With Rangers currently fourth in the Scottish Premiership and rock-bottom of the gigantic Europa League table, they need wins and fast.

On Saturday, Danny Röhl’s side will go in search of a fourth successive league victory when last-placed Livingston visit Ibrox.

This is followed by a European clash with Braga and, considering the Gers are currently pointless halfway through the league phase, they really could do with a victory over the Archbishops from Northern Portugal.

However, potentially dealing with something of a defensive injury crisis ahead of Saturday’s game, how could Röhl combat his new injury problems?

Rangers' defensive injury crisis

The news any club supporter and indeed manager fears during an international break is reports that their players may have suffered an injury while away with their countries, but this may be exactly the reality Rangers are facing.

First, ahead of Scotland’s historic World Cup qualifying victory over Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday, mere minutes before kick-off, centre-back John Souttar withdrew from the starting lineup after suffering an injury during the warm-up.

The extent of the injury is currently unknown, but it is always a concern when it comes to Souttar, considering he has ruptured both anterior cruciate ligaments in the past.

This season though, he has been a near-ever-present in Rangers’ back line, starting 23 of the Gers’ 24 matches, rested against Alloa, as well as ten of Scotland’s last 11 competitive fixtures prior to Tuesday night.

Later that day, in the middle of the night UK time, further bad news emerged given that Derek Cornelius was withdrawn just 33 minutes into Canada’s 2-0 friendly victory over Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale.

Since arriving on loan from Marseille, the 27-year-old has cemented himself as a key figure, especially since Röhl has switched to a back three, given the scarcity of alternative centre-back options.

Similar to Souttar, it is not yet publicly known if Cornelius will be available for the weekend, but this has to be a concern.

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Nevertheless, given bottom of the table Livingston are the visitors to Ibrox, neither should be risked if not 100% fit, hence why Röhl should entrust his forgotten “colossus” with a start.

How Rangers can solve their defensive injury problems

Of Rangers’ 13 new recruits during the summer, Emmanuel Fernandez is often forgotten and overlooked by supporters.

The 6 foot 4 central defender arrived from Peterborough United in July, having bounced around the lower division in England, representing non-league clubs including Sheppey United and Spalding United.

This move north of the border was supposed to be the 24-year-old’s big breakthrough, but he’s so far been more of a lesser-spotted species than an integral figure.

Fernandez scored on debut against Alloa Athletic, starting at St Mirren the following weekend, but has seen just one minute of action since 24 August, introduced late during the last-gasp, hard-fought victory over Hibernian at Easter Road, an unused substitute on 11 occasions.

This is despite the fact that the Englishman boasted impressive statistics in EFL League One last season, as the table below documents.

Fernandez 2024/25 stats

Stats (* = per 90)

Fernandez

League 1 rank

Goals

5

2nd

Tackles *

1.24

63rd

Interceptions *

0.91

46th

Clearances *

6.83

19th

Passing accuracy %

85.35%

20th

Passes *

65.93

5th

Aerial duels won *

4

27th

Aerial duels won %

62.24

25th

Ground duels won *

2.87

35th

Note: rankings are defenders only.

Stats via SofaScore

These performances for Posh last season led to Peterborough Chairman Darragh MacAnthony describing the central defender as a “colossus”, also noting that he is a “gentle giant” as well as a “great organiser and talker”.

His most spectacular moment came when he scored an astonishing long-range goal against Exeter City.

Also worth highlighting is that, according to Global Football Rankings, EFL League One is the 41st strongest division in the world, just eight places below the Scottish Premiership, suggesting Fernandez would be more than good enough to start, particularly against Livingston at home.

With fixtures coming thick and fast, and a must-win European match against Braga right around the corner, Röhl surely cannot risk either Souttar or Cornelius exacerbating their injury issues, emphasising that he has to trust Fernandez to start as the middle man in his back three at the weekend.

Related Ferguson 2.0: Rangers' "best player" is now more important than Tavernier

Rangers’ “best player” who is reminiscent of Barry Ferguson has emerged under Danny Röhl and it is not captain James Tavernier.

