Thomas Frank is under a modicum of pressure but he’s still capable of stonewalling a journalist’s question.
Via PA Media.
Thomas Frank has brushed off the topic of one-time summer target Eberechi Eze ahead of Tottenham’s trip to rivals Arsenal, the transfer hijacked at the last minute.
Frank joked: “Who’s Eze? Very good player. He plays for Arsenal. A team we want to beat on Sunday. I really like to speak about players who are here. The only other two I will speak about are [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo.
“I’ve said before I’m happy with my squad. It’s two clubs on two different journeys. I hate to say it but they’re a little bit ahead of us. But we know that’s one thing, on one game, 100 per cent sure we will be very competitive. Of course we can win on Sunday. Then of course in general we know squad depth is good and important but I’m not really looking at other teams. I’m just looking at my team there.”
To build up to the north London derby, David Hytner spoke to key Tottenham midfielder, Joao Palhinha.
Palhinha has nonetheless heard criticism, most searingly from Jamie Carragher after the Chelsea debacle, the Sky pundit accusing him of not being good enough to progress the ball. There has also been muttering from the Spurs support about Frank’s use of Palhinha alongside Rodrigo Bentancur in front of a back four. Does the partnership lack zip in possession?
Sunday’s key fixtures
Premier League
Leeds v Aston Villa, 2pm
Arsenal v Tottenham, 4.30pm
Championship
Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United, 12pm
Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen v Hearts, 3pm
La Liga
Elche v Real Madrid, 8pm
Serie A
Inter v Milan, 7.45pm
The table, as it stands.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 12 | 12 | 23 |
| 3 | Man City | 12 | 14 | 22 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 12 | 7 | 20 |
| 5 | Brighton | 12 | 3 | 19 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 12 | 3 | 19 |
| 7 | AFC Bournemouth | 12 | -1 | 19 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 9 | 18 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 11 | 3 | 18 |
| 10 | Man Utd | 11 | 1 | 18 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 12 | -2 | 18 |
| 12 | Brentford | 12 | -1 | 16 |
| 13 | Everton | 11 | -1 | 15 |
| 14 | Newcastle | 12 | -2 | 15 |
| 15 | Fulham | 12 | -3 | 14 |
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 12 | -7 | 12 |
| 17 | West Ham | 12 | -10 | 11 |
| 18 | Leeds | 11 | -10 | 11 |
| 19 | Burnley | 12 | -10 | 10 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 12 | -20 | 2 |
And the top scorers in the Premier League.
No Palmer, still party for Chelsea at Burnley.
Doom for Wolves on Rob Edwards’ first game in charge.
I was at Fulham where the match was almost as rotten as the weather though the best team won. Sunderland were a little disappointing.
Brighton made a fine comeback in the battle of the B-teams, while another B, Bournemouth, showed their fighting qualities.
Talking of fallen champions. Manchester City’s title charge faltered on Tyneside.
The story of the season is the fall of the champions. Just what is going on at Liverpool?
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Man Utd | 11 | 1 | 18 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 12 | -2 | 18 |
| 12 | Brentford | 12 | -1 | 16 |
| 13 | Everton | 11 | -1 | 15 |
A historic day on Saturday, the new Nou Camp open for business. Sort of. Sid Lowe was on architectural duties.
Above all, for most there was a kind of comfort, familiarity, the sense that this could be both a way back to where they were and a new beginning. The Camp Nou rebuild is not done: only three sides of the lower two tiers are open, allowing for a maximum 45,401 of the 105,000 it will eventually hold, and at times, in truth, the day of fiesta was a little flat, quiet and underwhelming, but Flick said “it’s a really good feeling to be back here”, and back is the word.
Good morning, football. A full day of football awaits, and there’s also a big day on Saturday to consider. The big one comes in north London but there’s plenty of other action, including in the Steel City.
Join us.