[ad_pod ]Following Thursday night’s penalty shootout loss to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final, as per BBC, Tottenham’s injury crisis has somehow worsened as Ben Davies was forced to leave the field with a problem, which has left the north Londoners’ looking pretty short.Mauricio Pochettino is now without all of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Davies, whom the club’s official Twitter account confirmed on Friday will not be available this weekend, are all injured, whilst Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama are still rebuilding their fitness from previous issues – Son Heung-Min is also away with South Korea but following their Asian Cup quarter-final defeat against Qatar, as reported by Goal, is set to be back sooner than expected.

Who can Pochettino turn to?

Out of all of those names mentioned, no-one is as big a loss as Kane. Spurs are overly reliant on the England international and World Cup Golden Boot winner these days to pull them through the mire, and have only Fernando Llorente to come in and cover for him whilst he is out injured.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accesory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

The physically-imposing Spaniard did in fact score against the Blues in the aforementioned semi-final loss with a brave header, but he doesn’t look up to being an effective deputy for Kane – at the age of 33 as well, the former Swansea man isn’t a long-term solution.

One man who has a huge ceiling for improvement and could perhaps do a better job than Llorente now is 20-year-old forward Kazaiah Sterling, who has been in fine form for the club’s academy side this season.

How good is he?

Sterling has scored four goals and recorded two assists in seven Premier League 2 matches in the current campaign (as per Transfermarkt), and came off the bench for a cameo appearance in the Champions League win over APOEL in December 2017 – he was also included on the bench in the recent 2-1 win at Fulham.

He is clearly in Pochettino’s thinking, and the former Southampton boss has shown he isn’t afraid to throw young players into the first team recently as Oliver Skipp and George Marsh have made the jump from the academy into the senior squad.

It is unlikely that Spurs will dip into the market for cover, so it would be wise of Pochettino to place his trust in Sterling.

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle head to the Molineux Stadium on Monday for their clash with Wolves and will be hoping for a repeat of their battling performance against Spurs last week, albeit with a better end result.

Wolves have been brilliant since coming up from the Championship and currently sit seventh. Two keys to that success are Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, who control the tempo of the game and are crucial at both ends of the pitch.

The obvious approach if you’re Rafa Benitez is to shut the duo down but that is easier said than done. Failing that, the Spaniard can turn his attention to nullifying a different, influential pair.

On the chalkboard

The Midlands outfit are enjoying success with a 3-5-2 approach this season, of which Nuno’s midfield generals are the beating heart. Additionally, Raul Jimenez has impressed on loan from Benfica and Diogo Jota has hit a fine patch of form in recent weeks, while Connor Coady’s performance at the back have led to some calling for his inclusion in the England setup.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have seemingly also found a winning formula in their 5-4-1, which offers ample defensive security as well as counter-attacking potential. Both aspects were key to the Magpies’ shock victory over champions Manchester City last month and they were unlucky not to get a point from their clash with Spurs last time out.

Benitez got what he wanted in January with the additions of Antonio Barreca and Miguel Almiron, who will both offer important depth and quality to the St James’ Park outfit. While all the focus is on the latter, a record buy from Atlanta, the former will be crucial on Monday if Newcastle are to win at Wolves.

Wolves’ wing-backs

Nuno’s 3-5-2 offers width through wing-backs Jonny and Matt Doherty, both of whom were vital in the win over Everton last week. Switching the play from flank to flank, the duo stretched the Toffees defence, thus opening up space for the strikers to get in behind.

Benitez’s defensive setup, which also utilises wing-backs, will allow the Tyneside outfit to shut down Doherty and Jonny far easier than Everton did, while also keeping the core of defence compact.

Barreca will likely step in at left-wing-back, while DeAndre Yedlin continues on the right. Both are blessed with bags of pace and should get right on their Wolves counterparts’ toes. You can either stop Neves and Moutinho by getting tight to them – Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff are capable of doing so – or you can restrict their options to play out wide.

