mauricio Pochettino as well as several of the players becoming more familiar with the Premier League had Blues fans hoping for the world.
Instead, they’ve been delivered an atlas.
Chelsea managed to ship off $AUD435 million worth of talent (per Transfermarkt) elsewhere including Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City) and Mason Mount (Manchester United) to name just four.
But the players brought in — at an estimated total expense of $756 million — have simply not lived up to the billing.
Defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo was the most expensive of the lot, joining Chelsea from Brighton for an eye-watering $187 million.
Yet the Ecuadorean continues to struggle to live up to his price tag and doesn’t look at home in Pochettino’s system.
Sure, Pochettino has been dealt a somewhat rough hand with injuries as skipper Reece James continues to spend more time off the pitch than on it while the likes of Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella are sidelined for some time.
Yet for a team that has been so expensively assembled and one of Chelsea’s grand stature, just six wins from 17 league games is simply not good enough.
One summer signing who has looked sharp since arriving is Cole Palmer, who looked to be a seriously risky piece of business at $76 million.
But the Manchester City youth product has delivered several crucial performances for Pochettino’s side and is cold as ice when stepping up to take penalties.
Despite Palmer’s emergence, it cannot be ignored that Chelsea are a serious risk of failing to qualify for European football for a second-straight season.
And if that happens, it’s safe to say Chelsea’s answer will be to throw more money at it and hope it fixes itself.
Despite heavy investment in the summer, Chelsea are still struggling badly. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
CRYSTAL PALACE (15th, -9 GD, 18 pts): C-
Mid-season MVP: Eberechi Eze
After Roy Hodgson steered the club away from relegation at the end of last season, Crystal Palace rewarded him with a one-year extension.
It’s taken just 19 games for Hodgson, a boyhood Palace fan, to have the Eagles once again nervously looking over their shoulder at the drop to the Championship.
After just two defeats in the first eight games, Hodgson’s troops have suffered a massive nosedive in form.
Palace have lost seven of their last 11 fixtures, with only one win — against 19th-place Burnley — in that run.
The main issue crippling Palace is their inability to find the back of the net, with their tally of 19 goals the third-lowest in the league: only Burnley (18) and Sheffield United (15) are worse.
Talk is heating up about the Palace top brass eyeing up a move for Steve Cooper, who was recently sacked by Nottingham Forest, as a mid-season replacement for Hodgson.
It could be what the team needs if it is to surge up the table and unlock the attacking talent it possesses.
The dynamic duo of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze is one of the league’s most exciting on paper, but largely due to injuries they have not been able to share the field.
If those two can start to fire, Palace theoretically should pull away from the danger zone.
Roy Hodgson has overseen a worrying run of form at Crystal Palace lately. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
EVERTON (17th, -1 GD, 16 pts): B+
Mid-season MVP: Dwight McNeil
It’s worth starting with the obvious: Everton copped a Premier League-record ten-point penalty for financial breaches last month that dropped them to 19th and level on points with the bottom-placed team. Without it, they’d be in the top half of the table right now. But the players have responded brilliantly to that hefty blow, beating Newcastle and Chelsea comfortably in recent weeks to climb out of the relegation zone. They are doing so even after recording a €42.30m transfer profit in the off-season – one of only four teams to receive more than they spent. After narrowly avoiding relegation in recent seasons, the points penalty has ignited a fire in their collective belly and they look set to push well clear of danger.
The key marker of improvement behind Everton’s resurgence is their defensive record, a hallmark of Toffees boss Sean Dyche.
Everton have conceded just 25 goals this season, a figure equal with heavyweights like Newcastle and Manchester United.
Although Everton have improved as a collective, one star who looks especially rejuvenated under Dyche is winger Dwight McNeil.
The winger burst onto the scene at Burnley during Dyche’s tenure and the two are once again getting the best out of each other, with McNeil constantly whipping in dangerous crosses that have opposition backlines scrambling.
