Category Sports News

Ange Postecoglou has limited options. Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy has the final say in what comes next.

In their final game of a season that has spanned the sublime to the awful, Spurs host Brighton on Sunday.

A defeat would send the team to their worst Premier League campaign to finish 17th with 38 points.

However, given what has happened recently, supporters’ disappointment is unimportant.

For the moment, Tottenham are almost no longer a man. The excitement over Wednesday night’s Europa League victory over Manchester United won’t continue for a while. They are winners.

The architect of Spurs’ first trophy triumph since 2008 and their first European title since 1984 may now be uncertain about his future.

Tottenham have begun the search for candidates to replace the Australian before the 2025/26 campaign because of the club’s terrible domestic campaign.

In fact, it is widely believed that Postecoglou’s presidency almost certainly would have ended if they had lost to United in Bilbao.

But that was not their choice. And there might be a quandary for Levy.

22 league defeats would be unacceptable for a club with the resources and squad of Tottenham, in the event of a loss on Sunday.

The manager would typically be blamed and delegated from his duties.

These circumstances are not unusual, though. Postecoglou has succeeded in a situation where many, including Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, and Mauricio Pochettino, have failed.

Spurs’ success in Bilbao was well-known, and aside from the glory, it also represented a qualification for the Champions League.

At Friday’s club’s trophy parade, many of those who had abandoned Postecoglou a few weeks ago were chanting his name.

The 59-year-old has managed to change the narrative and sway a fanbase who had been hampered for so long on Wednesday night in the space of 90 plus minutes.

You may wonder how much public opinion and the swathes of affection Postecoglou’s directed affection will have on Levy in light of this.

If Postecoglou had lost the final, it would have been difficult to keep, but there is a much stronger case in place right now.

Which manager could Tottenham choose to pique the fans’ interest so much that they would accept the Australian’s departure is another important factor?

Given Postecoglou’s newfound love, there is a chance that replacing him with a subpar position will polarize the club’s fan base, who is already having a difficult relationship with Levy and the club’s ownership.

Given the acclaim that Tottenham fans have received for Jurgen Klopp or Carlo Ancelotti in recent weeks, would they accept Postecoglou’s departure as a manager with a proven track record of winning trophies?

By retaining Postecoglou, you’d think Levy could earn some significant brownie points.

He might be considering his decision based on the strength of the relationship between the players and the manager.

In recent weeks, senior players have all publicly backed Postecoglou. Achieving a trophy will only strengthen a relationship that appears to have developed toward the end of the season.

You’d assume that Postecoglou will choose Postecoglou as the person to take next when they meet.

It’s still to be seen whether the aforementioned factors will hold Levy’s nerves.

Whether the chairman has been influenced by the emotion since Bilbao will affect much of what transpires over the next 72 hours.

Levy can be ruthless, according to history. Just six months after guiding Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool, Pochettino was fired.

Just before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, which Mourinho lost to Manchester City, he also fired Mourinho.

Levy doesn’t pay much attention to emotion, based on the evidence.

Having said that, you wouldn’t have to be a robot to have been influenced by Postecoglou’s outpouring of love this week.

The former Celtic boss plans to take a trip early this week, so there will be a desire to sort things out before leaving.

The imagination was captured by his intriguing address to supporters at the Friday night parade reception.

“All the best television series’, season three is better than season two,” roared Postecoglou.

Perhaps he is aware of something that we are unaware of. He might not, perhaps not.

Some time ago, the Premier League title race was over. The battle to avoid falling back was also fought.

In reality, there wasn’t even a race or a conflict.

With spots still open for all three Uefa tournaments, the focus is now on the search for European spots.

Additionally, there are emotional farewells and awards up for grabs. the 17th battle, too. Actually, that’s not a real thing.

Seven teams’ fate in Europe is still uncertain on the final day of the season.

Five teams are competing for the final three Champions League spots, with the remaining three still open for grabs.

