LONDON: At the end of January, Tottenham entered a tough run of fixtures. This, it was widely agreed, was make or break. That spell, in which they faced Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Juventus in among their FA Cup fixtures, would define their season. That series of games comes to an end as they face Juventus in the Champions League at Wembley on Wednesday. Where, then, is their season going?
As it turns out, much still depends on Wednesday. Having fallen 2-0 behind inside 10 minutes in Turin, Spurs showed admirable resolve and self-belief as well as technical skill to drag the game back to 2-2, but it will all feel a little anti-climactic if they do not finish the job at Wembley.
In the league, they did all that could be expected of them, winning two and drawing one of those key games: That has propelled them into the top four and prevented them falling adrift in the race for Champions League qualification but that battle, important as it is for the club as they prepare to move into their new stadium, lacks the glamor of a European campaign.
And glamor, perhaps, is what is most necessary for Tottenham right now. With limited resources, Mauricio Pochettino has done a remarkable job but he remains haunted by the jibe that he has never won a trophy as a manager. There is a sense in which it is a meaningless complaint: The clubs he has been in charge of, after all, have been Espanyol, Southampton and Tottenham, none of whom have trophy cabinets that are exactly bulging.
Trophies, anyway, these days, tend not to buy a manager much grace. Claudio Ranieri lasted less than a year at Leicester after leading them to the league title. The three FA Cups Arsenal Wenger has won in the past four years have done little to ease the grumbling around him.
And yet at the same time there is a point lurking blow the surface of the question. What, after all, is it all for if not for silverware? What is the point of professional football if it is not about winning?
There is a disturbing answer, which is that it is for making money for shareholders, but true as that may be, there must at the very least needs to be a dream to sell to fans.
Tottenham also have to sell a dream to players. Their lack of resources is an issue not merely in terms of buying players but for keeping those who are there at the club. Kyle Walker was lured to Manchester City last summer and is reportedly making more than double what he was on at Spurs. As Danny Rose has made clear, the players are well aware of that. It would be no great surprise were he to leave this summer, while the delay over Toby Alderweireld’s contract extension must also be a concern.
Tottenham can, just about, cope with one or two players splintering off each season, but the danger is the exodus for four or five. Harry Kane is the key. At the moment, he seems committed, delighted to be playing for his local club and leading a group of young players to heights the club has not scaled in half a century. But he is still a professional footballer. He cannot reasonably be expected to resist forever the lure of, say, Real Madrid and perhaps quadrupling his salary. As soon as Tottenham wobble, those questions will become all the more pressing. And if Kane goes, it is easy to imagine a host of others following.
That is why Tottenham must always seem to be developing, always progressing toward a better future. At the moment, there is an excitement about them. They are not treading a familiar path but breaking new ground. With the new stadium there is a possibility to establish Spurs among the elite but doing that probably means keeping this squad together (the alternative it to hope the money raised by a sell-off would fund the creation of a squad that could repeat this process in five years or so). And that means Pochettino continuing to spin his magic path. With Manchester City dominant domestically, that probably demands the star dust of Champions League progress.
The next few weeks could determine Tottenham’s success for the next few years
The next few weeks could determine Tottenham’s success for the next few years
Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67
ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67 and was nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week.
Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool
- Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp
- The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge
Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.
But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season.
“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference ahead of hosting Aston Villa on Saturday.
“From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”
Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League.
A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.
“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss.
Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.
Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar
- Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title for 3rd time
- PM Shehbaz Sharif promises to set up world-class facilities for sportsmen
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif for winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship in Qatar for the third time, Pakistani state-run media reported on Thursday.
Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title in a thrilling final on Nov. 6. He outclassed Ali 5-3: 70-25, 7-87(84), 82(56)-8, 106(106)-08, 82-12, 43-91(58), 0-118 and 93(80)-4.
“Asif made the entire nation proud by winning the international championship for the third time,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “The talented youth of Pakistan are highlighting the country’s name in the fields of sports.”
The IBSF, founded in 1971, is the governing body for billiards and snooker worldwide. It represents 85 member countries and is recognized by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee.
Asif, 42, first won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012 and went on to win it again in 2019. His victory ties him with India’s Pankaj Advani who has also won the World Snooker Championship thrice.
The Pakistan prime minister said Asif’s family and coach also deserved recognition, adding that providing quality facilities to Pakistani players was top priority of his government.
“The government is making all possible efforts to provide international standard facilities to the players,” he added.
Raphinha’s evolution into a more versatile scorer is a big part of Flick’s great start at Barcelona
BARCELONA: Raphinha knew he would have a hard time getting off Barcelona’s bench with the soccer world enthralled by teen phenom Lamine Yamal and the club eyeing to sign another hot prospect in the attack.
Instead of pouting, he evolved.
While the entire Barcelona team improved under new coach Hansi Flick, no player has made such a leap forward this season as Raphinha.
His 12 goals and team-leading 10 assists across all competitions are a big part of why Barcelona is playing its best soccer since the exit of Lionel Messi more than three years ago.
But if one player looked to be on the out when the season started, it was the Brazil forward.
Raphinha seemed destined to become a second-choice right-side winger after 17-year-old Yamal helped Spain win the European Championship in dazzling style. To make matters worse, the club was heavily linked to a possible transfer bid to pry Spain left-side winger Nico Williams away from Athletic Bilbao.
That move never materialized for Williams, but Raphinha was still left with either playing in a new position or being a backup to Yamal.
And when Flick gave him the chance to have a new role, he made the most of it.
England gives call-up to more new faces in final squad before Thomas Tuchel takes over
LONDON: Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall were called up to the England squad for the first time on Thursday as interim coach Lee Carsley made his final selection before Thomas Tuchel takes charge.
Tuchel does not start until January after being hired to lead the national team’s bid to win the 2026 World Cup.
Carsley will oversee England’s final Nations League games against Greece and Ireland and has continued to look toward a new generation of players, having already handed debuts to Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke since taking over on a temporary basis from Gareth Southgate in August.
Carsley said had not discussed his selection with Tuchel.
“He hasn’t had any influence on the squad selection. I’ve spoken to him by text, but it’s literally congratulations,” he said. “I think he’s highly respectful of the job that not only myself, but the staff are doing.
“We’ve been left to it, like we always have.”
England plays Greece in Athens on Nov. 14 and Ireland at Wembley on Nov. 17.
Carsley will resume his role as England Under-21 coach after those games.