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According to 90min, Tottenham Hotspur have already begun searching for a successor to Jose Mourinho, as the Portuguese isn’t likely to last past the end of the current campaign.

After a hot start that saw them sit top of the table at the start of December, Spurs have crumbled to sixth place, with the top four looking out of reach.

That makes their chances of qualifying for the Champions League – one of Daniel Levy’s key requirements – seem rather unlikely, having embarrassingly crashed out of the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb last week.

As per the report, Spurs have compiled a long list of potential replacements.

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is thought to be the front-runner but names like Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann, Massimiliano Allegri and Nuno Santo all feature, too…

On the Chalkboard

Aside from the obvious impact on the struggling fortunes of Matt Doherty – a £15m summer arrival from Molineux – it’s hard to see the fellow Portuguese making much of an impact in north London, especially given Wolves’ own problems this season.

The 47-year-old gem has had the most success at the Midlands outfit when deploying a three-at-the-back system, and that is something that could be a recipe for disaster at Spurs.

Of course, Nuno should be lauded for transforming the Old Gold into a stable Premier League club. The Athletic’s Tim Spiers claimed that he had done “special things” and that it was “unbelievable” and a “miracle” to see them in Europe.

A lot of Mourinho’s problems have come through defensive individual mistakes, with his usual culprits being his only options in the role. Indeed, the Spurs boss has struggled to cement down a proper partnership in his backline.

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Eric Dier (21 league starts), Davinson Sanchez (15 starts) and Toby Alderweireld (18 starts) have frequently rotated throughout the Premier League season, whilst Joe Rodon’s rare start last Sunday saw him throw his name into the equation.

The former two have been particularly calamitous.

Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara dubbed the duo the worst partnership in the Premier League and urged the club to get rid of both of them. He said to talkSPORT:

“I look at the team and the back-four is just an absolute shambles. I don’t know why Jose keeps playing [Davinson] Sanchez and [Eric] Dier because it’s probably one of the worst partnerships in the Premier League.”

A three-man defence requires a perfect mix of pace, ability on the ball and an excellent reading of the game. This is something lacking at Spurs right now.

Only Sanchez (85.4%) has a better passing accuracy rate than any of Wolves’ current backline of Conor Coady, Max Kilman and Leander Dendoncker.

An ageing Alderweireld and Dier isn’t the fastest defence by comparison, nor is the England international on the same wavelength for defensive ability, sitting behind the lot for tackles (0.8) and interceptions (0.9) per game, via WhoScored.

Despite taking Wolves the Premier League, and then the Europa League in the space of just two seasons, Nuno just isn’t the right fit for Spurs at the minute.

AND in other news, Alli’s transfer value continues to plummet under Jose Mourinho

Former Celtic player Kris Commons has accused the club’s board of ‘twiddling their thumbs’ after their city rivals secured the Premiership title on Sunday.

The Hoops’ run of nine consecutive crowns was officially ended as they were held to a goalless draw by Dundee United at Tannadice, their last lingering hopes of a historic 10-in-a-row banished for good.

The club are currently without a full-time manager after Neil Lennon’s departure, with John Kennedy taking over in the interim.

Commons says Celtic rebuild ‘should already be underway’

Commons fears that the Celtic board are dithering, potentially handing their arch-rivals Rangers a lasting advantage.

“It’s nearly a fortnight since Neil Lennon left Celtic. Yet we still don’t know who the next permanent manager might be,” he told the print edition of the Scottish Daily Mail (via 67 Hail Hail).

“The silence from the boardroom is deafening. The rebuild has to start now. In fact, it should already be underway.

“The longer Celtic sit twiddling their thumbs, the more they risk being behind the eight-ball by the time next season comes around – and handing Rangers an advantage right from the start.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

For Celtic, this season has long had the feel of a write-off. Rangers are a full 20 points clear of the Hoops after 32 matches and have not lost a league game all season.

Unlike their city rivals, the Parkhead side failed to progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League and the gap in the table has grown enormously. The Scottish Cup, which resumes this month, is their only chance of consolatory silverware.

With that in mind, there isn’t necessarily a need for Celtic to rush when it comes to appointing their new coach. They can afford to take time to comprehensively scrutinise the pool of candidates and pursue the more ambitious targets.

However, what Commons is really calling for is more transparency, and some reason to be optimistic about the future – and that is sorely needed after a wretched season.

