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Spurs have dropped to 15th in the Premier League table and have won one of their last 10 matches, leading to calls for the Australian to be sacked

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As 18-year-old Archie Gray turned the ball into his own net in first-half stoppage time of Tottenham's trip to Everton to put the Toffees 3-0 up, goodness only knows what was running through Ange Postecoglou's mind as he stood lonely on the edge of his technical area.

Spurs were sliding to their eighth defeat in 10 Premier League games, a run which has only seen one win – a 5-0 walkover of 20th-placed Southampton. This is relegation form, and the north Londoners should be a tad thankful the true contenders for the drop are already a fair bit adrift of safety already.

Watching on from above in the Goodison Park precipice were chairman Daniel Levy, executive director Donna-Maria Cullen and chief football officer Scott Munn. At least they didn't have to stomach going over to the volatile away section come full-time.

There's some pretty stiff competition, but Tottenham are the Premier League's number-one basket case right now, and everyone at the club has to do some soul searching. It does, however, feel increasingly likely that the person who will pay the price first will be Postecoglou.

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesAn impossible job

No matter which strategy Tottenham have pivoted to in the post-Champions League final era, it seems to wind up proving an unsuccessful venture. They went down the 'serial winner' route with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, only for them to both leave the club in a worse state in which they found it. Nuno Espirito Santo, who took Wolves to unprecedented Premier League heights and is now third in the table with Nottingham Forest, was quickly deemed a failure and misstep.

Now is the turn of Postecoglou, who was meant to be the face of a revolution. To give the affable Australian some credit, he played that role superbly in his first season in spite of the massive challenges facing him. Harry Kane, the club's all-time leading scorer and arguably best-ever player, played a full pre-season before being sold to Bayern Munich a couple of days before Spurs' Premier League campaign kicked off, and a direct replacement for him wouldn't be signed for another year.

That was on top of already finding the club on its knees and at their lowest ebb since Harry Redknapp steered them away from a relegation battle to an eighth-placed finish in 2008-09. Any connection between the team and fans had completely evaporated, but both parties seemed willing to resolve that issue.

Postecoglou's first home game, a 2-0 win against Manchester United in August 2023, was among the loudest atmospheres sampled in Tottenham's new billion-pound stadium. Three months into the season, Spurs sat top of the league and were the neutral's favourite for their buccaneering and uncompromising style. Even when that house of cards collapsed with a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea having been reduced to nine men, fans were energised and applauded the squad's efforts. There was something meaty enough to work with.

Tottenham ended the season in fifth – several positions above many doomsayers' predictions – and were only a whisker away from qualifying for the Champions League, while the enthralling style of play was completely unrecognisable from the last five years. Postecoglou had probably hit the ceiling with what was available to him after 12 months and spirits were high heading into his second campaign, where everything has come crashing back down again.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHolding back the tide

As with many of his predecessors, Postecoglou hasn't quite kicked on in year two with that same upward trajectory. At this point, that's no coincidence.

On the whole, Tottenham don't have a terrible squad, rather it has some nice players without any of them being truly elite. Dejan Kulusevski has gone to another level as a midfielder this year, while Spurs' back five on paper ought to be among the Premier League's best.

It still, however, is missing dynamism and ingenuity. All of the wingers, bar 17-year-old Mikey Moore and summer recruit Wilson Odobert, are extremely one-dimensional. Those in central areas prefer to take risks in the defensive or middle thirds rather than in the attacking one. This lack of creativity has manifested into 11 of their 12 Premier League defeats being by one goal, with 10 of those coming at the end of matches where Spurs could hardly fashion a chance.

That's the added factor of losing Kane, while also moving into a different phase of Son Heung-min's career at the age of 32. No one available to Postecoglou can conjure up magic when all seems lost. There is no taking a game by the scruff of the neck and winning the hard way. Spurs are trying to walk the ball in but all the while getting overrun. It's a recipe for disaster.

Getty Images SportMounting injuries

The saving grace Postecoglou can turn to is he has not had a full squad to choose from all season long. Even at their peaks this term – maulings of Manchester United and Manchester City away from home, as well as an impressive cup win at home to Liverpool – he has had to patch the team up in some way. Spurs at their free-flowing best are definitely top-four contenders.