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 14, 2025

Chelsea's fine form under Enzo Maresca continued with a blockbuster win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Blues turned on the style against their Spanish rivals, coming away 3-0 winners, thanks to an own goal from Jules Kounde, a wonderful Estevao strike and Liam Delap's first goal at Stamford Bridge. But the Premier League side could have had six or seven, such was their dominance under the lights in the capital.

The home side saw two goals ruled out for offside inside the first 25 minutes, with Enzo Fernandez twice having his celebrations cut short thanks to first a Wesley Fofana handball and then the offside flag. In fact, the Blues almost saw themselves go behind after a rare Barca attack in the early stages, as some slick play from Lamine Yamal saw the La Masia wonderkid slip Ferran Torres through, only for the former Manchester City man to fire agonisingly wide of Robert Sanchez's goal.

Just over 20 minutes later, the visitors were punished. It was third time lucky for Maresca's men, who were finally allowed to celebrate with the Stamford Bridge faithful after Marc Cucurella – who was brilliant across the night – beat the high line of Barcelona and delivered a low cross into the six-yard box. After a scrappy few seconds that saw Pedro Neto attempt a backheel into the net, the ball bounced off Jules Kounde and in, giving Chelsea a deserved lead.

With their backs now against the wall, Barca's misery was further compounded after captain Ronald Araujo was sent off just before half-time. A silly yellow card for dissent towards the referee was followed by a reckless tackle on Cucurella, giving the official no choice but to dismiss the Uruguay international.

With Chelsea in full control, it was plain sailing for most of the second half. The moment of the night came from the highly-rated Estevao, who weaved in and out of the Barcelona defence before blasting an effort into the roof of the net with his weaker right foot. It was another clear sign of the talent he possesses, outshining Yamal when the moment mattered most.

The pain did not stop there for Flick's side, who saw their defence breached for a third time before the final whistle. This time it was Delap who struck, firing home low from Fernandez's pass to put a seal on the game that was never really a contest.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Robert Sanchez (7/10):

  Another solid outing. He dealt with a few dangerous balls in behind his defenders but was barely stretched across the night. 

  Reece James (8/10):

  His extended period without picking up an injury is paying off in a big way. The Chelsea captain led by example as usual, even clipping in a fabulous ball in behind for Estevao's goal.

  Wesley Fofana (6/10):

  Looked comfortable on an evening where he had little to do.

  Trevoh Chalobah (7/10):

  Let out a few roars for the crowd across the night after making a number of crunching tackles. Dealt with the threat of Lewandowski incredibly well and looked determined to keep a clean sheet. Job done!

  Marc Cucurella (9/10):

  Locked up his international team-mate Yamal with ease, and proved once again why he is one of the best defenders in Europe.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Malo Gusto (7/10):

  Hounded down the Barca players from midfield and swept up everything not already covered by Caicedo. Replaced by Andrey Santos at half-time.

  Moises Caicedo (9/10):

  Another impeccable performance from the Blues' star midfielder. Every 30 seconds, Caicedo would pop up with a crucial tackle and keep Chelsea on the front foot. Relentless for every second he was on the pitch.

  Enzo Fernandez (8/10):

  Pulled the strings in a slightly more advanced role and could have had two goals of his own, were it not for marginal calls. Instead, the Argentine had to settle for a delightful assist, which he put on a plate for Delap.

• Getty Images
  

  Attack

  Estevao (8/10):

  The young Brazilian proved there is substance behind the comparisons between himself and Yamal. His magic moment in the second half stole the show, putting the home side in the driving seat and adding another fantastic goal to his growing Chelsea collection.

  Pedro Neto (6/10):

  He was less effective on the ball than his team-mates, but made plenty of piercing runs in behind the Barcelona backline. Had one big chance in the first half that he blazed over and another from a driving run in the second.

  Alejandro Garnacho (4/10):

  It was a quiet evening for the summer signing from Manchester United. Aside from a blocked shot in the opening 45, Garnacho was ineffective and subsequently hooked before the 60-minute mark.

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  Subs & Manager

  Andrey Santos (6/10):

  Was introduced at half-time and covered plenty of ground, albeit the midfielder rarely got his foot on the ball and opted to do the dirty work alongside Caicedo and Fernandez.

