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A pundit has told Sky Sports that Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has now drilled one Spurs star into working very hard.

Spurs form and results this season

The Lilywhites look transformed by Postecoglou's arrival; winning seven out of a possible nine Premier League games while remaining unbeaten in that period. Victories over Bournemouth, Man United, Burnley, Sheffield United, Liverpool, Luton Town and Fulham have helped table-topping Tottenham to their finest start since they clinched a double in the 1960/1961 campaign.

Postecoglou has also broken a record, overseeing the best start made by a new manager in Premier League history. The mood around north London is one of real positivity and jubilation right now, and alongside their popular head coach, supporters have a key players to thank for their meteoric early-season rise. Son Heung-min, who's already scored seven top flight goals this season, has formed a very fruitful partnership with summer signing James Maddison in the forward areas.

Indeed, Maddison joined Spurs from Leicester City for £40 million over the last transfer window (BBC) – a fee which now looks like one of the bargains of 2023. His three goals and five assists, not to mention overall performances, have attracted real praise. The midfielder has also dazzled at international level, with England manager Gareth Southgate praising Maddison as a player who brings the "sunshine".

“He is in a really good vein of form," said Southgate at an England press conference.

"A really good character around the group. He connects people well. We have got the more steady, serious guys & we have a lot of guys who bring a lot of sunshine."

Aaron Lennon praises James Maddison

It's one of English football's worst kept secrets that Maddison is a serial creator going forward, having also notched a brilliant 10 goals and nine assists in the Premier League for Leicester last campaign. Now, he's found a new set of fans to entertain with his quality on a weekly basis, and it appears the sky may very well be the limit.

Former Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon has lavished Maddison with praise on Sky Sports as well, but it's for an aspect for his game you wouldn't usually associate that often with the star playmaker. Lennon has spotted something different which Postecoglou has drilled into his game – namely that he's now working very hard out of possession.

“Yeah, at the minute he’s on absolute fire," said Lennon to Sky (via Football Daily) after their 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday.

"I was watching him and he completely dictated the game. He was working hard off the ball, I think the new manager has got that into him. He must be a joy to play with, as one of those front players with him behind you, if you make the run he’ll find you. He’s the man of the moment at the minute."

Maddison will next be in action against Crystal Palace on Friday, as Spurs look to maintain their incredible run and remain top of the table.

Manchester United have now made contact for an impressive defensive target as Erik ten Hag begins to step up his recruitment drive ahead of the January transfer window.

Manchester United updates

The Red Devils narrowly defeated Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend courtesy of a late strike from captain Bruno Fernandes to pick up their fourth victory in six matches across all competitions; however, it is fair to say that they have trod a tightrope within their recent run of fixtures. In between defeats against Manchester City and Newcastle United at Old Trafford, Ten Hag's four victories have all come by a single-goal margin.

Incredibly, their triumphs against Brentford and Fulham both came courtesy of injury-time strikes; meanwhile, Andre Onana was called upon in the dying embers of the Red Devils' 1-0 win against Copenhagen in the Champions League to make a dramatic penalty save from Jordan Larsson to save his side's blushes at Old Trafford.

On Saturday, some of the travelling Manchester United contingent unveiled a banner that read 'play like you mean it' amid a spate of underwhelming Red Devils' performances this term. Scotland international Scott McTominay revealed after the Fulham clash that the banner actually helped to spur his side on to claim three points at Craven Cottage.

He told TNT Sports: "We seen it, we seen the banner before the game and a few of us said, 'You know what? The fans pay good money to come and watch us every week and the support is relentless towards us every single week. We just want to repay them as best we can. Things aren't going the best at the moment but it's building blocks. Step by step and with the manager, the coaching staff, we trust them a lot, we trust the players and I feel we can go and kick on and do better."

Now, encouraging reports have emerged regarding Manchester United's pursuit of a January target who could help to alleviate the pressure on Ten Hag's shoulders.

Manchester United make enquires for Sacha Boey

Taking to social media platform X, RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins has confirmed that Galatasaray full-back Sacha Boey is a target for Manchester United, who have officially enquired about the availability of the Frenchman amid his contract stalemate at the Turkish giants. Boey's contractual situation could see him available as a free agent in the summer of 2025, having failed to agree a one-year extension to his current deal.