Alas, the injuries have piled up and Postecoglou has had to sift his way through a squad unable to meet demand. Again, he is not the first Tottenham manager to suffer from a stark gap in quality between first XI and the rest.

At present, Tottenham's cohort of 10 injured first-teamers – Guglielmo Vicario; Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Odobert, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Timo Werner; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke – could very well give the team that started Sunday's trip to Everton a run for their money.

The finger of blame has been pointed in Postecoglou's direction, yet this is an inconclusive assumption. We do not know what happens at their Hotspur Way training complex, what data is available to them and if this is a matter of the coach simply pushing them too far from the off. What definitely hasn't helped has been a lack of rotation mixed in with the high intensity of their pressing, but that's part of a self-fulfilling cycle here.

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Getty Images SportCan't stop the bleeding

Postecoglou has always stressed his stubborn nature is down to his belief it will benefit the team and the players in the long run. There's method to that madness, and you could even find yourself defending that notion if Spurs were, say, 10th and fighting in the competitive upper-mid-table pack. After eight losses in 10 and languishing in 15th, that doesn't fly. You can't keep losing and expecting to get better without acting on it.

Tottenham cannot buy a win, which can be attributed to the make-up of their squad. All of their victories have been deserved and emphatic, while the defeats have been limp and equally as justified. If Spurs are losing with 20 minutes to go, you already know they're not salvaging the game. If the advantage is slender, it's fair to assume it will be wiped out. If this team doesn't sprint into leads, they stand little chance of taking the three points.

In Postecoglou's recent career, he hasn't had to deal with a situation like this, as he is usually more accustomed to battling at the other end of the table. Good for him, but now he needs to show some survival instincts.

Wolverhampton Wanderers remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after they were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at the Molineux on Saturday.

Gary O’Neil’s side have lost four and drawn one of their opening six games and are one of four teams in the division yet to win a single match.

The former Bournemouth boss has hit a sticky patch of form and trialled a new centre-back partnership against Arne Slot’s Reds at the weekend in an attempt to turn the tide.

Toti Gomes and Santiago Bueno played alongside each other for the first time in a back four, having only previously played together as part of a three, and they – along with their teammates – gave up 2.53 xG to Liverpool.

O’Neil will need to find an answer to Wolves’ defensive woes after it was revealed that Yerson Mosquera is unlikely to feature again before the end of the season, after he suffered a knee injury against Aston Villa.

There was a time when the Old Gold may have had a world-class centre-back on their hands in the summer of 2019, but they ended up only signing Jesus Vallejo instead of their big target.

Jesus Vallejo's time at Wolves

Towards the end of July in 2019, Nuno Espirito Santo swooped to sign the Spanish central defender on a season-long loan move from Real Madrid.

The move did not include an option for Wolves to make it permanent at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, however, and this meant that he was only ever going to be a short-term fix for the club.

Ultimately, Vallejo was not even a short-term fix for Nuno as the centre-back struggled to break into the team and only made two appearances in the Premier League before his loan was cut short in January.

Minutes played

90

72

Goals conceded

5

1

Ground duels won

1/4

2/3

Aerial duels won

4/7

1/1

Error led to shot

0

1

As you can see in the table above, Wolves conceded a whopping six goals in his two outings in the top-flight, whilst he lost four of his seven ground duels and made one error that directly led to a shot for the opposition.

Vallejo also played five times in the EFL Cup and in Europa League qualifiers before he was sent back to Real Madrid, where he remains to this day – having featured in one LaLiga match for the Champions League winners.

The Spaniard was the only central defender Wolves signed in the summer transfer window in 2019 but things could have been so different if they had been a tad more ambitious with their pursuit of one of their big targets – Ruben Dias.

Wolves' interest in Ruben Dias

The Express & Star reported at the start of August 2019, just a matter of days after the deal for Vallejo was completed, that the Old Gold had decided to end their interest in the Benfica star.

It was claimed that the Old Gold were keen on bringing the Portuguese titan over to England and that they had been in talks with Benfica to agree a fee for his services.