  Liam Delap (7/10):

  Came on and ran riot, bulldozing his way into dangerous positions and eventually being rewarded with his first goal at Stamford Bridge to put the game to bed at 3-0.

  Jamie Gittens (6/10):

  Looked sharp in the minutes he was given and gave Kounde a run for his money, albeit his legs were much fresher than the Frenchman's.

  Tyrique George (N/A):

  Introduced for the final few minutes in place of the outstanding Estevao.

  Josh Acheampong (N/A):

  Came on for captain Reece James, who received a standing ovation from the Chelsea faithful.

  Enzo Maresca (9/10):

  The head coach got his tactics spot on and completely outcoached Flick in the opposite dugout. The quick passing and runs in behind paid off, even if his players were still caught offside a number of times. Deserves a huge amount of credit for the win.

Sean Dyche has now personally requested the signing of a “fantastic” Istanbul Basaksehir defender Jerome Opoku at Nottingham Forest, and his current club may be tempted to cash-in.

Reinforcements may be needed in the January transfer window, given that Forest are looking like they could be involved in a relegation battle this season, although there has been an uptick in results since Dyche arrived just under a month ago.

The 54-year-old has made a solid start in the Premier League, collecting four points from his opening three games in charge and signing off before the international break with a 3-1 win against fellow strugglers Leeds United, which could be an important result come May.

The former Everton boss has experience in relegation battles, having managed to guide the Toffees to safety in the 2022-23 campaign, while also stabilising Burnley in the Premier League, so Evangelos Marinakis should have full trust in his manager as we approach the January transfer window.

Sean Dyche requests signing of Jerome Opoku

Given Dyche’s impressive start, Marinakis may be willing to back him this winter, and the Nottingham Forest boss has now personally requested the signing of Istanbul Basaksehir defender Opoku, according to a report from Africa Foot (via Sport Witness).

The 27-year-old has attracted the attention of a number of Premier League clubs as of late, with Everton making an offer in January, while Fulham are also in the race, so the Tricky Trees may have to fend off competition from elsewhere to secure his signature.

Such is the level of interest in the centre-back, he could become ‘one of the hottest topics’ of the upcoming window, and the Turkish club may be tempted to cash-in, given that his current contract is set to expire in 2027.

The Basaksehir defender hasn’t played in England since a spell at Plymouth Argyle in the 2020-21 campaign, at which point he received plaudits from manager Ryan Lowe, who described the 6 foot 5 colossus as “fantastic”.

Since then, the Ghana international has gone on to establish himself as an important player for Basaksehir, making 14 appearances in all competitions this season and helping his side keep clean sheets in three of their last four matches.

Opoku is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top leagues, meaning it would be a risk for Nottingham Forest to make a move, but Dyche knows what it takes to avoid relegation from the top flight, so if the manager wants to make the Basaksehir star his first signing, Marinakis should back him.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign midfielder Dyche called "terrific"

His two wickets on the opening day slowed down Pakistan’s progress and helped South Africa go to stumps after an “even day”

Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025

Maharaj took two wickets to set Pakistan back on the opening day•AFP/Getty Images

It may not have seemed that way when Pakistan were 146 for one, but by stumps, South Africa had clawed back enough into the Test for Keshav Maharaj to call it an even day. The left-arm spinner – who did not play the first Test owing to a groin injury – began South Africa’s comeback when he dismissed crowd favourite Babar Azam early on in his innings. In the final session, Maharaj struck once more when he drew Shan Masood into a sweep, which he could only drag to Marco Jansen at square leg. By the end, there was time for Kagiso Rabada to snag a fifth wicket, forcing Pakistan to see off the final half hour cautiously. They finished on 259 for five.”I think it was an even day,” he said. “We managed to control their run rate. When the ball gets softer – which happens quite quickly because the wicket’s quite hard, we managed to just go to old-fashioned Test cricket… I felt if we got one more wicket at night, we’d probably have had a little bit of an upper hand.”Related