The top five teams, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Chelsea, are aware that, unless there is an unlikely goal difference difference, a win will send them to the Champions League. Other than in the unlikely event of goal difference, a draw will suffice for City at Fulham.

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa both require other outcomes to be able to squeeze in.

The twist is that Chelsea, who are fifth, host seventh-placed Forest, so the Blues are out unless they score a goal difference winner.

Whoever finishes sixth will be guaranteed at least a spot in the Carabao Cup, while Newcastle will only have a conference league spot if they win.

Brighton and Brentford are still attempting to clinch a spot in the Conference League. If Brighton loses, the Bees would advance to eighth place with a win.

However, that won’t suffice if Chelsea finishes outside of the European standings, with either Newcastle or Chelsea winning on Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis.

Life is too short; there are only things that could possibly happen with spots in the Conference League and Europe.

As Europa League winners, champions Liverpool, second-placed Arsenal, and 17th-placed Tottenham are already guaranteed places in the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah’s goal total at one point appeared to be approaching the end of the season.

In the first 28 league games, he had 27 goals, which would have set Erling Haaland’s 36-goal record from the previous two seasons.

He has only scored once since then, which is almost certain to bring his total to four Premier League Golden Boots, bringing his total to Thierry Henry’s.

With just one game left, he is five goals clear of Alexander Isak, who scored for Newcastle.

He could have the most goals played in a Premier League season, with a more lesser-known record.

He has one more goal and assist total than any other player in a Premier League season, with a visit to Crystal Palace pending.

After Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer’s 34-goal and 13-assist seasons, he has added 28 goals and 18 assists.

Arsenal’s Henry and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne have a combined assist record of 20; Salah is two goals off.

The top scorer in any of Europe’s top flights (with weighting added to the tougher leagues) has a chance of winning his first European Golden Shoe.

Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice in his final game of the season on Saturday, would need four goals to take Salah’s lead over Real Madrid’s striker.

Two men are competing for the Golden Glove, a trophy that no one ever mentioned until recently.

The pair who are still in contention for the most Premier League clean sheets is Matz Sels and David Raya of Arsenal.

They will share it if they both keep clean sheets this weekend or concede goals because they are each on 13.

Raya collected 16 clean sheets in the year that won.

After netting a 12th point a few weeks ago, Southampton have already escaped the widely-publicized humiliation of being the worst team in Premier League history.

Derby’s 11-point tally of 2007-08 remains a record akin to Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second 100m run. It might last a while.

However, another miserable season for Southampton might be the end all about.

It will be the Saints’ 30th league defeat in a Premier League game if they lose to Arsenal on Sunday at home.

However, they could become the league’s lowest finishers to bring home a European trophy.

Spurs are 17th overall, one place behind United, and neither team has yet scored 40.

The bottom three have been adrift for the entirety of the last four seasons, but their points totals would have caused them to fall short in four different Premier League campaigns.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is set to make his final appearance for Liverpool at right-back for Real Madrid, will make the most of his chances.

After being booed on his final Anfield appearance, Arne Slot may choose to play him at home against Crystal Palace.

De Bruyne, the legendary player who has won so many trophies for Manchester City, will also bid him adieu. In the event that he gets injured and is unable to find a new club, he has stated that he is unlikely to stay until the Fifa Club World Cup.

According to reports, Jack Grealish might be leaving City as well.

Jorginho is expected to bid his final farewell from Arsenal, while Kieran Tierney will join Celtic.

Joel Ward, the captain of Crystal Palace, is retiring after 364 games.

Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Danny Ings, and Vladimir Coufal are the only experienced players leaving West Ham. And Ashley Young and Abdoulaye Doucoure are leaving Everton.

After spending one season at Bournemouth, Dean Huijsen will leave the club on Sunday before joining Real Madrid for $ 50 million. Milos Kerkez, a teammate, has a strong connection to Liverpool.

Even the most optimistic Ipswich fan couldn’t hope Liam Delap will win the championship.