However, they were unable to reach an agreement with the Liga Portugal giants and were not prepared to pay his release clause to get a deal over the line, as it was set at £57m.

Perhaps most frustratingly for Wolves and their supporters, it was also claimed that Dias was keen on a move to the Molineux if the two teams could thrash out a deal for him.

This suggests that the Portugal international would have accepted a switch to link up with Nuno ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, but the club were not prepared to smash their transfer record to pay £57m for him.

Whilst it is hard to begrudge, ultimately, a midtable Premier League side from spending £57m on a player who had yet to prove himself in a major European league, it is also hard to look back on this as anything other than one that got away for Wolves, given what Dias has gone on to achieve in England.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

Ruben Dias achievements in England

A year after the Old Gold opted against pursuing a deal for the central defender, Manchester City swooped in to sign him from Benfica for a reported fee of £65m as they looked to bounce back from Liverpool’s Premier League title success in the 2019/20 season.

Dias enjoyed an unbelievable first campaign in English football with Pep Guardiola’s side and established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe.

He won the FWA Footballer of the Year, the Premier League Player of the Season, and the Champions League Defender of the Season, which suggests that the £65m-rated ace was the best centre-back in the Premier League and the Champions League that term.

The colossal titan was also named in the PFA Team of the Year, the Champions League Squad of the Season, and the 2021 FIFA World XI.

Dias made 51 appearances in all competitions for City that season and helped them to win the Premier League title and to reach the final of the Champions League.

Since the Portuguese giant’s move to The Etihad, Manchester City have won four straight league titles and one Champions League trophy, as they have asserted their dominance in English football.

Dias, who journalist Josh Bunting described as a “Rolls Royce”, has racked up 186 appearances in all competitions for the club to date and won ten trophies.

Appearances

6

Pass accuracy

93%

Ground duel success rate

57%

Aerial duel success rate

64%

Defeats

0

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese star has also enjoyed a strong performance in the current campaign, helping his team to an unbeaten start to the season with his dominant defensive work.

Overall, Wolves should look back at Dias as one that got away as they missed out on a world-class centre-back in 2019, who went on to be the best player in the Premier League.

Wolves wanted £75m superstar under Lage, they signed Trincao instead

Bruno Lage wanted a current Serie A star back in 2021…

ByRoss Kilvington Sep 29, 2024

Arne Slot has rested Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk & seven other key players for Liverpool's Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven.

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Liverpool travel to PSV without several superstarsDropped the likes of Salah and Van DijkSlot wants them fresh for Bournemouth encounterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds are heading to the Netherlands without several high-profile players, with Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Díaz, Salah, and Van Dijk all missing out. This marks significant rotation in the squad as Slot focuses on Liverpool’s challenging Premier League and Carabao Cup schedule in the coming days.

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Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to start between the sticks, giving the backup goalkeeper a rare chance to impress in a high-profile European fixture. Other players such as Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott are likely to feature. Cody Gakpo, who previously played for PSV, has also travelled with the squad and could play against his former team.

DID YOU KNOW?

The 21-man squad for the PSV match includes a number of promising young players, with 17-year-old Trey Nyoni headlining the list. This match serves as a platform for Nyoni to continue his development under Slot’s careful guidance. Other academy products, such as Tyler Morton, James McConnell, and Jayden Danns are also part of the travelling group. The trio have been attracting interest from Championship clubs, with potential loan moves being explored ahead of the January transfer deadline.

Liverpool squad

Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Davies.

Defenders: Quansah, Bradley, Norris, Nallo, Tsimikas, Robertson.

Midfielders: Endo, Mabaya, McConnell, Morrison, Morton, Nyoni.

Forwards: Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Kone-Doherty, Danns, Nunez.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool’s Champions League journey has been flawless so far, with the team winning all seven of their group-stage matches. Regardless of the outcome against PSV, Liverpool are guaranteed a top-two finish, further justifying Slot’s decision to rest his main stars. Following the trip to in-form Bournemouth, their schedule becomes even more demanding next week as they prepare to host Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, the Reds face an uphill battle to secure a place in the final.

An integral member of the Arsenal squad isn’t set to return until the “best part of four weeks” through injury, and there could be an even longer wait than that depending on his rehabilitation.