South Africa are selecting based on character rather than just stats now

First day in Pindi = first day in Lahore

South Africa, Pakistan share opening-day honours after Masood 87

The first two sessions were shaping up to tell a different story, using the same, frustrating script for the visitors. Having lost the toss and being inserted to field once more, they were sloppy, putting down five catches – just as they had on the first day in Lahore. Abdullah Shafique was the primary beneficiary, with South Africa spurning three opportunities to dismiss him. Earlier, Marco Jansen had nipped one in that Shafique left. The ball had kissed the off stump, only for the bails to be left undisturbed.”As a collective we know how important catches are, not just in the subcontinent. No one means to drop catches; it was nice to see the guys bounce back and take the catches that they did. Bit frustrating but no one means to drop chances.”Simon Harmer bowled 23 overs of spin to complement Maharaj•AFP/Getty Images

The fielding tide for South Africa began to turn when Tony de Zorzi took an excellent catch, which sent Babar on his way. South Africa have placed a lot of faith in their leading offspinner; he bowled 31 overs – the most for any bowler on a day this series. Harmer bowled 23 further overs of spin, but Senuran Muthuswamy, the leading wicket-taker in Lahore, sent down just four.Maharaj, who said he regretted being unable to play in Lahore, called the decision to use Muthuswamy more sparingly “tactical”. “We saw that the wicket didn’t play like Lahore and we felt like we just wanted to try and restrict the Pakistani batters. I don’t think there was an issue. Sen came back nicely with the second spell that he bowled.”In the end, Pakistan scored 54 fewer runs than they did on day one in Lahore, with South Africa drying up the runs, giving the final session a slightly different tinge to the first day they had during the first Test. They will be further encouraged by the knowledge that Pakistan have a collapse in them, something Masood highlighted following the first Test. In the first Test, Pakistan lost their last five for 16 in the first innings, and their last six for 17 in the two innings. One more wicket, and South Africa will know there are opportunities to run through the lower order.”Tomorrow’s an important day,” Maharaj said. The first sessions in the series so far have been quite action-packed. “Hopefully, we can make inroads tomorrow morning. The main thing is to try bowling as many dot balls as we can. We saw for a period of time when we did do it, that it brought us a little bit of reward, and we created opportunities. I think it’s important we start really well tomorrow. Hopefully we can get Saud and Agha early in the morning and open up an end with the lower-order batters. But it’s about just trying to bowl our best balls for long periods of time.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco da Gama enfrenta o Fluminense nesta quinta-feira (10), às 20h (de Brasília), no Maracanã, pelo primeiro jogo da semifinal da Copa do Brasil. O confronto será transmitido ao vivo na SporTV, na TV fechada, e no Premiere, no pay-per-view, e na Prime Video (streaming).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFluminenseFluminense tem tabu a quebrar contra o Vasco na Copa do Brasil; relembre os confrontosFluminense10/12/2025VascoMuito trabalho: Vasco tenta ajustar defesa e ataque antes de clássico com o FluminenseVasco10/12/2025Futebol NacionalPolícia frustra planos de organizada do Vasco antes de clássico contra o Fluminense na Copa do BrasilFutebol Nacional09/12/2025Ficha do jogoVASFLUCOPA DO BRASILSEMIFINAL – IDAData e Horaquiota-feira, 10 de dezembro de 2025, às 20hLocalMaracanãÁrbitro Raphael Claus (SP)AssistentesDanilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) e Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP)VarDaniel Nobre Bins (RS)Onde assistirVasco X Fluminense: como chegam as equipes?

O Vasco da Gama chega para a partida a primeira partida da semfinal em um momento conturbado. A equipe venceu apenas um dos últimos oito jogos. A equipe concluiu sua participação no Brasileirão no último final de semana, quando o treinador Fernando Diniz optou por utilizar um time alternativo contra o Atlético-MG e acabou goleado por 5 a 0.

Na Copa do Brasil, a equipe segue invicta. Ao todo, são três vitórias e cinco empates na competição. O Gigante da Colina iniciou sua trajetória vencendo União Rondonópolis e Nova Iguaçu (ainda em partidas únicas) e, depois, superou Operário-PR, CSA e Botafogo em jogos de ida e volta.

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Para o confronto, o Cruzmaltino terá o desfalque do lateral-esquerdo Lucas Piton, que sofreu uma lesão no joelho na partida contra o Mirassol. Com isso, Puma Rodríguez, que é lateral-direito de origem, mas já jogou invertido neste ano, será o titular no confronto.