Detailing the Red Devils' initiation of direct contact with Galatasaray, Hawkins wrote: "Things are stuck for the extension of Sacha Boey at Galatasaray. No agreement has been reached on the terms of this one-year extension. Manchester United have made inquiries about the Frenchman."

Boey, who shares the same agency as Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw, CAA Stellar, has already featured 20 times for Galatasaray this term, registering one assist in the process (Boey statistics – Transfermarkt).

As per Milliyet transcribed via One Football, former Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna has previously labelled Boey "great" amid previous links between the 23-year-old and Arsenal. Nevertheless, a move to Manchester United could now be on the cards for Boey as Ten Hag looks to bring in some extra quality come the January transfer window.

FC Seoul's Jesse Lingard has shared a photo of himself from his hospital bed after a successful operation – and has vowed to "come back stronger".

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• Lingard criticised over FC Seoul displays
• Former Man Utd man undergoes surgery
• Ex-England star vows to come back stronger

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Manchester United star confirmed the operation on his meniscus in his knee was a success and now he will begin his recovery efforts, with the 31-year-old expected to be fit again in mid-May. The ex-England international thanked well-wishers for their support and appeared to be positive about the future.

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• WHAT JESSE LINGARD SAID

  Before the operation, he wrote in an Instagram story: "Back stronger. Positive vibes," and then later posted: "Successful surgery on my meniscus, thank you for all the messages ❤️ everything happens for a reason."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lingard sealed a shock move to FC Seoul in February but so far he has been repeatedly lambasted by manager Kim Gi-dong. Initially, the attacking midfielder's work rate was criticised and then he was told he "isn't a football player" as he doesn't run enough. It's been an ignominious start for the former West Ham loanee and yet again it seems his career is on a downward spiral.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  After a rest, Lingard will begin his rehab in a bid to play for the K League side again this season. So far, the ex-Nottingham Forest player has made three appearances for Seoul.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou might need to make good use of his side's exciting youth ranks soon, with a host of injuries to key personnel threatening to disrupt the stellar start to the season.

The likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are already sidelined until the new year, something that had a detrimental effect on the chances of beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last weekend.

Indeed, the Old Gold prevailed having trailed for the lion's share of the match, compounding Spurs' woes after falling to a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea.

Both matches were circumstantial, having led against the Blues and unloaded heavy pressure in the opening phase, but Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie's dismissals spoiled the chances of extending their lead at the top of the table.

Postecoglou will be expected to fortify a squad that was already a little thin in comparison to juggernauts of the division such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, but with such a robust crop of academy talent awaiting ascension, he might be wise to balance between internal and external supplementation.

As such, it might be high time to welcome some teenagers to the first-team fold; Jamie Donley and Alfie Dorrington are among the academy players to have earned a place on the bench in recent weeks, but Postecoglou could find another prodigy in Yago Santiago bursting to be unleashed.

Yago Santiago's statistics at youth level

Aged just 16, Tottenham completed the signing of exciting Spanish talent Santiago from Celta Vigo in 2020, and he has since gone on to make 104 appearances for the development squad, posting 19 goals and 14 assists.

This season, he has really come into his own and has already scored six goals and supplied four assists in the Premier League 2, despite only playing ten matches.

For comparison, Maddison has clinched three strikes and five assists from 11 matches in the English top-flight this term. Difference circumstances; different levels – but it's certainly a testament to the level that Santiago is performing at right now, likely fighting for that elusive next step in his progress.

Spurs presenter Matt Tarr pronounced that Santiago is a prospect with a "really bright future", and given that he has undergone incremental growth over the past few years, he may well be teetering on the cusp of a burst into the senior set-up.

Not just a prolific figure, the fleet-footed ace's overall play will undoubtedly have brought his name to Postecoglou's attention, and a debut will be a matter of when, not if, should his performances remain at this level.

Yago Santiago's style of play

Principally a left winger, Santiago is confident across the frontline and will be eager to impress in any role that might be handed to him, should he earn a promotion to the first-team at some point this season.

Profiling his skill set, Spurs club insider superhotspur highlighted some of the talent's finest attributes, saying: 'Versatile and capable of starting matches in all of the forward areas of the pitch, the skilful forward has looked so composed on the ball in every game that he has played in this season. Often making things look effortless with the ball at his feet, Yago is a creative player, and he has shown already this season that he can create chances on his own, out of very little.'