Despite a 10-point deduction, Everton have not been feeling sorry for themselves. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)Source: AFP
FULHAM (13th, -8 GD, 21 pts): C
Mid-season MVP: João Palhinha
After losing talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi club Al-Hilal in the summer, serious questions were going to be asked about Fulham and Marco Silva this season.
Would they have the same goalscoring credentials? Will Silva tweak his team’s style of play to mitigate the loss of Mitrovic?
Could they actually replace Mitrovic and achieve the same results?
In short, no.
Summer signing Raul Jimenez and Willian lead the club’s goalscoring charts in the Premier League with just four to their names, followed by Bobby Decordova-Reid and Alex Iwobi who have three each.
However, Fulham somehow managed to score 16 goals in the space of four games, including back-to-back 5-0 wins at home over Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.
Throw in a recent 2-0 defeat at home to relegation battlers Burnley and you start to see why Fulham are just a very, very odd team this season.
One man crucial to Fulham’s hopes of a comfortable mid-table finish this season is defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha, who almost joined Mitrovic out the exit door but to German giants Bayern Munich instead.
Palhinha could have easily downed tools given the move of a lifetime didn’t come off, but the opposite is true.
The Portuguese start leads the league in tackles by a massive margin and will be crucial to Fulham’s efforts in the second half of the 23/24 campaign.
Fulham are all but certain for a comfortable midtable finish. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
LIVERPOOL (1st, +23 GD, 42 pts): A+
Mid-season MVP: Mohamed Salah
They’re scoring goals for fun, have the best defensive record in the league and if it weren’t for an egregious officiating error, would be undefeated.
Oh, and they’re sitting in first place too.
It’s been some start to the season for Liverpool who have won 12 of their 19 league games so far.
Unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah has been pivotal to Liverpool’s success this season thanks to his 12 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.
The new-look Reds midfield has also impressed, especially summer arrival Dominik Szoboszlai.
Despite all of the Reds’ success this season, they have not been without their flaws.
Liverpool have had to come from behind to either win or draw on eight occasions this season and of those eight games, a goal has arrived in second-half stoppage time.
One side of that argument plays into Jurgen Klopp’s previous comments about his players being “mentality monsters”.
On the other hand, it is an unsustainable trend that could come back to bite Liverpool dearly.
Of course, the biggest question that faces Klopp’s side is how they will cope without Salah when he takes off for the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.
Given he has been involved in 19 of Liverpool’s 39 league goals this season, his absence takes away the team’s best goalscoring threat.
But Klopp is one of the best managers in the world for a reason and will have devised a plan to make up for Salah’s absence.
Just how well that plan works will likely prove the difference between winning the Premier League and falling agonisingly short yet again.
Mohamed Salah is vital to Liverpool’s title hopes. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Source: AFP
LUTON TOWN (18th, -13 GD, 15 pts): C-
Mid-season MVP: Ross Barkley
They’ve got no money, the smallest ground in the league, and it’s fair to say they were given no chance of survival. From the start of the season, they showed they were up for the fight. But the big question was always around whether they had enough quality.
In their first 12 games, they had six points and had scored just 10 goals. It felt like they probably deserved more – they gave Man Utd a huge scare and came within inches of beating Liverpool.
But they turned things around after that. Since then, they’ve scored 10 goals in six games and racked up nine points!
After being all-but-written-off in pre-season, they’re mounting a genuine run at avoiding relegation.
The Hatters have now won both games since captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest, including a genuine ‘six-pointer’ over Sheffield United.
Ex-PL defender Stephen Kelly told BBC Radio: “Sometimes it can be a horrendous moment like that that galvanises you as a group of players.
“Quality-wise I don’t think Luton are there when it comes to the Premier League and they can’t compete with the finances. But they compete with hard work, energy and desire.”
Maybe the magic touch of quality comes from Barkley, who has slotted in perfectly after joining from French first-tier team Nice in the off-season.
The former Everton and Chelsea midfield star is shining in a deeper role, picking up the ball deep and driving forward. His long balls and ability to draw in defenders has been crucial for Luton’s attack. The 30-year-old is undergoing a career resurgence – and it might just carry the Hatters to survival.