In other news, Danny Mills tips Celtic to utilise this player next season.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the ‘huge’ difference made by the midfield combination of Fabinho and Thiago, after the Reds’ victory over RB Leipzig.

Jurgen Klopp’s men made a welcome return to winning ways on Wednesday evening, easing past the Bundesliga side with a 2-0 triumph.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane replicated their first leg brilliance with a goal apiece, meaning Liverpool progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate win.

It was in midfield where the most exciting tactical tweak took place, however, with Fabinho restored to his favoured No.6 role, in what could be a massive boost for the rest of the season.

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The Brazilian was a colossus in the middle of the park for Liverpool, winning two tackles and making three interceptions, as well as nine recoveries.

Not only that, but Fabinho also brought the best out of Thiago, with the 29-year-old arguably enjoying his best performance to date in a Reds shirt.

He was given more freedom to express himself in midfield, and had Salah not been wasteful during one first half counter-attack, he would have got a wonderful assist to his name.

If the duo can continue this sort of relationship, it will provide a huge boost as the Reds try to ensure their campaign doesn’t peter out.

Liverpool fans heap praise on Fabinho and Thiago

A number of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to lavish the Reds pair with praise after the game, as positivity returned to the fanbase.

“Fabinho at CM and Thiago in a more attacking role, it’s beautiful.”

Credit: @ScouserChrisLFC

“Fabinho made a huge difference tonight. Offered so much protection to the defenders but also set thiago free to play. Special mention for Nat Philips too. Lad just heads and tackles everything. Nothing complicated. Played well.”Credit: @wacka83″Fabinho is world-class at DM. Made a huge difference to the shape, fluidity and core. Thiago certainly enjoyed having Fab there too”Credit: @Justin_Burns1″Liverpool look a much better side with Fabinho in midfield and Jota up front. No surprise to see Thiago look so much better as well. Glimpses tonight of what the plan was before injuries killed our season.”Credit: @sisteers”Fabinho unlocks Thiago.”Credit: @McGlynnimino”FABINHO AND THIAGO IN MIDFIELD IS THE THING OF DREAMS”Credit: @theredsforeverIn other news: Reds boosted in bid to sign Kylian Mbappe. 

Andre Gomes was Carlo Ancelotti’s true hero in Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City, as the Everton midfielder stepped up to fill the void left by Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Ancelotti was without his £20m summer signing from Watford with Doucoure suspended after being issued his fifth yellow card of the Premier League campaign at Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the month.

The Frenchman’s continually evolving relationship with Allan had helped to see Gomes forced out of the starting line-up, with his midweek appearance at Goodison Park marking the 29-cap Portugal international’s first top-flight start since November 1.

Gomes was given a run for his money at home to Leicester with the Foxes often dictating the pace of the game as Everton sat in deep to protect their initial one-goal lead, but stood up to the test only to be let down by Jordan Pickford.

Gomes’ efforts in the engine room beside Tom Davies played a key role in the Toffees’ staying ahead following James Rodriguez’s curling first-half opener, struck on his weaker right foot after Wesley Fofana’s unconvincing clearance fell into the Colombian’s path.

Yet another horror moment from Pickford would gift Leicester a draw, having only managed to push Youri Tielemans’ shot on to the post and into his net, despite getting both hands on the ball.

Everton were set to move up to fourth in the table with a win and with two games in hand on the Leicester in third, but ended the night seventh and will host Newcastle United on Saturday looking to claim what will only be a third home victory in eight league games.

Gomes had his work cut out stepping in to the fill the void of Doucoure in Ancelotti’s midfield, with the Frenchman an instrumental aspect of the Italian’s plans with only centre-half duo Michael Keane (64.2) and Yerry Mina (62.2) averaging a higher number of total passes (50.7) per game, per WhoScored, as they set the Blues up to play out from the back.

Doucoure also offers the third-most successful tackles (1.9) among those to have featured more than once for Ancelotti this term, and has the ability to give an outlet in attack after setting Everton up to break with the fifth-most shots (0.8) and sixth-most key balls (0.7).

Gomes may have been unable to match Doucoure’s offensive output against Leicester with the 27-year-old failing to create a single direct goal-scoring opportunity for himself or a teammate, yet he helped to stamp the Toffees’ style on the game with more successful dribbles (5) than any player for either side as he progressed the ball up the field.