Ben Mee will not play at Brentford, though. For the first time since October 2023, Aaron Hickey will be in the Bees’ matchday squad in the opposite of a farewell (a hello).

Last weekend, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to be crying following their final home game of the season, leading to a lot of speculation. He’s bound to Saudi Arabia.

Some time ago, the Premier League title race was over. The battle to avoid falling back was also fought.

In reality, there wasn’t even a race or a conflict.

With spots still open for all three Uefa tournaments, the focus is now on the search for European spots.

Additionally, there are emotional farewells and awards up for grabs. the 17th battle, too. Actually, that’s not a real thing.

Seven teams’ fate in Europe is still uncertain on the final day of the season.

Five teams are competing for the final three Champions League spots, with the remaining three still open for grabs.

The top five teams, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Chelsea, are aware that, unless there is an unlikely goal difference difference, a win will send them to the Champions League. Other than in the unlikely event of goal difference, a draw will suffice for City at Fulham.

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa both require other outcomes to be able to squeeze in.

The twist is that Chelsea, who are fifth, host seventh-placed Forest, so the Blues are out unless they score a goal difference winner.

Whoever finishes sixth will be guaranteed at least a spot in the Carabao Cup, while Newcastle will only have a conference league spot if they win.

Brighton and Brentford are still attempting to clinch a spot in the Conference League. If Brighton loses, the Bees would advance to eighth place with a win.

However, that won’t suffice if Chelsea finishes outside of the European standings, with either Newcastle or Chelsea winning on Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis.

Life is too short; there are only things that could possibly happen with spots in the Conference League and Europe.

As Europa League winners, champions Liverpool, second-placed Arsenal, and 17th-placed Tottenham are already guaranteed places in the Champions League.

Mohamed Salah’s goal total at one point appeared to be approaching the end of the season.

In the first 28 league games, he had 27 goals, which would have set Erling Haaland’s 36-goal record from the previous two seasons.

He has only scored once since then, which is almost certain to bring his total to four Premier League Golden Boots, bringing his total to Thierry Henry’s.

With just one game left, he is five goals clear of Alexander Isak, who scored for Newcastle.

He could have the most goals played in a Premier League season, with a more lesser-known record.

He has one more goal and assist total than any other player in a Premier League season, with a visit to Crystal Palace pending.

After Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer’s 34-goal and 13-assist seasons, he has added 28 goals and 18 assists.

Arsenal’s Henry and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne have a combined assist record of 20; Salah is two goals off.

The top scorer in any of Europe’s top flights (with weighting added to the tougher leagues) has a chance of winning his first European Golden Shoe.

Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice in his final game of the season on Saturday, would need four goals to take Salah’s lead over Real Madrid’s striker.

Two men are competing for the Golden Glove, a trophy that no one ever mentioned until recently.

The pair who are still in contention for the most Premier League clean sheets is Matz Sels and David Raya of Arsenal.

They will share it if they both keep clean sheets this weekend or concede goals because they are each on 13.

Raya collected 16 clean sheets in the year that won.

After netting a 12th point a few weeks ago, Southampton have already escaped the widely-publicized humiliation of being the worst team in Premier League history.

Derby’s 11-point tally of 2007-08 remains a record akin to Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second 100m run. It might last a while.

However, another miserable season for Southampton might be the end all about.

It will be the Saints’ 30th league defeat in a Premier League game if they lose to Arsenal on Sunday at home.

However, they could become the league’s lowest finishers to bring home a European trophy.

Spurs are 17th overall, one place behind United, and neither team has yet scored 40.

The bottom three have been adrift for the entirety of the last four seasons, but their points totals would have caused them to fall short in four different Premier League campaigns.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is set to make his final appearance for Liverpool at right-back for Real Madrid, will make the most of his chances.

After being booed on his final Anfield appearance, Arne Slot may choose to play him at home against Crystal Palace.