Arsenal's injury concerns over international break

Mikel Arteta’s side were given a brief scare against newly-promoted Southampton over the weekend, with Cameron Archer handing the Saints a shock lead before Arsenal swiftly responded.

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“At 29, he can still dream of moving on,” wrote Thomas Chatelle.

ByBarney Lane Oct 7, 2024

Goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka sealed a 3-1 win for the Gunners after Archer’s 55th-minute opener, ensuring that the Premier League title hopefuls maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Now, Arteta and co have the international break to regroup behind the scenes and prepare for Arsenal’s next encounter – a trip to Bournemouth before taking on Ukrainian heavyweights Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

Liverpool (home)

October 27

Newcastle United (away)

November 2

Chelsea (away)

November 10

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

However, Arteta also has a fair few injury concerns to contend with going into the contests. Ben White’s groin injury has ruled him out of Arsenal’s previous four matches, while defender Jurrien Timber is nursing a muscle problem.

Oleksandr Zinchenko won’t be back for weeks after suffering his own injury, with Arsenal pretty light in terms of full-back options right now when also factoring in Kieran Tierney’s absence.

Arsenal supporters were dealt very worrying news when in-form forward Kai Havertz, who has been pivotal over these opening weeks of the campaign, pulled out of international duty with Germany.

The ex-Chelsea star is carrying a knee problem, but the consensus has been that Arsenal are confident Havertz won’t be a long-term injury absentee. While the 25-year-old won’t be featuring for his country in their Nations League fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands, there is hope that he won’t be out for much longer than that.

Arteta is still minus his club captain and chief creator Martin Odegaard as well, following the Norwegian’s ankle ligament damage he picked up during the last international break.

Odegaard won't return for "best part of four weeks" at Arsenal

Speaking to GiveMeSport this week, reliable journalist Ben Jacobs has shared an update on the £240,000-per-week midfielder’s condition as he continues rehabilitation.

Jacobs says that Odegaard won’t return from injury for the “best part of four weeks” at Arsenal, and it could be even longer, as the club won’t want to rush him back, even if their desire is for him to be fit for Liverpool.

“Martin Odegaard remains weeks away from being physically fit,” said Jacobs.

“And then, of course, you’ve got to get him match fit in addition to that. So I’m told at this stage that there’s no rush to get Odegaard back, despite his clear importance to Arsenal, but they want him involved and fit and influencing the Liverpool game in the Premier League, as opposed to Shakhtar in the Champions League, and that comes at the end of October.

“So that’s what the player and club are looking towards to try and get him sharp 100% and ready for that Liverpool game, which still gives him the best part of four weeks.

“But if he needs longer, no undue risk will be taken.”

Odegaard returning for their face-off against Arne Slot’s side would be an undoubted boost for Arteta, especially considering how the former Real Madrid ace was their most influential player last season in terms of key passes completed per 90 in the final third (WhoScored).

“Our team will be in Oman at least 15-16 days before, which is enough time for acclimatising with conditions and wickets.”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2021Shakib Al Hasan believes Bangladesh have more than enough time to prepare for the T20 World Cup, and that the team will head to the upcoming tournament in UAE and Oman having built a “winning mentality” following recent series victories against Australia and New Zealand.Bangladesh will arrive in Muscat at least two weeks ahead of their first match, while Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman will be playing the IPL’s UAE phase, which Shakib feels will help him collect intelligence for the team.Related