Either is effective but the latter may be more achievable for Benitez and his men.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat at Brentford in the Championship on Wednesday night, which was a result that did not go down well with the club’s supporters.Villa have now only won one of their last eight league matches, which is a run of form that has left them in 10th position in the table.It was a disappointing performance from Dean Smith’s side, but the Villa fans were pleased with the performance of Tyrone Mings.The on-loan Bournemouth centre-back won two aerial duels and two tackles during his 90 minutes on the field, according to WhoScored.Mings looks to be a very good signing for this level of football and the Villa supporters were really pleased with what they saw from him on Wednesday.

Indeed, in response to a tweet from the Premier League ace, the Championship club’s fans were out in force to reveal their fondness for him.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

David Martin has spoken about the values he feels West Ham United need to be playing by, as reported by the club’s official website.

What did he say?

Martin stood pretty much no chance for any of the three Arsenal goals that flew past him on Monday, all in the space of just under ten minutes.

That doesn’t come as much of a consolation though, as he was still forced to pick the ball out of the net thrice, as those around him completely fell to pieces.

Following that defeat, the 33-year-old has spoken about the values he feels the team should be adhering to:

“I was brought up on character and the West Ham way, and you’ve got to dig in sometimes. It’s not all going to be pretty football and when the chances come along, hopefully, we’ll take them.

“At times like this, you’ve got to dig in and when that first goal went in you’ve got to go ‘Right, OK, the minimum now is that they don’t score again and if we can nick one and put the momentum the other way, then great’, but it takes grit and determination to play for this club.”

Speaking sense

Martin has already heavily endeared himself to Hammers fans after his performance against Chelsea and the reaction he gave after it.

The tears he shed following the final whistle and the hug he gave his dad, Alvin, demonstrated to the world how much he cares about this club.

It may not be as outwardly facing or dramatic this time around, but the goalkeeper’s comments also display his relationship with West Ham.

The sense that he talks may end up getting people on his side even more than they already are, which is not something everyone can say when it is considered that fans have openly stated that they want Manuel Pellegrini out.

A football legend: How much do you know about the late, great Bobby Moore? Test your knowledge below…

It says a lot about how things are going at the moment that the man who was supposed to be third-choice goalkeeper is currently more popular than the manager.

In other news, fans have dissected one player’s performance in the loss against Arsenal.

Jeremie Frimpong scored his second Scottish Premiership goal of the season as Celtic recorded a 2-0 win over Hibernian on Sunday afternoon.

The 19-year-old made the breakthrough in the 39th minute of the contest before French forward Odsonne Edouard scored a second for the home side in the 66th minute.

Frimpong has now managed two goals and three assists in 13 appearances for the Hoops this season, and many of the club’s fans have lavished praise on him for the part he played in Neil Lennon’s side returning to the top of the table.

The teenager’s contract at the club has also been the subject of debate.

The greatest rivalry in world football: Test your Old Firm derby knowledge below…

Frimpong’s current deal with Celtic will run until the summer of 2023, but some of the supporters want the Netherlands Under-20 international to pen another long-term contact.

One Celtic fan even claimed that the former Manchester City youngster already deserves a statue as he continues to make a positive impression.

Celtic do appear to have a real talent on their hands when it comes to the right-back, who was also widely praised by the Scottish club’s fans for his performance in the Betfred Cup final despite picking up a red card in the 63rd minute of the contest.

Meanwhile, a number of the Celtic supporters were also delighted with the display of another player in the 1-0 win over Rangers last weekend.

Leeds could have a busy transfer window coming up with the potential for new faces, and Noel Whelan believes Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster could be one such addition.

What did he say?

Leeds Director of Football Victor Orta spoke previously about the January window and hinted that it may be a quiet time in terms of deals, but the doubt surrounding Eddie Nketiah’s future means the Whites may have to be proactive.