De Bruyne, the legendary player who has won so many trophies for Manchester City, will also bid him adieu. In the event that he gets injured and is unable to find a new club, he has stated that he is unlikely to stay until the Fifa Club World Cup.

According to reports, Jack Grealish might be leaving City as well.

Jorginho is expected to bid his final farewell from Arsenal, while Kieran Tierney will join Celtic.

Joel Ward, the captain of Crystal Palace, is retiring after 364 games.

Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Danny Ings, and Vladimir Coufal are the only experienced players leaving West Ham. And Ashley Young and Abdoulaye Doucoure are leaving Everton.

After spending one season at Bournemouth, Dean Huijsen will leave the club on Sunday before joining Real Madrid for $ 50 million. Milos Kerkez, a teammate, has a strong connection to Liverpool.

Even the most optimistic Ipswich fan couldn’t hope Liam Delap will win the championship.

Ben Mee will not play at Brentford, though. For the first time since October 2023, Aaron Hickey will be in the Bees’ matchday squad in the opposite of a farewell (a hello).

Last weekend, Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to be crying following their final home game of the season, leading to a lot of speculation. He’s bound to Saudi Arabia.

The past three years in football have already flown by, according to some, but a week is a long time.

Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal in extra-time in the 2022 European Championship final to win England’s first major women’s trophy, making it seem like only yesterday when she was twirling her shirt above her head.

A major title defense is something no England team, men’s or women’s, has accomplished in 55 years thanks to Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses.

After that dramatic triumph at Wembley, England’s women’s football has grown exponentially, but after a mixed 18 months, Spain will be the tournament favorites when the Euros begin on July 3rd.

Over the past three years, both on and off the pitch, England has experienced a lot of change.

For starters, Wiegman’s Swiss squad will be drastically different from the one that won Euro 2022.

Ellen White and Jill Scott, both important players, both left the tournament shortly after, and Rachel Daly, a versatile player, did so last year.

Younger talents like Jess Park, Grace Clinton, Lauren James, and Aggie Beever-Jones have been replaced, while Hannah Hampton appears to have taken over the role of the previously untouchable Mary Earps in goal.

“We currently have a different team, with different backgrounds,” he said. We are going through a new circumstance, Wiegman told BBC Sport.

“The players are at various stages of their journeys and have different personalities.”

Wiegman explained that the squad’s more experienced members have been collaborating with their younger team-mates in an effort to bridge the gap.

You want to talk to everyone at all these different levels, she said, and you want to try to get everyone on board.

After kicking off the Wiegman era with a 30-game winning streak, England lost seven of the subsequent 31 games.

Team GB’s place at the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s tournament was cut out by an underwhelming 2023-24 Nations League campaign, and concerns have also been raised by recent defeats by Germany and Belgium, either in addition to a remarkable win over Spain.

We’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and while we sometimes don’t get things right, we’re on a learning curve, Wiegman said.

“Some of our experiences have been positive and some negative.” We are harmed when we don’t play well, despite the game’s advancement.

She claims that England “want to become more consistent,” while “there are still a few things we want to figure out,” such as whether or not they should occasionally” play a little deeper.

Although success has had its challenges, Wiegman’s first 18 months of office appeared effortless.

Since winning has become a part of The Lionesses, there is always criticism when they don’t succeed.

“There is noise,” he said. Because they only see a portion of us, “Wiegman said, people will have opinions.”

However, we work together as a team. We are aware of our goals and our intended destinations. Every day, we are the only people in our bubble.

We must concentrate on establishing trust between ourselves in our work.

England’s preparations for the Euros have been hampered by injuries, as was the case prior to the 2023 World Cup.

Georgia Stanway, a key player under Wiegman, is competing to stay healthy after having knee surgery in January, while Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, and James have spent long periods on the sidelines this season.

After the Euros, Wiegman’s first issue will be dealing with her long-term assistant coach Arjan Veurink, who will eventually lead the Netherlands.

