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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.

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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.

Wins

5

1

Draws

1

1

Defeats

1

5

Goals scored

14

11

Goals conceded

3

15

Data excludes European Super Cup

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.

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.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 30, 2025

Jewell, Came make half-centuries, but Olly Stone goes wicketless at start of loan spell

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Sep-2025Toby Roland-Jones led Middlesex’s fightback with his best Rothesay County Championship bowling figures of the season after promotion rivals Derbyshire had threatened to dominate with the bat on the opening day at Lord’s.Caleb Jewell and Harry Came both hit half-centuries as they forged a century partnership to give the visitors a strong platform at 124 for one before Roland-Jones struck back with four wickets in the space of 27 balls.The former Middlesex captain eventually finished with six for 77, while Ryan Higgins and Zafar Gohar shared the other four wickets evenly as Derbyshire, who began the day with a 24-point gap to second-placed Glamorgan, were bowled out for 283.In reply, Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Josh de Caires trimmed that deficit slightly prior to stumps, reaching 12 without loss.The Seaxes’ pace attack included two red-ball debutants in the shape of Olly Stone, signed on a short-term loan from Nottinghamshire, and 18-year-old Sebastian Morgan – yet there were slim pickings for either when the visitors won the toss and chose to bat on a benign surface.Higgins achieved the solitary breakthrough of the morning session, pinning Luis Reece in front of his stumps with a ball that nipped back down the slope, but Jewell and Came batted through to lunch largely untroubled.The Australian was quick to punish anything loose outside off stump, dispatching an early short ball from Roland-Jones to the cover fence before handing the same treatment to a Stone half-volley.Came settled in following an uncertain start, when Stone beat his outside edge a couple of times and began to take advantage of the short boundary on one side, keeping pace with his partner.It was Jewell who reached his half-century first, nudging a single from the opening ball of the afternoon session, while Came’s arrival at that landmark was more eye-catching as he pulled Stone into the Mound Stand for six.The pair extended their partnership to 105 before it was eventually broken by Higgins, returning for a second stint from the Nursery End and knocking back the left-hander’s off stump for 56.Derbyshire skipper Wayne Madsen, marking his 500th overall appearance in the county’s colours, was soon up and running with two quick fours off Higgins, but his side’s momentum was stemmed by a destructive spell from Roland-Jones.Came was first to go, caught behind off an inside edge for 64 and Brooke Guest was castled having misjudged the line before Roland-Jones got another delivery to rear back and trap former Middlesex man Martin Andersson leg before.Roland-Jones claimed the prize wicket of Madsen in identical fashion to leave Derbyshire apparently wilting at 177 for six, only for Anuj Dal and Zak Chappell to mount a recovery with their stand of 48.Dal eventually departed on the stroke of tea, succumbing to a thin edge off Gohar and the spinner also picked up the wicket of Chappell, but Ben Aitchison’s watchful 36 secured his side a batting bonus point.However, Roland-Jones wrapped up the innings by having both Aitchison and Jack Morley caught behind with the new ball and Middlesex successfully negotiated the day’s remaining seven overs without alarm.

Well, it certainly could have been easier. If England could have picked their opponents for the 2026 World Cup group stage, they probably would not have chosen a Croatia team that finished third at the last tournament and knocked them out in the semi-finals at the previous one in Russia, or a Ghana side containing two of the most exciting forwards in the Premier League.

At least Panama, who they destroyed 6-1 in the group stage in 2018, represent as close a guarantee to a win as is possible. A testing group, however, is just what Thomas Tuchel's side need to warm-up for the knockout rounds, when the expanded World Cup will truly kick into life. 

England are the only team at the 2026 World Cup to have won all their qualifying games without conceding a goal, and yet the confidence that comes from such a dominant display in those eight matches has to be balanced with the fact that Tuchel's side are yet to face a top team, with their friendlies pitting them against Wales and Senegal, the latter beating them last June.

Having a relatively tough run of opening matches will help sharpen England's reflexes and test their mentality, which should put them in good stead for the business end of the tournament. The Three Lions will need to be prepared because they have a truly daunting path to the final, potentially meeting former winners in every stage from the quarter-finals onwards. 