Ao contrário do Vasco, o Fluminense vive seu melhor momento após o Mundial de Clubes. A equipe comandada por Luis Zubeldía está em uma sequência de sete jogos sem perder (cinco vitórias e dois empates). Na última rodada do Brasileirão, o treinador optou por escalar o time titular e venceu o Bahia por 2 a 0, no Maracanã.

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Nesta edição da Copa do Brasil, o Tricolor foi derrotado em apenas uma oportunidade. No primeiro jogo das quartas de final contra o Bahia, na Arena Fonte Nova, o clube baiano venceu por 1 a 0. No total foram oito jogos (seis vitórias, um empate e uma derrota).

Assim como o Vasco, o Fluminense tem um desfalque de peso para a primeira partida. O atacante Canobbio está suspeso e fora da primeira partida da semfinal. Para a vaga, Soteldo, que participou de três gols nos últimos três jogos do Tricolor, deve ser o substituto.

VASCO X FLUMINENSE
COPA DO BRASIL – SEMIFINAL – IDA
📆 Data e horário: quinta-feira, 11 de dezembro de 2025, às 20h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Maracanã;
📺 Onde assistir: Premiere, SportTV e Amazon Prime.
🟨 Árbitro: Raphael Claus (SP);
🚩 Assistentes: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP) e Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP);
🖥️ VAR: Daniel Nobre Bins (RS).

VASCO (Técnico: Fernando Diniz)

Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Carlos Cuesta, Robert Renan e Puma Rodríguez; Thiago Mendes, Barros e Coutinho; Andrés Gómez, Nuno Moreira e Rayan.

FLUMINENSE (Técnico: Luis Zubeldía)

Fábio; Samuel, Thiago Silva, Freytes e Renê; Martinelli, Nonato (Hércules) e Acosta; Soteldo, Serna e Everaldo

Tudo sobre

FluminenseFutebol NacionalOnde assistirVasco

تمكن منتخب تونس من تحقيق الفوز على قطر، في إطار منافسات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.

وواجه منتخب تونس نظيره القطري، في السابعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.

ويقع منتخب تونس في المجموعة الأولى في كأس العرب، رفقة منتخبات قطر وسوريا وفلسطين. 

طالع.. ترتيب المجموعة الأولى من كأس العرب 2025 

وحقق منتخب تونس الفوز على قطر، بثلاثية نظيفة، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم الأحد. 

تقدم منتخب تونس بالهدف الأول في مرمى قطر، في الدقيقة 16 من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق محمد علي بن رمضان لاعب الأهلي. 

وفي الدقيقة 62 من عمر الشوط الثاني، عزز منتخب تونس تقدمه بالهدف الثاني في مرمى قطر عن طريق اللاعب ياسين مرياح، قبل أن يضيف محمد علي بن رمضان ثالث أهداف تونس في الدقيقة 94 من عمر المباراة. 

وبهذه النتيجة رفع منتخب تونس رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب المجموعة، بينما تجمد رصيد قطر عند نقطة وحيدة في المركز الأخير. 

وبتلك النتيجة تأكد خروج تونس وقطر من بطولة كأس العرب، بينما تأهلت سوريا وفلسطين إلى دور الثمانية من البطولة.  أهداف مباراة تونس وقطر في كأس العرب  

 

 

 

India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after refusing to accept it from Mohsin Naqvi during the presentation ceremony following the final on September 28

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2025BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is hopeful of a resolution with PCB and Asian Cricket Concil (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi over the Asia Cup trophy dispute after the “ice has been broken” between the two boards during the recent ICC meeting in Dubai.”I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI. “It was really good to start the process of negotiation.”Both sides will work out something to solve the issue at the earliest. The ice has been broken now, so various options will be worked out. There will be options from the other side as well and we will also give options on how to settle this issue and come to an amicable solution.”Related

Rauf gets two-match ban; Suryakumar, Bumrah sanctioned after Asia Cup drama

India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after beating Pakistan in the final on September 28. There was a standoff at the presentation ceremony with India refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC and PCB chair who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, following the cross-border skirmish between the two countries in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam in April.India and Pakistan played each other three times during the Asia Cup – in the group stage, the Super Fours, and the final – with all the fixtures fraught with tension that began with India’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players in their first meeting on September 14. The matches were ill-tempered with Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan all receiving penalties of varying severity from the ICC for their comments or on-field actions.After the final, the presentation ceremony was delayed by more than 90 minutes while Naqvi remained insistent that he be the person handing over the trophy to India, who did not budge from their stance. Eventually the trophy was taken away from the stage and the team has not received it to date.