Ross Barkley is enjoying a career resurgence at Luton Town. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
MANCHESTER CITY (4th, +22 GD, 37 pts): A-
Mid-season MVP: Rodri
The status that comes with winning four Premier League titles in a row explains why this season so far feels a little below par for Manchester City.
It’s been a rather bizarre season for Pep Guardiola’s side, who found themselves in fourth at the halfway mark of the 23/24 season.
Some things remain relatively normal: Erling Haaland leads the golden boot race with 14, City are the league’s highest scorers with 43 and have conceded the third-fewest goals (21).
But there’s a feeling City, for the first time in a long while, might be a little vulnerable.
The absence of star Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has no doubt played a major role in that sentiment, while Haaland’s recent injury has lightened the load on opposition backlines.
Yet there’s one alarming stat which suggests those two aren’t the vital pieces to City’s title charge.
Instead, it’s Spanish midfielder Rodri.
Granted he’s not going to provide the mind-boggling assist and goal numbers De Bruyne and Haaland provide.
But from the three games City have not had Rodri available, they have lost all three: a 2-1 loss to Wolves as well as 1-0 defeats to Arsenal and Aston Villa.
City also could and perhaps should have a better defensive record, if not for the 4-4 and 3-3 goalfests against Chelsea and Tottenham respectively.
In fact, City have conceded goals in the 90th minute and beyond for three of their four draws this season, pointing to a serious concentration issue that has crept in for Guardiola’s side.
However, there’s always a sense of inevitability with City given they know exactly when to peak during the final run-in and simply cannot be counted out until it’s mathematically impossible.
Manchester City have not won when Rodri has been absent. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Source: AFP
MANCHESTER UNITED (7th, -4 GD, 31 pts): B-
Mid-season MVP: Bruno Fernandes
Let’s start with the positives. They’re seventh on the ladder and still in top-four contention. Bruno Fernandes is putting together a season for the ages when it comes to playmaking (more on that below). But it’s fair to say there are still big problems.
Ten times this season, Manchester United have conceded more than one goal in the space of 10 minutes or less. This month alone that has included two in five minutes (Villa), two in six (West Ham), two in five (Bournemouth).
Then there’s the attack. United have scored just 21 goals this season, which is the equal-third fewest of any team in the Premier League.
Before their impressive comeback win over Aston Villa, United’s forwards had scored a combined four league goals from open play in 18 games. The team had gone over 420 minutes without scoring before Garnacho’s opening goal against Villa. Big-money signing Rasmus Hojlund’s goal in the game was his first in the league … in his 15th appearance!
“Too many people talk about the strikers at Man Utd,” Garnacho said after the game.
United fans will be hoping their forwards can finally find some form and shut up the critics.
Thankfully, they’re getting plenty of service from Fernandes, who keeps creating chances at a remarkable rate. His expected assists this season stands at 6.47 per understat, while his actual assists is just three. If his teammates can stop missing so many chances, United can still make something of this season.
Bruno Fernandes is providing chances but his United teammates are struggling to finish them. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Source: AFP
NEWCASTLE (9th, +12 GD, 29 pts): B-
Mid-season MVP: Anthony Gordon
It was always going to be a difficult ask for Newcastle to build on the wild ride all the way to the Champions League they enjoyed last season.
And so far, that’s exactly what it’s proving to be.
A 5-1 win over Aston Villa and an 8-0 thrashing of Sheffield United are distant memories as Eddie Howe’s side limped its way to the halfway mark, losing four of their last five games.
The depth of Eddie Howe’s squad has been tested beyond belief as the addition of a European schedule has placed plenty of strain on a playing group desperately short on depth.
Couple that with lengthy injury spells to key players like Nick Pope, Harvey Barnes and Sven Botman to name three and it’s easy to understand why the Magpies are suffering this season.
There’s also been the unwanted distraction of marquee summer recruit Sandro Tonali’s suspension for gambling, robbing Newcastle of a player deemed pivotal to their domestic and European hopes.