Brewster has arrived on the radar according to Football Insider, but there is considerable interest in the forward – including from the Premier League.

That, combined with the lack of game time given to Nketiah, means Leeds could face a difficult task to lure him to Elland Road, but Whelan argues there is one factor which should appeal to both the club and the player.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“A huge thing in Leeds’ favour is that Marcelo Bielsa is a great coach and Leeds play in a similar way to Liverpool – build out from the back, press from the front, high energy, smooth passing combinations and an aggressive playing style.

“That’s how Leeds signed Jack Harrison from Man City. Jurgen Klopp will be aware of that, and how Harrison has developed under Bielsa.

“Klopp will be keen for Brewster to join Leeds and learn under Bielsa. It’s probably in Klopp’s mind to send him to a team that play a similar style of football to Liverpool, and that’s where Leeds will fit the bill.”

Avoiding risk

Brewster is a player with a lot of potential and is clearly highly thought of by the Reds, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as a “top talent” in the summer.

He has seen his involvement in the first-team increase this season and because opportunities could dry up a little in the second half of the year with Liverpool no longer competing in the Carabao Cup, they could be keen for him to get minutes elsewhere.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

So despite what Whelan says, a switch to Leeds is perhaps a little unlikely.

Bielsa is probably an appealing factor. The Argentine improves young players and has a wealth of football knowledge that would be great for Brewster to learn from, but the priority for Liverpool should be ensuring that he receives adequate game time.

In the Leeds team that could be difficult because of the system of only playing one striker, and Patrick Bamford is a firm favourite of Bielsa’s having started in every league game so far.

He is an important cog in the style Bielsa has implemented, and that means Brewster would likely suffer the same fate as Nketiah, who Arsenal may recall due to a lack of game-time.

That could be an off-putting factor for Brewster’s parent club.

Find out more about the details surrounding the possible move for Brewster by reading our Transfer Focus piece on the 19-year-old.

According to The London Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur will not be forced into the January transfer market despite Moussa Sissoko’s injury.Sissoko is expected to be out of action until April having undergone knee surgery, leaving Spurs without an experienced figure in the middle of the park.However, according to The London Evening Standard, the Premier League club have no immediate plans to bring a replacement to the club and are instead prioritising the exits of Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama.

And as expected, the news has not gone down too well with the Tottenham fans, who have taken to social media in their numbers to react.

A lot of supporters, meanwhile, have directed their anger towards chairman Daniel Levy, who has been chairman of Spurs since 2001.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Tottenham are only six points off the top four in the Premier League table despite an inconsistent campaign, but the capital outfit have only won one of their last five matches in all competitions during a tough run.

And Levy has been handed a lot of criticism from a number of fans.

It will be fascinating to see what develops at the club in the coming weeks, particularly with this being Jose Mourinho’s first transfer window and Spurs still trailing behind the Champions League spots.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have had their say on the latest transfer speculation surrounding this France international.

Pepe Reina is close to completing a move from AC Milan to Aston Villa, as reported by Calciomercato.

This comes with Tom Heaton out for the season due to the injury that he sustained during the 2-1 victory over Burnley.

Orjan Nyland has been impressive during his time between the sticks, having won over the fans with his performances, namely against Leicester City.

Watch Aston Villa Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

In addition to that, the Norway international received plenty of praise for his contribution to the 5-0 win over Liverpool, with his displays indicating that Villa has no need to panic buy this January.

Outside of the 29-year-old, Villa do still have options to protect their goal, as Dean Smith explained when asked about signing another stopper:

“We’ve also got four international goalkeepers at the football club. Unfortunately, Jed Steer got injured within four minutes of his first game of the season against Wolves – he’s out for another couple of months at least.

“Nyland, Kalinic are full internationals, lad on loan at Livingston, Sarkic [who has since been recalled], is a full international so we’ve got an awful lot of goalkeepers at the football club, but as I say, we will sit down tonight and discuss that.”