But while Gareth Southgate's England tended to be cowed by playing the very best teams, Tuchel has sought to remove the fear factor from his players, fostering fierce competition among his squad, which has translated into them wanting to tear into opponents rather than being overawed by them. As the fourth-ranked team in the world and runners-up in the last two European Championships, England have no excuse for not going all the way, regardless of how the draw has panned out.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Croatia not the force they were

  England will begin the tournament after nearly everyone else when they play Croatia on June 17, six days after Mexico and South Africa get the show on the road.

  The mere mention of Croatia makes many England fans shudder. They came from behind to beat Gareth Southgate's side in the semi-finals of 2018, using the perceived arrogance of the constant talk of 'Football Coming Home' as fuel. 

  Croatia were also responsible for England's darkest moment in the 21st Century: Their failure to qualify for Euro 2008 after losing 3-2 to Slavan Bilic's side at a rain-swept Wembley. England avenged that defeat by thrashing Croatia home and away while qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, while Southgate's side also got their own back, beating Zlatko Dalic's men in the Nations League and in the first game of Euro 2020.

  Croatia defied the odds once again at Qatar 2022, reaching the semi-finals after coming back to beat Japan and then Brazil on penalties, and few teams have their endurance factor in the big moments. But they are a team of the past, as their dismal showing at Euro 2024 showed.

  Captain Luka Modric recently turned 40, but he is far from the exception when it comes to veterans with prominent roles in the team. Ivan Perisic will be 37 when the tournament comes around while Andrej Kramaric will be almost 35. England should beat them.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ghana on the way back after AFCON disaster

  Next up is Ghana. The Black Stars are the lowest-ranked team England will face in the group after they suffered the ignominy of failing to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. They recovered some pride by winning eight of their 10 World Cup qualifiers to finish top of their group, however, and they have more than enough big names to keep Tuchel's side on their toes. 

  Antoine Semenyo is one of the most productive players in the Premier League and will be the one England will be looking to keep a lid on, with Mohamed Kudus a close second. Semenyo has, it should be pointed out, failed to reproduce his club heroics for his country, scoring only three goals and providing one assist in 32 internationals.

  Ghana's top scorer in World Cup qualifying was Leicester City striker Jordan Ayew, who just so happens to be the son of Abedi Pele, the greatest Black Stars player of all time. Coach Otto Addo, who led them to the last World Cup in Qatar but left before the AFCON qualifying debacle, has European experience as an assistant with Borussia Dortmund and Danish side Nordsjaelland, and has bolstered their threat from dead balls by with the help of the Belgian video analyst and set-piece coach Gregory De Grauwe.

  They will be no pushovers, but England should have more than enough resources to also beat them.

• AFP
  

  Panama have kicked on

  England will have hoped to have at least assured themselves of a place in the knockout rounds when they meet Panama in their third and final group game. The 6-1 shellacking of the Central American nation in Nizhny Novgorod smashed England's previous record win at a World Cup, with Harry Kane's hat-trick against the tournament debutants going a long way towards him winning the Golden Boot. Panama failed to pick up a point in Russia, but have advanced as a team since then under the tutelage of Thomas Christiansen. 

  The former Leeds United coach, who spent most of his playing career in Spain and represented La Roja despite being born in Denmark, took Panama to the final of the 2023 Gold Cup, the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League and to the quarter-finals of the Copa America in 2024, which was held in the United States. 

  Strangely, the team that are ostensibly the minnows of Group L could pose the toughest challenge to England as they set up in an extremely conservative 5-4-1 formation, the same shape that Andorra used in their narrow defeats to Tuchel's side in qualifying. But if England need a result to qualify or finish top of the group, they will surely get it. Indeed, their relentless record in qualifying suggests Tuchel will not let them relax even if the game is a dead rubber.

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• Getty
  

  Avoiding the worst conditions

  The good news is that England have avoided some of the toughest conditions when it comes to temperature, humidity and altitude. The exact venues and kick-off times will not be confirmed until Saturday evening, although most of England's games have been designated for the eastern region, with one exception: Dallas.

  Their opening game with Croatia will be in either Toronto or Dallas, places with vastly different climates. The good news is though that if the game is held in Dallas – or Arlington, to be exact – AT&T Stadium has a retractable roof and its climate can be controlled, protecting the players from the worst of the Texas summer and its temperatures that can reach 34C degrees. 