The U.S. women’s national team will close out January with a friendly against 45th-ranked Chile in Santa Barbara, Calif., marking the program’s first international match in the city. The USWNT will face Chile at UC Santa Barbara, the same campus where the team first held a training camp in 1991 before winning the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Not a common occurrence'

  While Santa Barbara is new for a match, the USWNT have frequently held training camps at the college campus and even played the UCSB women's soccer team that same year they went on to win the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup title. 

  “Playing in a city for the first time is not a common occurrence at this point in our history," Hayes said, "So I know our players will enjoy being in beautiful Santa Barbara and our staff are really looking forward to January camp and these matches against two tough South American countries."

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• Getty Images
  

  USWNT's history with Chile

  While the USWNT do not have a long history with Chile, the teams have met before – just three times. Chile are ranked 45th in the world and fifth in CONMEBOL, behind Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay. Their last meeting came in the group stage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, when the U.S. won 3-0. Before that, the sides played two friendlies in 2018.

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  'Focused on maximizing every minute'

  It’s no surprise that 2026 will carry plenty of weight for the USWNT, who will soon enter the countdown toward the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. To set the tone early, Hayes’ side will play two January friendlies – first against Paraguay and then against Chile.

  The Americans enjoyed a historic 2025, finishing with a 12-3-0 record. Hayes also capped her first full calendar year in charge with 25 wins.

  “This is the start of an important year for our team, and as always, we’re focused on maximizing every minute we get with the players,” Hayes said.

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  What will 2026 bring?

  The USWNT finished the 2025 calendar year with back-to-back victories over Italy. Hayes once again experimented with new players and personnel to close out the year, and admirably gave 43 players their senior debuts in 2025, the most in a single year since 2001. 

  There will likely be a shift to more familiar rosters through 2026 as Hayes fine-tunes her playing pool.

Over the summer, Ange Postecoglou was relieved of his duties as manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

He had promised supporters that season three is always the best. Alas, Spurs fans swiftly saw him exit the club, replaced by Thomas Frank.

While Postecoglou had guided the Lilywhites to the Europa League, thus engineering plenty of credit in the bank, they did ultimately finish 17th in the Premier League.

A major trophy was won but their league form was inexcusable. The same could now be said of Spurs under Frank.

Things started off rosy but they have unravelled in recent months. It’s all beginning to become rather Ange, isn’t it? The lack of ability to create goal-scoring opportunities and play attractive football is not rubbing off well on supporters.

Spurs could replace Frank already

As of 30th November 2025, the Dane has only been in charge of Spurs for 171 days. Yet, after a matter of months, Frank is already feeling the heat.

A week ago, the north Londoners put in a drab performance against rivals Arsenal, conceding four in the process. A few days later, while they did look more threatening in attack, they shipped five against European champions PSG.

A defeat against two of the continent’s very best is hardly a surprise, but their 2-1 loss to Fulham only rubbed further salt in the wounds.

This has been a terrible week for Tottenham and it’s hardly a surprise that Fabio Paratici and Co have been told to earmark possible replacements.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

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According to reports in Spain, one name to have emerged on the club’s shortlist is former Barcelona player and manager, Xavi.

While the Spaniard is also on the radar of Manchester United, it’s thought that the Spurs board are considering making a change in the dugout if things have not improved by the end of December. In that eventuality, they will look to speak with Xavi about the job.

It’s stated that Spurs and United see Xavi as ‘an ideal coach to lead a new phase’, largely thanks to the fact that he has ‘modern ideas’ and ‘believes in young players’.

Why Xavi would be perfect for Spurs

Spurs have been there and done it before with a big-name manager. Antonio Conte’s spell ended in tears, as did Jose Mourinho’s. He steered them to a League Cup final at Wembley but was remarkably sacked on the eve of that big game.