But amid all the doom and gloom in the Toon, winger Anthony Gordon has been a shining light.
Gordon wears his heart on his sleeve and it’s his relentless energy that has resulted in vital goals for Newcastle.
The 22-year-old has six league goals to his name but, most crucially, has started 17 of 19 games.
Having guided Newcastle back to the Champions League last season, Howe’s job is extremely likely to be safe despite the team’s struggles this season.
But given it is the first sustained period of on-field woes, it will be extremely intriguing to see how patient Newcastle’s Saudi ownership are.
Newcastle are struggling to emulate the highs of last season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (16th, -12 GD, 17 pts): D
Mid-season MVP: Morgan Gibbs-White
It wasn’t anything close to the transfer extravaganza prior to their Premier League return last year, but Nottingham Forest still decided to loosen the pursestrings and bring a raft of stars to the City Ground, including star wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga.
Despite the high-profile additions, Forest boss Steve Cooper couldn’t quite get them firing when he needed to and as a result the cult hero was sacked.
Looking at Forest’s results this season and it’s hard not to see why club owner Evangelos Marinakis lost patience with Cooper.
Things appeared reasonably bright for the Reds at the start of the season having lost just four of their opening 11 games and even then, those defeats were to Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
But after a surprise 2-0 win at home against Aston Villa, the wheels fell off for Cooper and his team.
Four straight losses — including a 5-0 humiliation away to Fulham which resulted in Marinakis hurling his matchday accreditation into the front garden of a home near Craven Cottage — cranked up the pressure on Cooper.
A 1-1 draw against Wolves only proved to be a brief stay of execution, as a 2-0 loss to Tottenham the following week brought an end to Cooper’s time at the club.
Former Wolves boss Nuno Esperito Santo has now arrived and although he tasted defeat amid controversial circumstances in his first match in charge, Forest looked a brighter side in a 3-1 win away to Newcastle.
Although Forest may privately harbour aspirations bigger than just survival, Nuno’s remit will no doubt be to avoid the drop.
Dynamic forward Morgan Gibbs-White will be vital to achieving this aim, as will the goalscoring prowess of Kiwi striker Chris Wood.
Morgan Gibbs-White (left) is one star who is set to play a big role in keeping Forest up. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
SHEFFIELD UNITED (20th, -32 GD, 9 pts): E
Mid-season MVP: Gustavo Hamer
The Blades have lacked a cutting edge (sorry) up front, but they’ve also been sliced apart defensively. They’ve got the worst offensive and defensive record in the league by some distance. In fact, after 19 games, they hold the second-worst defensive record in Premier League history. Their 47 goals conceded is second only to Barnsley 1997-98 (50 conceded).
But to be fair, expectations were low this season, especially when they sold two key players in Iliman Ndiaye to Marseille and Sander Berge to rivals Burnley. At times they have been a shambles that feels more like a bunch of individuals than any sort of united team. They’ve lost two games 5-0 and another 8-0, sacked a manager and need a miracle to avoid relegation. It’s been a sorry season.
Hamer, a 15 million pound signing, has been a rare shining light. He struck an absolute screamer on his Premier League debut and has impressed with his workrate on and off the ball. He is creative and courageous – which sometimes results in gifting possession to the opposition too frequently – but he has the kind of intensity and drive to win that is infectious. At least, Sheffield fans will hope so, otherwise it will be straight back to the Championship for the Blades.
Sheffield United are favourites to be relegated. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
TOTTENHAM (5th, +11 GD, 36 pts): A
Mid-season MVP: Ange Postecoglou (we had to!)
From leading the league in October, to managing to find a way to score goals after losing arguably the club’s greatest-ever striker Harry Kane, and most importantly playing an attractive style of football, it’s been one hell of a start to the season for Spurs. They’ve faced a major injury crisis that’s about as bad as any team in the league, and took out two of their star signings (and most important players overall) James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
At the same time, they’ve been struck down by suspensions – like Cristian Romero, who sums up their season with his two red cards followed by a big injury.