  Toronto represents the best conditions for football, and England could also play Ghana in the Canadian city, meaning there is potential for back-to-back games without travel. The alternative is Boston, which will be hotter and with the added disadvantage of the Gillette Stadium having no roof and thus no shelter from the sun or the rain. The same is true of the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the two options for the final game against Panama.

  If England top Group L, their path through the knockout stage will see them criss-cross the continent, heading south to the indoor Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the last 32, then all the way to Mexico City, with lower temperatures but significant altitude, for the last 16. The humidity of Miami would be a new challenge for Tuchel's side in the quarter-finals, with a return to Atalanta on the cards in the semis before a final in New York/New Jersey.

INEOS have not been afraid to splash the cash since taking the reins of Manchester United.

The 13-time Premier League champions are in dire straits, with manager Ruben Amorim yet to string a convincing run of games together, having won just 12 Premier League games in as many months in charge.

However, that is not for lack of backing in the transfer market. Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought four expensive players, including a new look attack consisting of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens also joined the club to help shelve issues between the posts.

However, it does not seem like United’s heavy spending will be done there, with the club reportedly targeting another star attacker.

United’s latest attacking target

The Red Devils have certainly been linked with some superstars in recent days.

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One of those is Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, although they face stiff competition from Liverpool and Arsenal for the £123m-rated attacker.

Aside from the Frenchman, it seems like United are in the race to sign Real Madrid and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior.

According to Football Insider, Amorim’s side are one of the clubs ‘interested’ in signing the Los Blancos star, who has reportedly fallen out with manager Xabi Alonso.

This has led to claims that the 25-year-old has refused to sign a new deal at the Bernabeu, and, with his contract up in 2027, he could be available at a cut-price fee.

Indeed, that is still as high as £80m, but given his quality and the state of the market, that seems a good price. United would have to rival Liverpool for his signature.

Why Vinicius would be a perfect Cunha upgrade

There are few players in the world as deadly in attack as Madrid’s number seven, Vinicius. Although this season under Alonso has been tougher than previous campaigns in the Spanish capital, his quality speaks for itself.

Yet, even then, his 2025/26 season so far has been impressive. The former Flamengo star has managed five goals and four assists in 13 La Liga games, and 901 minutes.

That leaves him with a goal involvement every 100 minutes.

Surprisingly, he’s yet to score or assist in the Champions League this season, but that is a competition where he’s had plenty of prior success.

The 2021/22 campaign, where Los Blancos lifted the trophy, saw him register 11 goal involvements. Two years later, they won it again, with Vincius scoring six times and assisting five in just ten games, including a goal in the final.

If Vinicius were to move to Old Trafford, he could be considered an upgrade on Brazil teammate Cunha.

Of course, the new Red Devils number ten only moved to Old Trafford this summer, joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £62.5m.

In terms of his sheer goals and assists output, the 19-cap Brazil star has only chipped in with one Premier League goal, an excellent finish against Brighton and Hove Albion.

He has seemingly impressed Amorim, who said he is a “maverick” footballer.

Yet, there is little doubt that Vinicius, described by Statman Dave as “the best player on the planet” back in the Champions League-winning season of 2023/24, would be an upgrade on his countryman.

Aside from his output, his pace and skill in one-vs-one situations are deadly.

Indeed, the stats from the current season back that up. For example, the Los Blancos number seven averages 3 successful take-ons and 8.9 progressive carries per 90 minutes, compared to 1.97 completed take-ons and 2.63 progressive carries for Cunha.

Goals and assists

0.9

0.13

Key passes

2.9

1.32

Goal-creating actions

0.8

0.13

Progressive carries

8.9

2.63

Take-ons completed

3

1.97

Whilst Cunha has enjoyed a good start to life at Old Trafford, Vinicius could take Amorim’s side to a whole new level. His deadly dribbling ability and eye for goal make him a complete attacker, one of the world’s best.

£80m isn’t the most outlandish fee for the quality of player. Perhaps the Brazilian could be the man who can finally make things click for Amorim at United.

Mbeumo upgrade: INEOS want to sign "best player in the world" for Man Utd

Manchester United could be about to target another elite-level talent for Ruben Amorim in the months ahead.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 25, 2025