As a result, caution must be heeded here. Is Xavi really the best port of call? Fears that another Conte or Mourinho situation could play out are understandable.

Yet, the fact of the matter is that Spurs have tried everything now. The relatively untested route of Postecoglou did end with a trophy but his spell was incredibly topsy-turvy. They’ve also been there and done it with a Premier League-proven manager. Nuno Santo ended poorly and the Frank regime is hardly going well, is it?

It’s rather sad. Frank is a nice man. He’s likeable. The first few months saw something of a revival too. Postecoglou’s defence was a total mess but the former Brentford manager had sorted that out.

Across Tottenham’s first seven games under Frank’s stewardship, they kept five clean sheets. There was better organisation and defensively they were far more resolute. Job done, right? The biggest problem under Ange was fixed. Think again.

The honeymoon period is now over. Spurs have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions. Across that time, they have shipped 15 goals. It’s far from ideal.

Frank’s first 7 games vs last 7 games

Stat

First 7

Last 7

Wins

5

1

Draws

1

1

Defeats

1

5

Goals scored

14

11

Goals conceded

3

15

Data excludes European Super Cup

Stats via WhoScored.

So, why would Xavi represent an upgrade? Well, in the words of Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, the former midfielder is “the best manager in the world.”

Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, the experience he boasts is extraordinary. As a player, he won the World Cup, two European Championships, eight LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.

As a manager, he navigated Barca through choppy waters. Under financial pressure, the Spanish giants still won LaLiga and while they did spend big on the likes of Raphinha and Ferran Torres, a lot of the work done in the transfer market was bringing in players on a free transfer.

Xavi was also the boss who gave a certain Lamine Yamal his debut aged 15. He also handed a first-team debut to Fermin Lopez, now a regular in the Barca team and to centre-half Pau Cubarsi.

Speaking about the Spanish manager’s philosophy, Arsene Wenger once said: “Personally, I like Xavi, and I give him credit for having the courage to bring these young players on board. That’s the difficult thing. He believed in them and gave them a chance to play. It’s true that he didn’t win the league last season, but he did win it the season before that. So I think he did a good job.”

The fact of the matter is that the Spaniard trusts young players and this couldn’t be more perfect for a Spurs squad boasting some of the finest young talent around. Take the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Luka Vuskovic and Luca Williams-Barnett as prime examples. The 45-year-old could be game-changing for players like that.

Born and bred in La Masia, it’s hardly a surprise that Xavi also favours attractive and possession-based football. Frank, on the other hand, does not.

Sure, Spurs were more organised during the opening months of the Frank regime but as manager of Tottenham, the fans expect to see exciting football too.

While the Londoners have enjoyed 53.8% of the ball this season, the sixth-best tally in the division, they have struggled big time with their creativity. Their 9.5 shots per game is the third-lowest tally in the entire Premier League. Only Wolves and Burnley are below them. Remarkably, they are also registering no through balls per game. No other team is worse in that regard.

As a consequence, they sit 16th in the league for expected goals, with a record of 14.33 xG.

To put some of those numbers into context, when Xavi won the league with Barca in 2022/23, they enjoyed the most possession in the league (64.8%), and had the second highest volume of shots per game (15.1).

While Xavi had a better team in his armoury, he is clearly a better tactical coach and the fact that he’s won some of football’s biggest honours puts him on a pedestal far above Frank.

He’s played under the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, he’s certainly been able to learn a thing or two. Spurs would certainly be better off should they seal the remarkable capture of Xavi heading into 2026.