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“I am hopeful that the IPL will help everyone,” Shakib said. “We will be spending time in those conditions, play matches too. Mustafiz and I can share the experience with the rest of the team. We will understand the other players’ mindset, what they are thinking about the World Cup, and then report it back to our players.”Our team will be in Oman at least 15-16 days before the World Cup, which is enough time for acclimatising with conditions and wickets. I don’t think pitches and conditions here will have any impact over there. We have built a winning mentality, which will help us be confident in the World Cup.”Shakib, however, continued to criticise the pitches at the Shere Bangla National Stadium where Bangladesh won the last two T20I series against Australia and New Zealand.Shakib was one of four batters to score more than 100 runs in the two series, averaging 17.66 with a 97.54 strike-rate batting in the top-order in nine games. The collective batting average in both series were 14.73 and 16.48 respectively.Shakib had said after the first match against New Zealand that the pitch was more difficult than the ones used in the Australia series. He said that the batters will have to forget about playing in Dhaka if they are to do well in the T20 World Cup.”Those who played the last nine-ten matches, are all out of form. That’s how the wicket was. Nobody did well. I hope the batters don’t count this performance.”Careers will end if any batter plays 10-15 matches on these wickets. Let’s not take this into account. Everyone will try hard to win games for the country.”I think we are well prepared, by winning these last three (T20I) series. There’s been a lot of criticism about pitches and low scores, but there’s nothing better than winning.”Such a winning streak takes confidence to a different level. You wouldn’t have it if you played well but lost. We want to go to the World Cup with confidence.”Meanwhile, Mushfiqur Rahim has informed chief selector Minhajul Abedin that he will join Bangladesh A’s one-day matches against BCB’s High Performance team in Chattogram on September 30 and October 2.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has claimed that Mathys Tel will stay with the Lilywhites beyond his initial loan from Bayern Munich.

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Tel signs six-month deal with SpursPostecolou wants to keep Tel past loanReveals how he warded off Chelsea interest in TelFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Tel joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day in February after he initially rejected the North London side as they looked to sign him in a permanent deal. Having signed the 19-year-old to a six-month loan deal with an option to buy in the summer for £45.7 million ($56.8m), Postecoglou has claimed Tel will stay with Spurs beyond just the current initial loan.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

Speaking to the media, Postecoglou said: "He'll be a Tottenham player, mate. He'll be a Tottenham player. I think he'll show everyone he's going to be a Tottenham player in the next six months. I didn't bring him here for six months.

"I think he is very, very exciting. When you meet him you realise he’s got that bit about him as a person who has enormous self-belief and confidence in what he can do and what he wants to do. Even though he’s young, physically he’s already in a place where he can take on the enormous challenges of being an attacking player in the Bundesliga and I think he can handle the Premier League. He’s a goal-scorer, he can take people on, he’s got speed. He is exciting.

"I’d be very surprised if there was a club that wouldn’t be interested in somebody like him. Irrespective of the situation we’re in, us being able to get him in and the circumstances behind it, is fantastic for the football club. He will play a significant part in our end-of-season and beyond. I know he wants to make an impact and I'd be expecting him to make an impact."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Reports from L'Equipe have suggested that Chelsea attempted to hijack Tottenham's deal with Tel as the 19-year-old waited to fly to London from Munich to sign with Spurs. However, the star had already decided to join the Lilywhites. Postecoglou has revealed how he convinced the striker to join his side on deadline day.

The Australian said: "I got a sense pretty early on that there was a connection there and he was hearing what he wanted to hear. It is a big decision. He is a 19-year-old man at a fantastic football club. They [Bayern] would have been quite happy to keep him, I am sure, but he also knew he needed to play. But not just play. Play where he is going to develop.

"It is a credit to him that rather than just jump at what came at him, he was very thorough in the way he made his decision. I think I’ve got a pretty compelling story to tell. When I speak to players, I’m not trying to sell anything that there isn’t plenty of evidence for. I think for most players, that’s where they get comfort more than anything else. I don’t think it’s smooth-talking, or selling, I think there’s a real good story here which I really believe in.

"I speak from a real strong conviction that what I’m saying will come to fruition. I really believe that. I don’t think I need to do anything special."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR TEL?

The 19-year-old made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute for Richarlison in Spurs' 4-0 second-leg loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield. He will likely be in line to make his full debut on Sunday, February 9 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.