Sure, they had a poor November, but overall the first half of the season has been more than impressive.
They lost 14 games last season. At the mid-point of this season, they’ve lost five.
And if Postecoglou thought he had already undergone a brutal test with a casualty ward at capacity as well as constant suspensions, he’s got a nightmare scenario in the very near future.
He’s about to lose star midfield duo Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr to the African Cup of Nations as well as club captain Heung-Min Son to the Asian Cup.
But the Australian boss has never shied away from a challenge and he won’t be about to do so now.
Perspective is also needed when viewing Postecoglou’s achievements amid the brutal hand he has been dealt when it comes to the unavailability of several of his first team stars.
When he’s had everyone free to play, we’ve seen just how good this Tottenham team can be.
Postecoglou has enjoyed a true rollercoaster of a Premier League season and we’re only at the halfway mark. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
WEST HAM (6th, +3 GD, 33 pts): B
Mid-season MVP: Jarrod Bowen
Prior to the season, the big question surrounding West Ham was about how they would navigate life without talismanic midfielder and captain Declan Rice after his £105 million move to Arsenal.
Granted, a direct replacement of Rice’s quality was just about impossible.
But thanks to the summer additions of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, Rice’s absence is not as keenly felt as first feared.
Hammers boss David Moyes also began the season as one manager tipped as a likely chance of getting sacked and, for a brief period this season, it looked like that could have eventuated.
A run of five defeats in seven games heaped pressure on the Scot, but in typical Moyes fashion, he managed to turn the ship around.
Since that run, West Ham have lost just once — a rogue 5-0 hammering at the hands of Fulham — and have won six of their last eight to rocket up from 12th place all the way to sixth.
Pivotal to this uptick in form is the dynamic trio of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.
Paqueta leads the league in the most through balls with 19, ahead of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard, and has five assists to his name.
After a slow start, Kudus has found his feet in the Premier League and has four goals in his last six league games.
But it is Bowen who has been the real shining light of West Ham, with his 11 goals to date proving vital.
His pace and ability to stretch opposition backlines is crucial to the Hammers hitting teams in transition and, as it stands, should be considered a lock for England’s squad at EURO 2024.
Jarrod Bowen is in sensational form for West Ham this season. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
WOLVES (11th, -4 GD, 25 pts): C
Mid-season MVP: Matheus Cunha
When Julen Lopetegui resigned on August 8, many Wolves fans would have been forgiven if they feared the worst going into this season.
The relatively underwhelming appointment of Gary O’Neil — who was sacked by Bournemouth not long after the end of the 2022/23 season — did little to allay those fears.
Despite the initial fears, Wolves fans backed O’Neil to the hilt and that bond has strengthened over the course of this season.
The highs have been very high for Wolves so far, with home wins against the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City giving the Molineux faithful plenty to sing about.
But the one thing that has tightened the bond between Wolves fans and O’Neil is the fact the club has been on the wrong side of an alarming number of VAR calls.
It began in the first match of the season when Wolves were denied what looked like a stonewall penalty after Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic.
Wolves also had two penalty calls go against them in the 3-2 defeat to Fulham, with O’Neil even claiming referee Michael Salisbury told him he made a mistake in awarding one of the penalties.
It led O’Neil to state his team had lost seven points as a result of VAR’s ineptitude, but it also helped create a siege mentality amongst the entire club.
To an extent it’s paid off, with Wolves sitting 10 points clear of the relegation zone and only six points off seventh, the position which qualifies a team for the Europa Conference League.
Matheus Cunha, who joined on a permanent deal in the summer, is a big reason for Wolves’ improvement this season as are the goals from Hwang Hee-Chan.
Cunha’s four goals and five assists goes some way to explaining the attacking threat he provides for O’Neil’s team and will look to continue to be a nuisance for the opposition.
Wrexham, the Welsh non-league club owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, stand 90 minutes away from achieving their ultimate goal: promotion.