That they are now going out and looking to sign somebody who has made just two league appearances this season, having also been linked with Joe Hart by The Daily Mail, indicates that they are like a kid in a candy store with transfers.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

It does not feel like a necessity for Villa to bring in another goalkeeper, considering they’ve already got four international options outside of Heaton as Smith said, with three of those currently being fit.

The point about their general attitude towards transfers was also highlighted during the summer, when they made 12 signings, more than any other Premier League club – earning themselves comparisons with Fulham.

Sitting just one point and one place above the relegation zone, the temptation to bring in various bodies to bolster the squad will certainly be there.

This is not to say that Villa should go through the winter without making signings. Their forward line must be strengthened after Wesley’s season-ending injury, but just like a kid in a candy store, Villa don’t need all of them.

Meanwhile, Villa fans are thrilled by reports linking them with a European striker.

PSV Eindhoven attacking midfielder Gaston Pereiro has suggested that his agent is working on a deal for the Uruguay international about a move to Aston Villa, as reported by Sport890.

FC Cincinnati are the other club said to be interested in signing the 24-year-old.

Watch Aston Villa Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

This news has got plenty of Villa fans talking, as they scramble to find out about the man they seemingly know little about.

There are some fans who know absolutely nothing about him, with one stating they are “so confused” by who is being spoken about.

They likely won’t get too much from this season, as has only made one start and three substitute appearances in the Eredivisie this campaign, though he has managed to score two goals in that limited time.

The lack of knowledge on the attacking midfielder has got some people looking for something that can help them make a judgement on him.

Sources being looked at are the other transfer links involving him, YouTube and Football Manager, though one fan did remind everyone “Trezeguet looked like Robben on YouTube”.

If they opt to look at his statistics from last season, some fans may be impressed, as the attacking midfielder recorded a respectable 10 goals and six assists from 23 league starts and five appearances off the bench.

There do seem to be a couple of fans who know about him, with it being a positive sign that they are excited about the potential signing.

His international record can also be seen as an encouraging sign, as he has four goals and one assist from ten caps.

However, it does have to be said that for all of the excitement, he is not a striker, so despite being someone who could turn out to be very useful, it can be argued that he should not be the centre of attention.

Meanwhile, Villa fans have reacted to a claim made about Jack Grealish.

According to a fresh exclusive report from El Chiringuito TV, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has met with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and they discussed the availability of Gareth Bale in the January transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

The Spanish football expert Juanfe Sanz spoke to El Chiringuito TV about a potential deal which would see Bale return to Spurs in the ongoing transfer window.

Of course, the Welshman’s potential move away from the capital and Los Blancos is nothing particularly new and speculation has been growing once again on his future.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

This is even more reinforced by the fact that Jose Mourinho is now the new coach of the London team, as the Portuguese manage publicly expressed his interest in signing the attacker while he was still manager of Manchester United, as relayed by the Express.

With Bale’s standing at Real Madrid continually diminishing, maybe it would be a good idea for Perez to pull the trigger.

Verdict

Even though he started the season quite well as one of the Galacticos – even netting two goals and adding two assists to the tally as well – Bale slowly but surely fell out of favour as injuries and absences started to mount.

Now, halfway into the 2019/20 season, he has only started nine games for Real Madrid in La Liga, playing just 937 minutes of action across all competitions.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget that generally speaking, the now 30-year-old star has been rather successful in Spain overall, clinching four Champions League titles and one La Liga crown in the process.

But if there truly is no place for him in the squad under Zinedine Zidane, maybe Perez should indulge Levy and sanction this move in the ongoing January window.

At the moment, that certainly seems like a win-win scenario that would benefit both parties, including Bale who could get a second chance at the club where he established his reputation.

Elsewhere, with Real Madrid reportedly close to snatching Donny van de Beek, Juventus could get the upper hand in their chase of Man Utd star…