Second win in a row puts Scotland in a great position to make it to the Super 12s

Shashank Kishore19-Oct-2021Papua New Guinea threatened a late heist courtesy the big-hitting Norman Vanua after stumbling to 35 for 5 in a 166 chase, but Scotland’s experience and excellent work up until then helped them prevail for their second win of the T20 World Cup, and PNG’s second loss.Scotland now top Group B, but in minimising the margin of defeat, PNG may have ensured they will have to wait till the end of their final game to see if they can progress to the Super 12s or not. In case there is a three-way on two wins each, or on one win each, it will come down to net run-rate.For PNG, this was a massive improvement from their ten-wicket pounding against Oman. In Vanua and Chad Soper, who had an excellent game with bat and ball, they had two heroic performances that nearly helped them achieve the impossible. In the end, they fell 17 short, having to rue their top order meltdown. When Josh Davey, the fast bowler, picked up the final wicket, to finish with 4 for 18, the relief in the Scotland camp was palpable.PNG’s early strikes
George Munsey looked to premeditate and picked off two boundaries courtesy slog sweeps off legspinner Charles Amini, but fell soon after as he top-edged a heave to square leg in the fourth over. It came on the back of left-arm seamer Kabua Morea giving PNG their first World Cup wicket. Beaten on the outside edge on Sunday, Kyle Coetzer was deceived by a slower delivery that nipped back in to beat his inside edge this time. Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross, in his 50th T20I, then needed to rebuild as Soper’s accuracy and late movement kept them honest.Berrington and Cross rescue act
Having struggled early on to gauge the pace of the pitch, Berrington, who had scored five runs in ten balls, broke the shackles by launching legspinner Lega Siaka for a big six down the ground. It proved to be the trigger for him to get going. His quick footwork to fully go back or get right to the pitch helped negotiate the spinners. And Cross’ tactful strike rotation ensured Scotland didn’t get stuck. He launched the half-century stand off just 44 balls by muscling a slog sweep into the stands, Amini coming in for special treatment. His four wicketless overs would eventually cost 41.Josh Davey struck at key moments•ICC via GettyThe acceleration
Scotland smashed three fours and three sixes between overs ten and 13, picking 42 off those in all, to signal a significant shift in momentum. Cross was a beneficiary of some friendly long-hops that he put away over the ropes, and PNG’s sloppy outfielding also contributed to the run-bleeding. Ironically, it was a long hop that had Cross pulling one to the lone man on the leg side at deep midwicket for a 36-ball 45 in the 15th over. It brought an end to the 92-run third-wicket stand, Scotland’s highest for any wicket in T20Is. An excellent final over from Nosaina Pokana, where he executed his yorkers well, and tight bowling from Soper that included the wickets of Calum MacLeod and Berrington in the space of three balls, denied Scotland a final kick after they looked set for 180-plus at one stage. Morea picked up three wickets in his final over with the batters looking for the big hits, finishing with 4 for 31.PNG’s sorry collapse
PNG came out swinging, lost shape, and lost wickets. The openers fell inside four overs, Assad Vala sparkled briefly before hitting to mid-off, Amini was brilliantly run-out by Michael Leask’s rocket throw from the deep as he wandered out for a second, and Berrington plucked a one-handed stunner at backward point. PNG were 35 for 5 inside the powerplay.Vanua, Doriga’s fightback
Faced with a steep ask, Vanua struck a few meaty blows to keep PNG’s interest fluttering. His takedown of Brad Wheal in an 18-run over brought the equation down to 62 off the last five overs. His mantra was simple: clear front leg, keep stable base, and swing like a golfer. As the runs suddenly cascaded, Kiplin Doriga found his hitting range against legspinner Chris Greaves as the 16th over went for 16. Suddenly, the pressure was on Scotland as the pair raised a half-century stand off just 25 balls. Then, the Mark Watt-Matt Cross combine dealt a massive blow to remove a charging Doriga, Cross collecting a full and wide half-volley way outside off to effect a smart stumping. It deflated PNG, who eventually went out with their heads held high.

It has been a season to forget so far for Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a tough 2023/24 campaign, in which they were led to safety by manager Gary O’Neil, the Old Gold now find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League this term.

It may be surprising for people that Wolves are struggling as much as they are this season. BBC Sports’ chief football writer Phil McNulty was one person who thought they would steer well clear of the drop zone this term. He explained that, in his opinion, the Midlands outfit “can avoid danger” this term, although so far it has not worked out very well.