Related As bad as Vicario: Frank must finally bin 5/10 Spurs flop after Fulham

Tottenham were condemned to a third defeat in six days as they were overcome by Fulham’s early flurry.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 30, 2025

Former England captain feared missing out on World Cup, but is back in situ after patient rehab

S Sudarshanan01-Oct-2025Imagine the dread. The one thing you worked for so dearly is threatened to be snatched away from you. Imagine the fear. Of missing out of an event you so looked forward to.Imagine being Heather Knight in May.Having relinquished England’s captaincy after nine years, she was looking forward to a summer of cricket back in the ranks, with the goal of the Women’s World Cup at the end of it. She remained a vital cog for England under the new leadership of head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. But an innocuous turn for a single threatened to ruin it all for her. She heard something pop while batting in the 19th over of a T20I in Chelmsford but did not walk off the field until the innings ended.Knight had suffered a right hamstring tendon tear, in which the tendon had detached from the bone. Recovering from such injuries takes anywhere between four to six months; the World Cup was only 17 weeks away, with England’s departure for a pre-tournament camp in Abu Dhabi a week ahead of that. Opting for surgery would have definitely put the former captain out of the competition. So, alongside England’s team of physios and doctors, she decided to try the rest-and-recovery method.”She’s very, very passionate about playing cricket for England and very passionate about the World Cup,” Angela George, National Lead for Physiotherapy – England Women, tells ESPNcricinfo. “So we knew that it was quite simple for us, really, that we needed to explore the conservative management. And we knew also that, if it wasn’t going to work, we would know about it and at least we would have tried. We went for the conservative option, which if you looked at the injury at the time, was about 50-50 as to whether it would be better to surgically repair or more conservatively manage.”Knight had already suffered a hamstring tear on the same leg in 2013. So that left her slightly more prone to injury. The other factor was an increase in her workload. England’s new regime places an importance on players’ participation in domestic cricket, with Knight featuring in the Women’s One Day Cup for Somerset. Of course, she was not left unmonitored. England use a workload monitoring system called Insights 360 that helps to mitigate injuries. But not all injuries can be predicted, let alone prevented.Knight made 37 against India as she continued her comeback•Getty Images”Her feedback to us around April was that her hamstrings had been in the best place that they felt for a long time,” George says. “We’ve done a lot of work on strength, motor control, hip mobility and just making sure that her hamstrings are in tip-top shape. But she probably had played a bit more cricket domestically than she had done at this point. So we knew we were on a bit of an edge with it, but fundamentally, sometimes these things just happen. The human body is so complex that, we can’t just say, right, that’s going to go at that point, so stop doing that.”The limited time added to the challenge. There were periods when they could push but also time they had to bide their time in order for her tendon to heal. There were no shortcuts. It was not just about getting Knight fit to board the plane; it was about making sure she was at her best for the World Cup.”As week by week went, we were quite slow to start off with and that caused a bit of frustration for Heather because she just wanted to get going,” George says. “She wasn’t looking for us to take shortcuts because, fundamentally, she has a lot of trust in our team to look after her. Whenever we debated something, we came back to the point that, if we push too early and things break down, she was not going to be happy.”Although Heather was coming to us with frustrations – as I would expect her to, as I would hope her to – and wanted to push us as fast as she can, we were always able to justify our decisions that fundamentally, the body needed to heal and put that part of the tendon back onto the bone.”Related

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Progress was slow for the first three months. They used MRI imaging at every step of her recovery. Knight worked on her upper body strength and on her other leg in this period. They finally pushed forward mid-August.”That was the time that the MRI started looking really good and we were happy that anything that we were putting through her body, the tendon wasn’t reacting to it.”Knight’s work with London Spirit as a team mentor also kept her occupied. Two weeks before England were to depart for Abu Dhabi, they accelerated her recovery through increased workload.”When we brought back a lot of cricketing skills, that’s when she could really show herself that her hamstring did not let her down,” George says. “We knew that because we’d done a lot of work, but she needed to show her own body that, actually, everything was fine.”Throughout the recovery, England’s management remained adamant that, if fit, Knight would be in straightaway for the World Cup. A lack of game-time was not considered a hindrance, given her previous form in the domestic season and the T20Is against West Indies.”We knew that she would not need an awful lot of game-time to get back to her very best,” George says. “Her hamstrings were in such a good place that, actually, we sort of knew that we could afford not to push the playing beforehand. That didn’t sit all that well with Heather because she just wanted to get playing, but we knew we had it in the back of our locker, really.”In her first knock after recovery, Knight made a 48-ball 41 in England’s unofficial warm-up match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, and a fluent 37 in the official warm-up against India in Bengaluru.Imagine the dread in the opposition. Imagine a fit Heather Knight at her best at the World Cup.