We’ve had a wonderful relationship, but she said, “It’s time for him to move on.”

I’m very happy for him because I knew there would come a point when he would step up and do a job like this.

Expectations are high for the defending European champions despite the transition they have gone through.

Wiegman, who has won Euros finals with the Netherlands and England, stated, “We have high expectations for ourselves. We want to have high standards.”

“We can control what happens when we play on the pitch, whether at our best as individuals or as a team, be the best prepared, and have the most clarity possible.”

We want to perform at our best [level]. It’s difficult, and staying there might be even more difficult. Every opponent wants to beat us, but we all know the expectations are high.

“We must play our best every game,” he says.

Wiegman- England have been drawn in the “group of death,” along with France, the Netherlands, and Wales, which are both 2017 European champions.

Wiegman continued, “We hope to give back strong performances over the summer, at least for six games.”

It is a unique circumstance.

A spinner for England who can’t get in his county team, so much so that he was sent out on loan last month, picked up wickets and won the man-of-the-match award.

Shoaib Bashir took nine wickets in the third day of England’s victory over Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

He did so by upholding captain Ben Stokes’ faith in him and continuing to do so.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan stated on Today at the Test that “too many people talk about his county record.” “This is his team,” he said.

England “threw him into the set-up a few years ago.”

Because he doesn’t have a team, he has not had a stellar county cricket record.

After a difficult first test, Stokes revealed that he had called Bashir to reassure him before the match.

The off-spinner has been England’s first-choice spinner since taking 17 wickets in three games against India last year and was supposedly a relative obscurity player before famously caught Stokes’ attention through a clip on social media.

However, the 21-year-old’s county, Somerset, prefers the more experienced left-spinner Jack Leach to the England XI, so Bashir was sent on loan to Glamorgan, where he played three games and took two wickets for an average of 152.

At the start of the season, Bashir claimed that he went on loan to Glamorgan to get some overs.

It was nice to play in front of an English crowd together with the England boys.

With 58 Test wickets taken by Bashir, he became the youngest bowler to reach 50 for England in the format.

His progress has not been straightforward, though, despite forgetting the selection decisions in Taunton.

His eight wickets in three Tests in New Zealand last year averaged 52, whereas his 1-156-run performance in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan last year was impressive.

England value Bashir’s raw qualities, particularly his height and subsequent bounce, as well as his ability to bowl wicket-taking deliveries, despite his occasionally difficult length control and frequently gifting loose deliveries.

After the victory over Zimbabwe, Stokes remarked, “The skill is undoubted.”

“With Bash, it was about ensuring that we supported him,” said one source. He is gaining strength after strength.

Knowing that he is supported by me, Baz, and the rest of the dressing room, it’s about building on that and trying to make him as good as he can be, as it comes to the confidence side.

Stokes praised Bashir for speaking out about wanting to be patient while playing in Nottingham following the game.

He definitely excels at that, according to Stokes.

The main change with him has been “developing toward a dismissal and not getting too giddy,” he said.

He is always engaged in combat. He enjoys it when other people attack him because they make him feel like he needs to think a little bit more.

Zimbabwe was also subject to minor technical adjustments.

In contrast to previous home Tests, he moved about 5 cm closer to the stumps and 8 cm closer to the wicket when bowling over it.

In this Test, the percentage of deliveries down the leg side decreased from 32% to 17%.

He bowled the most of any of his matches in any home test, which is a crucial skill for an off-spinner because it allowed them to squander a leadoff run.

He previously bowled 26% of his deliveries in the entire region, but that percentage increased to 41% against Zimbabwe.

Given what he had experience with before making his Test debut, Stokes continued, “It’s scary to think about the beginning of his career.”

He must never stop improving, even as he is now.

“The guys we’ve got working with him, with Jeets’ technical skills,” says England’s Jeetan Patel, the spin bowling coach.

It’s an odd story to look at, I know. I get why some people find it difficult to believe.