When looking more in-depth at their underlying stats this season, it is certainly a cause for concern for O’Neil, ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

Wolves’ stats in 2024/25

There is no doubt that the Old Gold have underwhelmed massively this term. The bottom-of-the-table side are yet to get a win on the board this term, one of four sides to do so along with Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Southampton. They have not even earned a point since a 1-1 draw away to Nottingham Forest.

Pinpointing their biggest weakness this season is not too difficult. They have been incredibly frail at the back, conceding the most goals in England’s top flight so far with 23, five more than any other side in the division.

They let six in against Chelsea at Molineux in a shocking 6-2 defeat and conceded five goals away from home to Brentford in a 5-3 loss.

What is perhaps most surprising is that O’Neil’s side are not last in the Premier League when it comes to the number of expected goals against. As per Understat, they rank 16th, with a tally of 16.54xGA, although they are massively underachieving on that front.

Interestingly, the Old Gold are not doing as well on the goalscoring side of things. They have scored ten times this term, with seven teams having scored less than that. They are overachieving on expected goals though, with an expected goals tally of 8.13xG this term. However, it is worth remembering that half of those goals came in two matches, against the Blues and the Bees.

It is hard to know where the Old Gold turn now, as they look to pick things up this season. However, O’Neil could well select an attacker ahead of today’s tough assignment against Brighton, in the hope it will change their fortunes.

The player who could start for Wolves against Brighton

The player in question here is young winger Rodrigo Gomes. The 21-year-old joined the club for £12.7m in the 2024 summer window, signing from SC Braga until 2029.

The Portugal under-21 international impressed last term during a loan spell with Estoril, scoring nine goals and grabbing eight assists in 36 games in all competitions. That included 14 goal involvements in 30 games in Liga Portugal.

A direct winger, he can be simply devastating to an opposition defence.

Stat

Number

Goals and assists

14

Expected goals

6.37xG

Big chances created

7

Key passes per game

1.2

Expected assists

3.19xA

Dribble completion rate per game

41%

Ball recoveries per game

3.8

Duels won per game

3.4

So far, opportunities have been few and far between for the Wolves number 19. He has played just four times for the Old Gold, featuring just once in the last six Premier League games, and is yet to register a goal involvement.

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Football scout Antonio Mango described the £25k-per-week talent as “a diamond” during his loan spell at Estoril Praia last term. The Old Gold are yet to see the best of him, but he could be the player who gets them out of this poor run of form.

The new man does only have one Premier League start under his belt so far, although he did catch the eye against the Seagulls in the EFL Cup earlier in the campaign, notably providing two key passes in that 3-2 defeat at the Amex.

Given Wolves’ poor form, O’Neil might well decide to try something new which could lift his team.

Brighton will prove to be a tough test, but Gomes could terrorise them if given the chance, and help lift his side out of the relegation zone, or, at the very least, begin to change their fortunes.

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Leeds United will be aiming to get back to winning ways this weekend in the Championship when Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle come town, having been left wanting more from their last game away at Bristol City.

The goal-shy Whites had to make do with a 0-0 draw against Liam Manning’s Robins, despite registering 17 attempts on the busy home goal, as the Elland Road faithful now worry more blanks could be fired versus the Pilgrims.

The task facing Daniel Farke’s side is going to be made harder with Largie Ramazani ruled out with an injury for this clash, with the Belgian winger standing out as a top performer this season for Leeds, before injury disaster struck recently.

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Before going down with an early injury at home to Watford this October, Ramazani was beginning to make waves in the first team ranks at the promotion-chasing side, with a promising three goals notched up from eight Championship appearances.

His replacement in Manor Solomon for the game against the Hornets hasn’t exactly set the world alight in his place either, with only one on-target effort versus Watford registered, which resulted in Farke only giving him 19 minutes of action off the bench away in Bristol.

Farke will also be praying that Mateo Joseph finds his shooting boots again tomorrow to face off against Plymouth, with the Spanish striker blowing hot and cold as of late, away from firing home this big strike against Sheffield United in the middle of the month to secure a 2-0 win.

That was only the Leeds academy product’s second strike of the campaign, but there will be high hopes he can be the leading man the Whites need in their pursuit to win promotion, having also proven his worth with three assists.