While he has yet to receive a taste of senior action, the 20-year-old is now at the point where he needs to be searching for football at top level, blending into the game and testing his craft against the best around.

Hailed for his "mazy" dribbling by Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold, the dynamo certainly boasts a wealth of skills that would set him in good stead to succeed at senior level, and he may be on the brink of receiving an opportunity.

Especially considering Richarlison still fails to reach his apex on the left wing, and given that he is currently out injured, Santiago will be eager to grace the grass under Postecoglou's wing for the first time.

Richarlison's numbers at Spurs

Tottenham signed Richarlison from Premier League rivals Everton for £60m in July 2022, with the deal – while expensive – looking like good business for a reliable and menacing offensive star.

The former Toffees talisman had scored 53 goals from 152 appearances with the Merseyside outfit, but he flattered to deceive across his first campaign with Spurs and was branded "useless" by The RedMen TV's Chris Pajak.

Having scored just one Premier League goal across the 2022/23 campaign, the Brazilian has improved this season, bagging just the one goal again in the league this term but doing so from 17 fewer appearances, also providing three assists already.

At present, the 26-year-old is out injured after having surgery on his groin, and is still not expected to return to action for several weeks, which could prompt Postecoglou to look into the academy, specifically at Santiago.

Richarlison's depreciation in market value is concerning, sure, but it's not unwarranted, with his blunted attacking edge and multitude of performances as little more than a passenger exacerbating his woes in London.

That being said, he is still a quality forward and has demonstrated his capabilities in the Premier League for several years with Everton, having been lauded for his "relentless" running before by writer Joe Strange.

And given that he still ranks among the top 16% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 13% for assists, the top 5% for touches in the attacking box and the top 35 for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref, he has maintained the attributes that will welcome more prolific feats.

The £90k-per-week menace will be hoping to realise his best form once returning from injury, and while Postecoglou is clearly a believer in his talent, he will not retain his starting spot in the team forever, especially with prodigies such as Santiago pushing for a breakthrough.

Whether Santiago succeeds in carrying his success on the development scene into senior football will be something that will become clearer in the future, but should he continue to catch the eye, Postecoglou might be forced to provide him with an opportunity sooner rather than later.

Europe's supposed strongest league won't have a representative in the last four of football's biggest cup competition, which is a damning indictment

After four breath-taking ties of the highest quality, the line up for this season's Champions League semi-finals has been confirmed, along with the fact that there won't be an English team appearing in the showpiece event at Wembley on June 1. This is only the eighth time in the past 25 years the final four has not included a single Premier League club, and the first time since 2019-20, which suggests something has gone badly wrong.

In fact, a Premier League side has lifted the Champions League trophy in three of the last five editions, and there have been two all-English finals during that time. Manchester City were the holders, but relinquished their crown after an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to 14-time winners Real Madrid, while Arsenal went down without much of a fight against Bayern Munich.

Make no mistake, their failure is a disaster for English football. The spending power of the Premier League dwarfs the rest of Europe's 'Big Five' divisions, and so they attract all the best players and managers, and provide the tools for them to thrive.

A failure of this magnitude is, therefore, inexcusable. Madrid and Bayern's unmatched experience at this level told in the end, as they managed to bust the myth of a Premier League empire through a mix of discipline and tactical nous. Worst of all, it doesn't feel like a anomaly, but rather a clear sign that a serious power shift has taken place.

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  City won't break stride

  In the case of Man City, there is no reason to panic. Pep Guardiola's side camped in Madrid's half for the best part of 120 minutes in their second leg of their quarter-final, mustering 33 shots to the visitors' eight while enjoying 68 percent of the possession.

  Rodrygo opened the scoring early after a swift Real counter-attack, but they barely had another sniff of goal, and it felt like just a matter of time before City got back into the game. The only surprise was it took until the 76th minute, when Kevin De Bruyne blasted the ball high into the net from close-range after a botched clearance from Antonio Rudiger, and Real then continued to ride their luck to force extra-time.

  City passed their opponents to death, as they do to most teams, and Real were on their knees collectively by the time the final whistle blew. Los Blancos defended for their lives to force penalties, and showed nerves of steel to come out on top with the added pressure of taking theirs in front of the fervent home supporters.

  It was a cruel way for City's double-treble bid to end. The only real difference between this contest and the second leg of the semi-final tie between the two clubs last season, which City won 4-0, was that they failed to take their chances.