A victory over Boreham Wood on Sunday (3:30am AEST) will end Wrexham’s 15-year exile from the English Football League (EFL) with one game to spare in the National League thanks to a 3-0 win over Yeovil Town last Wednesday.
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And the Welsh side has the chance to do it all in front of their passionate fans at The Racecourse.
Securing promotion would be the culmination of what has been one of the most enthralling title races and seasons the National League has ever witnessed.
Wrexham and second-placed Notts County have shared top spot a staggering 14 times over the course of the season.
Phil Parkinson’s side have also broken several records throughout and can now lay claim to the most points accrued in a single season (107 and counting), most goals scored (112 and counting), most wins (33 and counting) as well as fewest defeats (three).
Granted, there is an argument to be made that Wrexham have bought promotion given their ability to invest heavily on recruitment and bring players from higher leagues down to the fifth tier on big wages.
It’s also cruel on Notts County who have pushed Wrexham to the absolute limit this season without the backing of Hollywood actors and the big-money sponsorship that comes with such association
But there can be no denying Wrexham’s story has captured the hearts of not just the city itself, but of football and non-football fans across the globe.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has his side just one win away from promotion. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The TV show Welcome To Wrexham helped spread the word and story of the club, even if the conclusion of season one was a failure when it came to promotion.
Yet season two could have a significantly happier ending if all goes to plan against Boreham Wood on Sunday.
Foxsports.com.au takes a look at all the scenarios facing Wrexham in the final two games of the season and how Parkinson’s troops can get the promotion party started.
Bring on the Deadpool! (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
HOW DO WREXHAM GO UP?
Going into Wrexham’s clash against Boreham Wood, there are two fixtures left in the National League season.
Wrexham, the league leaders, sit on a staggering 107 points.
In second place, Notts County is on 103 points.
A win for Wrexham against Boreham Wood would take the Reds to 110 points and guarantee promotion, because even if Notts County win their penultimate league game against last-placed Maidstone United, a four-point gap with one game to go would remain.
Wrexham could also have promotion sewn up before they even take to the park as Notts County play Maidstone United three-and-a-half hours earlier.
Should Notts County lose, it would mean the four-point gap remains and Wrexham can dream of promotion without needing to win.
Put simply, promotion is in Wrexham’s hands.
Paul Mullin’s goalscoring exploits have been key to Wrexham’s season. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
WHISPER IT QUIETLY … BUT COULD WREXHAM BOTTLE PROMOTION?
Wrexham surely can’t lose it from here, right?
Wrong.
It would be an almighty collapse for the expensively-assembled team, but it’s very much a possibility.
Here’s how.
If Notts County beat Maidstone United, a result that seems a given based on the latter’s position on the ladder, it will decrease the gap at the top to one point.
With Wrexham due to play Boreham Wood three-and-a-half hours after Notts’ game, they will be well aware of their promotion rivals’ result.
Pressure can do funny things and if Notts get a win, Wrexham might just be looking nervously over their shoulders.
Boreham Wood are also no pushovers as the sixth-best team and boast the meanest defence in the National League, conceding a measly 35 goals.
The signing of Ben Foster has proved key in helping Wrexham over the finish line. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
There’s also another world in which Wrexham draw their next two games against Boreham Wood and Torquay United while Notts County beat both Maidstone United and York City.
Should that happen, both teams will end up on 109 points.
But, as it stands, Notts have the superior goal difference with +72 compared to Wrexham’s +71.
That would mean Notts go up automatically to League Two while Wrexham must slog it out in the lottery that is the National League play-offs for a second-straight season.
There’s also a cruel, cruel world in which Wrexham lose both their games.
Again, it hinges on what happens in Notts’ game against Maidstone, but a Notts win and a Wrexham loss means the former would be just one point behind the league-leaders with a game to go.
If Wrexham then goes on to lose to Torquay and Notts beat or draw with York City, that would also see Notts going up to the fourth tier of English football and Wrexham stuck in the play-offs.
Ryan produces TWO clutch penalty saves | 00:34
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, Reynolds and McElhenney’s second full season as Wrexham owners has thrown up some of the most memorable moments in the club’s history.