There are already rumours circulating that Leeds are looking at bringing in more attackers soon, with the door open for the second tier side to bring in some loanees this January if needs be, with this former Whites loan player seeing his transfer value shoot up since leaving Elland Road behind.

Eddie Nketiah's value since leaving Leeds

Eddie Nketiah has a Championship winners medal scattered amongst his career accolades, with the 25-year-old once a promising young attacker cutting his teeth at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

The unassuming 5 foot 9 forward would help himself to five goals from 19 appearances playing for the Whites, going on to lift the second tier title subsequently at the close of the memorable 2019/20 season, alongside Leeds greats such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford.

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

Leeds

19

5

1

Arsenal

168

38

7

Crystal Palace

7

1

0

Only worth around the £6.7m mark when first joining the Whites, Nketiah would use this formative loan switch as a springboard to launch himself into the main first-team fold at Arsenal, with the London-born striker going on to make 168 appearances in total for the Gunners and scoring 38 times.

He might not have lived up to all the hype that surrounded him as a youngster at the Emirates – with journalist James Olley once describing Nketiah as “remarkable” in 2017 when he was starting to be tipped for greatness – but his value would significantly rise up from the £6.7m he was once worth.

As of May this year, Transfermarkt estimated that the new Crystal Palace number nine’s value was now at a far higher £25m, not far off the £30m the Eagles actually forked out to land his services a couple of months later.

Using the £25m, that is a 257% increase in the value he was once worth when first entering the building at Leeds, with the 25-year-old aiming to now make a name for himself at Selhurst Park away from his boyhood employers, but only one goal has found the back of the net so far for him in South London.

Leeds will be hoping that their own issues in front of goal subside soon too or the promotion hopefuls could be busy in January adding in more firepower.

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England’s 2005 Ashes-winning bowling coach links up with squad ahead of first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2021Stuart Broad hopes that the appointment of Troy Cooley as a consultant fast-bowling coach ahead of next month’s first Test at Brisbane will help provide England’s bowlers with vital “one-percenters” in their quest to regain the Ashes on Australian soil.Cooley, who helped to mould England’s four-pronged pace attack that won the Ashes in 2005, has been heavily involved with Cricket Australia since then, including a stint as caretaker coach in South Africa in 2011, and assistant to Justin Langer in the last Ashes campaign in England in 2019.His involvement with the England set-up got underway this week during the rain-affected three-day intra-squad match at Redlands, Brisbane, and he will continue to work under Jon Lewis, the ECB’s Elite Pace Bowling Coach until the first Test, when he will then assist the England Lions seamers in their four-day match against Australia A, starting on December 9.And Broad, who is embarking on his fourth Ashes series in Australia, says the opportunity to glean some vital insight on Australia’s batters from Cooley will be invaluable.”[Cooley] arrived when we got out of quarantine [on] Saturday, but he’s with us for a decent period of time,” Broad told cricket.com.au. “Really looking forward to picking his brain on Australian conditions, and Australian players, to be honest.””He’s been in their setup for a long period of time, through development and at the top level. He can give us great insight into Australian batters’ mentality; what they’re looking to do, where they’re looking to score, where they don’t like the ball, how (we should) be around them – whether you talk to them, whether you ignore them, whether you sledge them … can you annoy them enough to make a mistake?Related

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“All this sort of detail, we’ll be picking Troy’s brain, because anything you can get – even a one-percenter on someone – will be really useful for us. You need all that sort of stuff to win in Australia. You need to be at the top of your game at all times, and find little chinks in the opposition’s armoury.”Broad and James Anderson, who first played an Ashes Test on the 2006-07 tour, are the only two England players with prior experience of a series victory in Australia – although Broad himself played a limited role in the 3-1 win in 2010-11 after sustaining a side strain during the second Test.”It’s great to have someone with Troy’s expertise and experience supporting our Ashes prep and also working closely with our Lions pace bowlers,” said Mo Bobat, the ECB Performance Director. “Troy’s understanding of what it takes to be successful in Australian conditions is second to none, and the players are sure to benefit hugely.”No play was possible on the second day of England’s warm-up match against England Lions. The senior squad will resume on 98 for 0 on day three, with Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed unbeaten on 39 and 53 respectively.