  Guardiola will no doubt get a strong response from his players in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final showdown against Chelsea. City are heavy favourites to progress, and to go on and win their record-breaking fourth successive Premier League crown, and rightly so.

  The threat of serious punishment from their 115 FFP charges case, which is due to be heard this autumn, still hangs over everything. But there is no denying City's status as an elite team, and exiting the Champions League won't knock them off their stride.

  The same cannot be said for Arsenal, however…

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  Arsenal fold again

  Guardiola insisted that he had "no regrets" after City's European exit because "we did everything" and "played exceptional". Mikel Arteta was also left bemoaning the "small margins" after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat in Munich, but unlike those of his former mentor, they were hollow words.

  Arsenal were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw in the first leg on home soil, and didn't deserve anything from the second. The Gunners started well, but Bayern were in the ascendency by the time the half-time whistle blew, and they controlled the game in the second 45 minutes, with Joshua Kimmich heading home the decisive goal after ghosting in unmarked to meet a Raphael Guerreiro cross at the back post.

  Much has been made of the improvements Arsenal have made as a collective since narrowly missing out on the 2022-23 Premier League title, with William Saliba shaking off his injury problems and club-record signing Declan Rice adding a new dimension in midfield, but they are still naive in the biggest games and lack real strength in depth.

  Arteta's men didn't look like a team motivated to right the wrongs of Sunday's 2-0 loss against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, which handed the initiative in this season's Premier League title race back to City. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Ben White, who have barely missed a minute of action this term, were clearly exhausted in the latter stages at the Allianz Arena.

  There would usually be no shame in being outfoxed by Bayern, but Thomas Tuchel's team have been a disjointed mess for much of the campaign, despite Harry Kane's record-breaking scoring exploits. They've been beaten to the Bundesliga title with five games to spare, sitting 16 points behind the new champions Bayer Leverkusen, and were dumped out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round by third-tier outfit Saarbrucken.

  "I think we have the capacity and the quality to be in the semi-final," Arteta added. "When you look historically, it took other clubs seven, eight or 10 years to do it [make the Champions League semi-finals]."

  If Arsenal aren't good enough to beat this version of Bayern, it could very well take them another 10 years to make the last four. The reality is, Arteta is no closer to delivering the biggest titles after investing over £200m in his squad last summer, and that doesn't reflect well on the strength of the Premier League.

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  Major coefficient blow

  From a statistical standpoint, City and Arsenal's European misery has already had a damaging effect on the Premier League. Germany were only just ahead of England in UEFA's coefficient rankings heading into this week's set of fixtures, but they now have a commanding lead.

  The top two nations will receive an extra Champions League spot for the 2024-25 season – which will see the tournament expanded to 36 teams – with Serie A and the Bundesliga set to benefit as it stands. It will now take a minor miracle for England to overtake Germany, who have two teams in the Champions League semis as well as Leverkusen on the brink of a last-four berth in the Europa League after winning the first leg of their quarter-final against West Ham 2-0.

  Liverpool are also in real danger of crashing out of the Europa League after a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta at Anfield. At the moment, Aston Villa are the only English team in a strong position to go on and clinch continental silverware, as they head into the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final against Lille with a 2-1 aggregate advantage.

  It's a sorry state of affairs for English football, of course not helped by Manchester United and Newcastle's humiliating group-stage exits in the Champions League back in December. Serie A champions-elect Inter went out in the last 16 alongside Lazio and Napoli, but Italy will likely have two representatives in the Europa League semi-finals, as Roma and Milan prepare to face off again to likely join Atalanta in the final four, while Fiorentina could still win the Conference League.

  If the Premier League is the best in the world, why is it not reflected by the performances in Europe? The answer is clear: Man City are the only top team in England right now, and the gulf between them and the chasing pack is likely to only get bigger.

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  Transition time at Anfield?

  For the last six years, Liverpool have been the main challengers to City, pipping them to the post for the 2019-20 title and finishing as runners-up on two occasions. They appeared on course to dethrone City again just a few weeks ago as one entry in a potential quadruple, but missed a golden chance to pull away when playing out a 1-1 draw against the champions at Anfield after laying siege to their goal.