His drive to bring play forward, rather than palm off possession, additionally saw Gomes cover the second-furthest distance with the ball at their feet by an Everton player at 174-yards, and with the most progressive carries (4) beyond the defensive 40% zone of the field to push Leicester back into their own territory, per FBref.

But it was defensively were Gomes flourished, with the £18m-rated ace recovering 14 loose balls – more than any player who featured – and with a game-high four tackles attempted and three won. He was also the only Everton player to win possession in the middle third of the pitch (2) and with three-times the number of pressures (9) as any of his teammates in the region, to thwart Brendan Rodgers’ side in many of their countless attacks.

It remains to be seen if his efforts are enough to earn a start in Saturday’s showdown with Newcastle, who won the reverse fixture 2-1, but Gomes’ performance will undoubtedly have given the former FC Barcelona midfielder confidence of a reprieve after months as nothing more than a back-up.

AND in other news, Everton are in talks over the future of a £6.5m-rated flop courted by several sides…

Jeff Shi’s mantra at Wolves has been to recruit players while they’re young in order to develop them for the future.

Very few new faces are welcomed to Molineux as the finished article. Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Willian Jose spring to mind when you consider their elder signings, but the general rule of thumb has been to invest in players with a vibrant potential ahead of them.

Some of their summer signings typified that. Wolves spent £35.6m on Fabio Silva in the hope that he comes good in a few years time while the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri and Ki-Jana Hoever were further evidence of Shi’s desire to bring in young players.

Though, one addition from 2019 is yet to get much attention. That happens to be Hugo Bueno.

The 18-year-old signed from a tiny Spanish team called Arcosa after being recommended to Wolves scouts by observers on the continent.

It was a life-changing moment for the teenager who is now remarkably on the cusp of first-team football. He appeared on the bench when the Old Gold tasted defeat to Crystal Palace at the back end of last month, and judging by Wolves’ injury list, he should be unshackled by Nuno Santo.

The Molineux outfit are currently missing Rayan-Ait Nouri and Jonny in a left-wing back position while Marcal has also been out injured.

However, Nuno can ease the burden of those injuries by preparing Bueno for first-team action. After all, he seems to fit the bill of what Wolves want. Speaking in an interview with Marca (via Sport Witness) last year, the defender stated: “It was in January 2019. They liked me (Wolves scouts) a lot in the match they saw me, and they offered me to go there for a week to play with the under-18s.”

Bueno continued: “I accepted, of course. I played with the two friends. They told me that I was a perfect fit, but that they wanted me to come back, to be seen by more coaches.”

Nearly two years on and it’s difficult to argue with the assessment of the club’s scouts. He has been a key part of Wolves’ U23 side this term, playing 13 times in Premier League 2.

He has featured at left-back and further forward on the left of midfield while two assists certainly demonstrate that Bueno is someone who loves to get forward.

Possessed with plenty of energy, the Wolves website describes the teenager a “flying wing-back” and that’s exactly the type of thing the senior side are looking for right now.

Critically, though, is that he is composed in defence. He has made 1.5 tackles per game in the EFL Trophy this season against senior opposition while uring a 2-2 draw with Liverpool U23s in January last year, he dealt capably with one of their brightest young players.

Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken noted at full-time: “He was tasked with marking Harvey Elliot, who has drawn enviable comparisons to some of the game’s greats this season, but acquitted himself well.”

With a plethora of defensive injuries, it’s certainly not unreasonable to suggest Bueno could earn his senior debut soon. With that in mind, he must be readied for the physical battles ahead.

AND in other news, Nuno must unleash rarely-seen Wolves flop next term, Jota called him a “good signing”…

Glasgow Rangers will be well aware of the scale of the task at hand when they travel to Paisley to take on St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard will be hoping his side can exorcise their demons after they crashed out of the Betfred Cup when they were humbled by the Saints.

The game gets underway at the Simple Digital Arena at 3pm and despite John Goodwin’s side being below them in the table, there’s no doubt the 54-time Scottish champions could have a fight on their hands.

It’s likely that the Ibrox boss will be without both Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack tomorrow, with the latter ruled out of action due to injury. The Gers have conceded four goals in their past five games across all competitions but with just three centre-backs competing for two places in the starting XI, Gerrard will have to find a different solution to fix his problems at the back.