They came agonisingly close to a quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup and Ben Foster’s last-gasp penalty heroics in a 3-2 victory against Notts County only a few weeks ago will be talked about for years to come to name just two.
But a victory against Boreham Wood will eclipse all of those in a season of dreams and one that’ll make for gripping viewing in season two of Welcome To Wrexham, even if we know how the story ends.
Manchester United crashed out of the Europa League in shambolic fashion on Thursday with Sevilla beating them 3-0, to reach the semi-finals 5-2 on aggregate.
The record six-time winners thoroughly outplayed Erik ten Hag’s side, who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot again, having scored two own goals in the first leg.
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Harry Maguire, guilty of one of those calamitous moments, endured another as he gave the ball away on the edge of his own area and Youssef En-Nesyri pounced to break the deadlock early on.
Loic Bade headed home the second from a corner in the first minute of the second half, with Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side meriting their advantage, which they defended adroitly.
En-Nesyri rolled home his second goal into an empty net after United goalkeeper David de Gea put the ball on a plate for him with a mis-hit clearance while outside his area.
Red Devils legend Paul Scholes was scathing in his review of United’s performance.
“Tonight, they were outfought, outplayed, lacked the ability to take the ball and were so sloppy,” Scholes told BT Sport.
The loss also meant United has tumbled out of a European competition at the hands of a Spanish side in every season since they hoisted the Europa League in the 2016/17 season.
Ten Hag started with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw on the bench with the duo on their way back from injury.
With the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan rocking, Sevilla threw themselves into the game with great intensity and were swiftly rewarded by Maguire.
With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane injured, Ten Hag had no choice but to start with the Englishman at centre-back alongside Victor Lindelof.
Maguire rolled the ball back to goalkeeper De Gea and called to receive it again from the Spanish goalkeeper, seemingly nonplussed about the three Sevilla players buzzing around him.
As Maguire tried to pass the ball, former Tottenham winger Erik Lamela intercepted it and En-Nesyri took charge of the situation and stroked it past De Gea at his near post.
United tried to fight back but created few chances of note, shorn of suspended playmaker Bruno Fernandes.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka sent a tame shot at Yassine Bounou, who collected easily, with Sevilla’s biggest first half concern an injury to defender Marcao, who had to be replaced.
Sevilla thought they had netted a second goal when Lucas Ocampos rammed home to ignite the Pizjuan again but VAR showed a tight offside against Marcos Acuna in the build-up.
A second goal would not have flattered the hosts or their fans, who looked every bit the Europa League experts their outstanding record illustrates, rather than their domestic version, battling relegation.
Casemiro deflected an Ivan Rakitic drive over the bar late in the first half as the hosts pushed to double their advantage.
Ten Hag threw on Shaw and Rashford at the break, the latter with licence to get in behind Sevilla’s 37-year-old defender Jesus Navas.
David De Gea had a nightmare game. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)Source: AFP
However Sevilla started the second half just as they ended the first, on the front foot, and Bade immediately steered home a looping header from Rakitic’s corner.
Back on home soil, De Gea might have done more to keep out Bade’s effort, with some also criticising him for his role in Sevilla’s opener — worse was yet to come.
Anthony Martial, who made no impact on loan at Sevilla last season, made way for Wout Weghorst, as Ten Hag turned to Plan B.
Bounou saved from a long-range Casemiro strike and Christian Eriksen whipped a free-kick narrowly wide as three-time Champions League winners United showed some signs of life.
However Sevilla killed the game with 10 minutes remaining when De Gea ran out of his box and mis-hit an attempted clearance, and Morocco international En-Nesyri took full advantage to stroke home.
Sevilla’s Europa League adventure is the highlight of their campaign, with the Andalucians 13th in Spain, eight points above the relegation zone.
Mendilibar is unbeaten in five games across all competitions since being appointed to replace Jorge Sampaoli.
United must pick themselves up to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton at Wembley on Sunday.
EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL RESULTS
Union Saint-Gilloise 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen (Bayer Leverkusen wins 5-2 on aggregate)
Sevilla 3-0 Manchester United (Sevilla wins 5-2 on aggregate)
Sporting 1-1 Juventus (Juventus wins 2-1 on aggregate)
Roma 4-1 Feyenoord (Roma wins 4-2 on aggregate)
EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL RESULTS
Fiorentina 2-3 Lech Poznan (Fiorentina wins 6-4 on aggregate)
AZ Alkmaar 2(4)-0(1) Anderlecht (AZ wins 2-2 on aggregate)
West Ham United 4-1 Gent (West Ham wins 5-2 on aggregate)
A European heavyweight views Harry Kane as the final jewel in the crown to win the Champions League, while a certain owner’s now-infamous dressing room visits could spell danger for its players.
Catch up on the biggest whispers doing the rounds in the latest edition of the Rumour Mill!
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It’s about to be yet another season without a trophy for Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane.
Despite scoring goals for fun yet again, Kane was unable to fire his beloved club deep into any domestic or European cup competitions and could miss Champions League football next season should Spurs continue spiralling out of control.
It appears Kane’s chances of winning silverware with Spurs grow slimmer with each passing year and, with the club facing an imminent rebuild, that wait could grow even longer.
So, should the England star want to win something, anything before his career is done, it seems the next logical step is to move away from London.
Enter Paris Saint-Germain.
According to French outlet Le Parisien, the Ligue 1 giants are ‘dreaming’ about signing Kane to add to an already-loaded front line featuring Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Kane could also line up alongside global superstar Lionel Messi should the World Cup winner sign an extension with the club.
The report claims PSG view Kane as the player who will help bring a Champions League title to the French capital and the priority signing in the summer window.
Finances evidently won’t be much of a deterrence for PSG, but will Kane be willing to take on the challenge?
Could Harry Kane leave Spurs in the summer? (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
GROWING DISCONTENT AMONG BLUES STARS AS MASS EXODUS LOOMS
Things are going from bad to worse at Chelsea.
After being dumped out of the Champions League thanks to a 4-0 aggregate loss to Real Madrid and just about unable to make the top four this season, the Blues face the prospect of no European football next season.
That’s not even factoring in the two managerial changes made at significant cost this season, with Thomas Tuchel replaced by Graham Potter, only for the latter to be sent packing as Frank Lampard was brought in on an interim basis.
It now appears discontent is growing among the players.
According to the Daily Mail, several of the Blues’ stars are questioning where the club is headed under the ownership of Todd Boehly.
There is reportedly growing discontent among Chelsea players in regards to Todd Boehly’s ownership of the club. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Although the American has invested heavily in the squad, there seems to be little strategy behind the spending and with such a large squad there have been several stars left out in the cold.
Even star defender Thiago Silva called out the scattergun approach in the transfer market after losing to Madrid.
“We have to stop and have a strategy to not repeat the same mistakes next year,” Silva said.
He also revealed the club had to increase the size of its dressing room “because there was not enough room for all the players.”
Boehly’s dressing room visits have also become a major talking point in the football media in recent days, although no Chelsea players have publicly been against it.
Who knows what will happen between now and the summer window opening, but it’s certain there will be a mass exodus at Stamford Bridge.
Thiago Silva has called on the club to sort out a proper transfer strategy. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFP
MAJOR TWIST IN CHELSEA MANAGER SEARCH AS LEADING CANDIDATE SLIPS DOWN SHORTLIST
Chelsea’s managerial search has taken a twist, as one leading candidate is no longer at the top of the shortlist.
Luis Enrique had been heavily linked with the vacancy at Stamford Bridge and several reports had placed him close to taking over.
The former Barcelona and Spain boss flew to London for talks with Chelsea’s top brass in the wake of Graham Potter’s axing.
However, The Teleraph reports the Spaniard has since slipped down the shortlist as no further talks have been scheduled.
It points towards Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino being the favourites for the Chelsea role, leaving London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to swoop in and potentially secure Enrique’s services.