  Jurgen Klopp's side were then beaten in the FA Cup quarter-finals by Manchester United, and failed to avenge that defeat in the league as they were held to a hugely disappointing 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, which they followed up with the shocking display against Atalanta and a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

  All of this means that Liverpool could now finish the campaign with just the Carabao Cup to show for their efforts. They are third in the Premier League standings with six games left to play, two points adrift of City and just behind Arsenal in goal difference.

  The situation is salvageable, but City have the easier fixtures on paper and history suggests their recent winning run will continue. Whatever happens, it could be a while before Liverpool get this close to Guardiola's side again.

  A new era will be ushered in when Klopp officially walks away from his Anfield post at the end of May, after nine years of box-office entertainment and tangible success. It would be a huge surprise if the Reds don't go through a transitional period, regardless of who is brought in to replace the beloved German, with speculation over the futures of star players such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk now building.

  If Liverpool do decline, who looks capable of taking their spot in the top-four? Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea have all fallen well short of expectations this season, while the jury is still out on whether Tottenham are ready to reach the next level under attack-minded boss Ange Postecoglou. It's entirely possible that the Premier League will be an even weaker competition by this time next year.

Manchester United's injury list continues to grow week after week. During a narrow 1-0 win over Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday, the Red Devils suffered losses to both Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund.

The latter is undoubtedly a bigger blow for Erik ten Hag. While United have the likes of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat who can come in for Eriksen, Anthony Martial is the only backup centre-forward but has scored just one goal all season from 15 appearances.

However, there is another left field option that Ten Hag should consider amid Hojlund's absence from the squad.

Manchester United injury updates

Eriksen was replaced in the first half at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday afternoon and is expected to be out until around mid-December. Meanwhile, Hojlund suffered a muscle strain on his right calf and will be out for the rest of November, ten Hag has confirmed. Both injuries are significant blows for United who face Galatasaray on November 29 in a must-win game.

Furthermore, the Dutchman confirmed that both Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez will be out of action until after Christmas, while Luke Shaw is not expected to return to the first team fold until the end of this month.

Nevertheless, despite United's struggles for form and a consistent starting eleven, Ten Hag does have adequate cover at the back and in the middle of the park but with one-goal Martial being the side's only backup centre-forward, the Dutch boss should look to do something out of the ordinary.

The left field option to replace Rasmus Hojlund

It looked as though Scott McTominay's career at Manchester United was over during the summer, with ten Hag telling the midfielder he was no longer part of his plans. However, McTominay's redemption arch with the Red Devils has been a sight to behold.

The 26-year-old is United's top goalscorer in the Premier League this season alongside club captain Bruno Fernandes with three apiece. Two of McTominay's goals came in stoppage time against Brentford right before the October international break.

The English giants were 1-0 down before he entered the fray with just three minutes of normal time to go. The Man United boss admitted that McTominay was "fabulous" during his cameo versus the Bees.

In recent weeks, Ten Hag has started to recognise McTominay's goalscoring prowess, deploying him in more advanced positions to link up with Hojlund.

The Scotland international even assisted the first of the Dane's brace against his former side Copenhagen last week with a beautiful ball across the face of the goal.

With Hojlund absent for the next few weeks, Ten Hag could start using his number '39' as a striker. While McTominay was always a midfielder in United's academy, he still featured up top a handful of times and became a regular goalscorer in the U21s.

In the Premier League this season, McTominay is averaging 0.52 goals per 90 from an xG per 90 of 0.17. In contrast, Martial has failed to convert a single opportunity from an xG of 0.14 per 90.

Additionally, McTominay is getting more shots away than his French teammate, boasting 1.72 shots per 90 and 1.21 shots on target per 90 to Martial's lowly 1.43 shots per 90 and 0.72 shots on target per 90. Furthermore, McTominay and Hojlund both share the same goals per shot rate in all competitions this season with 0.21 per strike.

McTominay is far more potent this season than Martial, and while his experience as a number '9' is limited, perhaps Ten Hag could unearth a revelation by asking the £60k-p/w star to lead the line until Hojlund returns.