Allan McGregor has been Gerrard’s trusted man for as long as we can possibly remember but Jon McLaughlin may be pushing for a recall.

If the 33-year-old 6 ft 3 in colossus can put in a solid shift between the sticks, he could be the man to stop the Saints from scoring, having been left as an unused substitute on the bench in the Scottish League Cup.

The Scottish international has been in decent form this season, providing nine clean sheets and conceding just two goals in the Premiership so far, via Transfermarkt. Despite his impressive performances, McLaughlin has made just nine starts in the Premiership this season as he finds himself below McGregor in the pecking order.

Keeping another clean sheet could improve his chances of being named in Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad and help Rangers to extend their sizeable lead at the top of the table.

His former Sunderland manager Jack Ross has previously gone on record to say about McLaughlin: “I’m obviously biased and there might be other managers that say it, but I believe I have the best goalkeeper in the league.

“He was outstanding for me last season, he is such a low-maintenance player in terms of how he goes about his business and he is unflappable.”

There’s 14 points separating Rangers from their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table – if he can keep a clean sheet or at the very least secure a victory, those three points could prove vital to putting Gerrard’s side on course to regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard dealt huge blow as Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack remains sidelined due to injury…

Many Liverpool fans heaped praise on summer signing Thiago Alcantara and his performance against the club’s arch-rivals Manchester United.

The 29-year-old made his first start at Anfield this season in what has been a frustrating campaign for the Spaniard since his £20m move from Bayern Munich in September.

After contracting coronavirus at the end of that month, Thiago picked up a knee injury following a hard challenge from Richarlison during the Reds’ 2-2 draw against Everton.

Because of this, he has seen very little action – but the cameos he has made have received widespread praise from far and wide, and this evening’s performance against the Red Devils was no different.

Unsurprisingly, his quick thinking, sharp movement and his eye of a needle passing excited the supporters and made their feelings clear towards him on social media.

Fans drool over Thiago

“Thiago is just different class.”

Credit: @DanielRoachLFC

“Man like Thiago”

Credit: @mv_jenkins

“Thiago is world-class. The problem is he’s playing as a no 6 and is marked constantly. Need him in the advances midfield positions.”

Credit: @Strictly_Scouse

“Thiago is making mincemeat of United here, different gravy”

Credit: @macjp1991

“Thiago is wonderful to watch. Make it look so easy”

Credit: @BradleyPearce96

“Thiago is a baller #LFC walking through that midfield as he likes…”

Credit: @Goranh75

In other news, Liverpool eyeing up Serie A skipper as possible Gini Wijnaldum replacement.

Southampton were one of several Premier League clubs to be linked with a move for Cruz Azul’s Orbelin Pineda but a recent report has now rubbished the chances of him joining Saints in January.

The Mexican international could have been an excellent addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad at St Mary’s, as the 24-year-old has shown across his career that he is extremely versatile, having played in the centre of midfield, on both wings, as a second striker and even as a defensive-midfielder on several occasions during his career (per Transfermarkt).

It was originally suggested by 90min that Southampton, along with Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolves, Everton, Newcastle and West Ham, were keeping an eye on the Cruz Azul man ahead of the January transfer window.

However, a report from Vamos Cruz Azul (via Sport Witness), has suggested that these rumours had only come about because Pineda’s agent was trying to secure a new contract for his client at Cruz Azul.

It is a shame that the Saints are therefore seemingly not interested in the Mexican international, as he has shown himself to be a goal threat with La Máquina, having contributed nine goals and seven assists in 69 appearances for the club (per Transfermarkt).

Back in 2016, when he was playing for Chivas, Pineda was described as “superb technically” in a scout report for Outside of the Boot, and he also reportedly rejected a move to Manchester City during that period.

The Mexican international’s contract with Cruz Azul is also set to expire in December 2021 and he is valued at just £4.32 million by Transfermarkt, so perhaps Hasenhuttl’s side should consider making a move for the versatile ace, as he would surely be available for a relatively low fee.

Considering Nathan Redmond’s poor form for the South Coast club so far this season, with the 26-year-old having averaged a very disappointing 6.48 rating across his five Premier League appearances, in which he has contributed no goals or assists, perhaps the Saints do need to look at bringing in some competition on the wing.

