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<\/a><\/p>\nFrank made a huge mistake going there.
Spurs didn’t just finish 17th last year because of Ange. It was because the vast majority of their squad simply aren’t good enough for PL football.
Van der Ven is literally the only one any of the true big sides would be interested in.<\/p>\n
No coach can get a tune out of that. If Burnley or West Ham find some form, Spurs are almost certainly in big trouble this year.<\/p>\n
Absurd reading of the VdV challenge. It was a last ditch sliding attempt to block a shot. The type of challenge that VdV has to make quite regularly to keep us out of the relegation zone. You could maybe argue it was slightly reckless.<\/p>\n Think you know ball?<\/p>\n Got five minutes and want to test your football knowledge? Play the Guardian\u2019s first daily football game, On the ball<\/a>. The rules are simple: guess the Premier League player, past or present, with the fewest clues possible, and impress your pals \u2013 and yourself \u2013 by doing so.<\/p>\n It\u2019s up to you whether you choose to start with a player\u2019s country, the three clubs they have played for the most, when they made their Premier League<\/a> debut, their age, the number of Premier League appearances or titles they have to their name, or how many different countries they have been based. The aim is to guess the player with the fewest clues, with points deducted for every clue used up, and to land a score as close to 100 points as possible.<\/p>\n Each day will see a new player to guess. Can you remember who else Mohamed Salah played for? Which midfielder has played for Tottenham, Leicester and Norwich? Go on: test yourself. And your friends.<\/p>\n Play On the ball from the Puzzles tab of the Guardian app<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n North of the border, there is a tasty pair of fixtures. Suprise leaders Hearts welcome Rangers to Tynecastle, where a win would further reinforce the home side\u2019s credentials as title challengers. Rangers are improving under Danny R\u00f6hl and should present more of a challenge than the side who lost 2-0 at Ibrox earlier in the season.<\/p>\n Celtic have lurched back into crisis mode after losing four in a row. New manager Wilfried Nancy is under pressure and the visit to Celtic Park of in-form Aberdeen does not make things any easier.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Emery\u2019s aspiring Aston Villa must shrug off United hoodoo to become contenders<\/p>\n On 20 October 2022, Aston Villa lost 3-0 at Fulham and Steven Gerrard was sacked. Villa had won only two of their first 11 games of the season and lay 17th in the Premier League table. Unai Emery was appointed as manager 12 days later, since when the transformation in Villa has been remarkable. In his three years in charge, no side in the top five leagues in Europe have won more home games and Villa have finished seventh, fourth and sixth, while reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Emery, of course: significant money has been spent as well \u2013 \u00a335m that January, \u00a3100m the following season, nearly \u00a3200m the season after that. It\u2019s only fair to point out that significant sales have been made, so the net spend since Emery took over is only around \u00a340m, but there has also been a significant increase in salaries, with the latest available financial results showing Villa had the seventh highest wage bill in the Premier League \u2013 although that does not include Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi, who were signed on loan in January in an effort to ensure Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n Read Jonathan Wilson\u2019s column in full here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Now let\u2019s turn our attention to the game\u2019s only, but nonetheless significant, fixture in the Premier League. At Villa Park Manchester United are the visitors in a game carrying plenty of narrative. Aston Villa have beaten United only three times in their past 53 meetings and suffered a costly defeat at Old Trafford on the final day of last season that cost Unai Emery\u2019s side Champions League football. A draw would have been enough to secure a seat at the top table of Europe again.<\/p>\n Villa keeper Emi Martinez is progressing but will subject to a late decision on his fitness, while Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres and Ross Barkley are all out. Harvey Elliott was ill during the week and has been on the outside looking in.<\/p>\n For United, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are still sidelined, but otherwise it is the noise around the club that Ruben Amorim is battling. This week Amorim has had to deal with stories about the futures of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes at the club, some ill-informed words about his commitment to developing players from the academy and even Sir Alex Ferguson, who questioned United\u2019s ability to win a title in the next decade<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Elsewhere in the Premier League, Leeds continued their recent strong form by gunning down an off-colour Crystal Palace. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice in the home side\u2019s 4-1 win at Elland Road<\/a>. Wolves continue to look doomed after their latest defeat, Keane Lewis-Potter scored twice at Molineux as Brentford ran out 2-0 winners<\/a>. Armando Broja scored a last-minute equaliser to end Burnley\u2019s seven-game losing run and leave Bournemouth winless in eight as they played out a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium<\/a>. At the American Express Stadium, goalmouth action was at a premium as Brighton and Sunderland drew 0-0<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It seems a very long time ago but Newcastle and Chelsea played out a humdinger of a 2-2 draw at St James\u2019 Park in the day\u2019s early kick-off<\/a>. Eddie Howe\u2019s side led 2-0 at the break thanks to a Nick Woltemade double but the visitors fought back with goals from Reece James and Jo\u00e3o Pedro.<\/p>\n Newcastle have now dropped 13 points from winning positions this season, but their manager blamed the match officials rather than lax defending for this latest setback. However, it was a controversial incident in the second half that saw Howe accuse Andy Madley of failing to award Newcastle a \u201cstonewall\u201d penalty.<\/p>\n With the score 2-1, Trevoh Chalobah\u2019s 54th-minute challenge on Anthony Gordon propelled the Newcastle player into the hoardings, but Madley declined to award a penalty, a decision endorsed by the video assistant referee.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a clear error and a clear penalty,\u201d said Howe, who is normally reluctant to criticise referees. \u201cAnywhere else on the pitch that is a blatant free-kick. I thought it would be overturned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defender only focuses on Anthony. [VAR] said it was shielding. I don\u2019t agree with that. I think the player has gone into Anthony aggressively, too aggressively, so I think it\u2019s a stonewall. The defender\u2019s only looking at Anthony, not the ball. It was the wrong decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Arne Slot\u2019s satisfaction of seeing Liverpool move level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea was tempered by concern over Alexander Isak\u2019s departure. The Sweden striker came on at half-time but was on the pitch for only 11 eventful minutes, sustaining an injury after being heavily tackled by Micky van de Ven in the process of scoring the opening goal.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any news on him but if a player scores, gets injured and doesn\u2019t try to come back on then that\u2019s not usually a good thing,\u201d Slot said. \u201cI can\u2019t say any more than that, it\u2019s my gut feeling, not medical. I haven\u2019t spoken to him about it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Isak and Conor Bradley are due for scans to under the extent of their injuries. With Mo Salah at Afcon, Liverpool now have only one available striker and dwindling options at right back.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s very much \u2018as you were\u2019 at the top of the Premier League table after both Manchester City and Arsenal won.<\/p>\n Erling Haaland scored twice and Tijjani Reijnders once as West Ham were swatted aside, losing to City for the seventh time in a row after conceding at least three goals in the past six meetings. Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad to see that one.<\/a><\/p>\n Viktor Gy\u00f6keres\u2019 emphatic first-half penalty sealed a slender yet merited win over an Everton team missing several important components. Arsenal were more efficient than impressive and rarely troubled throughout a scrappy contest, reports Andy Hunter at Hill Dickinson Stadium<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was more drama at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though. Nick Ames was there to see<\/a> three goals, two red cards and a ghastly looking injury to Liverpool striker Alexander Isak as the Reds beat Spurs 2-1. Isak scored to make it 1-0 before Hugo Ekitike got the second, but the Sweden international was injured as he shot thanks to a scything challenge from Micky van de Ven. Perhaps surprisingly Van de Ven did not see red, but Xavi Simons did for a careless challenge on Virgil van Dijk in the first half and after Richarlison scored to make the late stages more interesting Cristian Romero earned a second yellow for a petulant kick out.<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/101711120.gif\")
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<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jonathan_Wilson,_L.png\")
Jonathan Wilson<\/p>\n