Therefore, although the report originally linking him with a move to Southampton was seemingly just agent talk, there seems no reason why the Saints shouldn’t consider a low-fee, low-risk move for the 24-year-old in January.

Many Liverpool fans have been talking about an update involving Georginio Wijnaldum that recently emerged on social media.

In an article for EuroSport, journalist Dean Jones recently provided some information regarding the Dutch midfielder’s situation. The report stated that Jurgen Klopp is set to urge Liverpool to make a new attempt to convince the Dutchman to sign a new deal at Anfield.

The report claimed that terms couldn’t be agreed in the earlier negotiations but Klopp believes that handing Wijnaldum a new deal with higher wages would be a better option than signing a replacement. The manager was the driving force behind the club’s signature of Thiago Alcantara and he could do the same, when it comes to Wijnaldum’s potential new deal.

His current deal at the Anfield-based side runs out at the end of the season. Because of that, he would be free to agree a pre-contract deal with foreign clubs in the January transfer window.

The 30-year-old had joined Liverpool from Newcastle in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £25 million. This season, the Dutchman has made 19 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, scoring one goal so far.

The update about Wijnaldum was relayed on Twitter by Anfield Edition and many Liverpool fans gave their opinion about the news, with one supporter hailing him as ‘spectacular’.

What did Liverpool fans make of this update regarding Wijnaldum?

In other news, Liverpool fans have reacted to the club’s links with a Premier League defender – read more about it here!

Portsmouth’s star striker John Marquis has revealed how Kenny Jackett’s side identified a major flaw in Phil Parkinson’s tactics that allowed the south coast outfit to exploit Sunderland on Saturday.

The Fratton Park natives allowed Sunderland to take control of proceedings with just a 43% share of possession, but restricted their hosts to a measly single shot on target coming through Charlie Wyke’s initial equaliser in the 10th-minute, per SofaScore.

Portsmouth had opened the scoring through Marcus Harness three minutes prior and continued to create chances throughout the League One clash, with Jackett’s men hitting six further shots on target from 11 strikes.

Marquis took much of the acclaim at the Stadium of Light with goals either side of half-time to secure a 3-1 win over the 10-men Sunderland following Luke O’Nien’s 84th-minute red card, moving Portsmouth above the Black Cats in the table on goal difference.

Marquis has now revealed how he, Jackett and the Portsmouth squad had analysed Sunderland’s unbeaten start to the campaign to deal Parkinson his first loss of the season, with the south coast side able to conjure together a game plan the striker believes was executed to perfection on Saturday.

“We had a gameplan and we stuck to it,” Marquis told the Portsmouth News. “We didn’t want to come here and change the shape we’ve been playing lately and try to match them up, as other teams have done when here this season.

“I’d say it was our best performance of the season. Today, in the second-half, we were very disciplined, didn’t get pulled out of our shape. To come to a place like Sunderland to get three points makes the drive home much sweeter.

“We knew we could counter-attack them, they are very expansive, they are very open at times when they lose the ball, so we’ve been working on counter-attacking quickly and getting our shots.

“We did that today and then won the penalty with a great run behind from Ryan Williams and I was able to step up and put it away.”

Marquis’ comments must prick the ears of Parkinson and the Sunderland first-team ahead of facing Rochdale on Tuesday night, as the Portsmouth star has pinpointed a major flaw in the Black Cats’ tactics that could carry dire consequences over the remainder of the season.

Other teams will now look to allow Sunderland a greater share of the possession if they, too, feel it will leave space in behind that can be exploited, while trying to shut up shop in front of their goal to force the Stadium of Light natives into trying the spectacular to score.

None of Sunderland’s eight goals in League One thus far this term have come from counter-attacking moves carried out by the North East outfit, who have fired home five from open play, two from the penalty spot and been gifted one own goal, per WhoScored.

Parkinson’s side have also averaged a lower share of possession (52.1%) per game than they registered against Portsmouth (57%), showing how Jackett was happy to concede the ball to the hosts in the belief it would create spaces where his players could strike.

Sunderland’s next opponents, Rochdale, may also look to explore this route, having averaged just 47.2% of the ball in their opening eight third-tier fixtures, with which they have created 10.9 shots per game for seven goals.

AND in other news, a Sunderland icon has likened one of Phil Parkinson’s signings to a UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.