The former Leeds forward has finally found his feet in Catalunya, meaning his market value is high for a club looking to raise funds

It was the kind of chance Raphinha would have missed a year ago. Pedri made it, playing a delightful dink over the Paris Saint-Germain backline, and the Brazilian gleefully converted it, watching the ball fall over his left shoulder before slicing a volley into the bottom corner. That strike – one that seemed to unlikely from this player just months ago – kickstarted Barcelona's comeback victory over PSG, and helped give the Spanish side the advantage in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

More broadly, last Wednesday at Parc des Princes was the realisation of a talent that had always been there, just waiting to be unlocked. Raphinha signed for Barca back in July 2022 at a cost of €59 million (£50m/$59m), but has spent the past 18 months battling to show his best.

Now, though, he has finally found a glimmer of form having carved out space in Xavi's line up, and is showing the kind of attacking quality Barca insisted they were buying. Alas, it might not last.

Raphinha is now faced with becoming the ultimate bargaining chip; a player who has just found his best, but whose performances have only dragged his price up ahead of what could now be a lucrative summer sale for his financially-crippled club.

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  Who Barca signed

  Club president Joan Laporta showed little hesitation in heaping praise on Raphinha when the Brazilian signed in 2022, telling Spanish media: "All of us who have lived through golden times at the club, there were always Brazilians. He takes the baton of illusion and magic. From the club, we think that the beautiful game is coming back. It's Xavi who has loved him, he has insisted a lot, and the club has done everything they could."

  This was a mutual sort of attraction. Raphinha had offers from elsewhere – notably Arsenal and Chelsea – but spurned both to come to Camp Nou. And although Laporta's claims may have been lofty, there was enough about Raphinha's two seasons at Leeds United to breed excitement among the Blaugrana faithful.

  The winger was a key part of Marcelo Bielsa's expansive side that earned admiration from the rest of English football in the 2020-21 campaign, as they finished in the top-half of the Premier League as a newly-promoted club. He was even better the following year, his attacking impetus and creativity proving crucial as Jesse Marsch's Leeds narrowly avoided relegation after a mid-season slump led to Bielsa being sacked. Leeds didn't want to lose their best player, but Raphinha wanted to leave, and Barca were willing to pay.

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  Step up in quality

  In his introductory press conference, Raphinha, too, was adamant that he could be a success in Catalunya: "For me, it is an enormous pride to be here, I want to thank everyone. I have many idols who have passed through here and have made history. If I manage to do half as much as them, I will already do a lot. It is a child's dream that I'm doing it, my family too. I'm going to do my best for Barca."

  But there was something ominous about the move. Such were the Blaugrana's failing finances that Raphinha was handed a shirt without a name or number due to registration concerns. Meanwhile, chatter ran rampant that he was supposed to be a replacement for the already struggling Ousmane Dembele. Xavi insisted that he wanted to keep both players – hoping to breed competition for starting spots on a team that was admittedly short on wingers.

  Either way, Raphinha would be making a step up in quality. Leeds may have been an exciting, attacking side, but this was a Barca team expected to compete for La Liga – and retooled via the kind of financial trickery undertaken by a club in win-now mode.

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  Underwhelming early impression

  The growing pains, then, were inevitable. Raphinha didn't have a poor first season at Barca, but he never really settled, either. He wasn't helped by Dembele, who finally found form in Catalan colours towards the end of 2022 after nearly three years of transfer rumours, nearly-exits, and frustrating showings.

  Xavi's Barca were humming, and Dembele's resurgence meant that Raphinha seldom had opportunities to impress at his preferred right-wing position. He managed a tidy six goal contributions before the World Cup, but floated in and out of the line up, and appeared uncomfortable playing out of position on the left.

  He was handed a chance to impress when Dembele picked up a muscle injury in the second half of the campaign, but was inconsistent over that period. Robert Lewandowski's goals rather dried up when Raphinha came into the fold, and Barca certainly lacked the zip on the wing that the Brazilian was meant to provide. There was little shame in Raphinha finishing a league campaign with seven goals and seven assists, but given how much Barca had both paid and fought to sign him, many felt underwhelmed.

  Dembele's departure to join PSG in the summer of 2023, however, should have provided Raphinha with the chance he needed to play consistent minutes and finally show his true potential. Instead, he was sent off in Barca's opening game of the season against Getafe, and then picked up a muscle injury that allowed teenage wonderkid Lamine Yamal to step into his shoes and show exactly why he was regarded so highly within La Masia.

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  Improved performances

  Things, though, have recently turned around for Raphinha. It started with Xavi, who steadily worked the Brazilian back into the fold at the start of 2024 to allow Yamal's young legs to have a rest. Since mid-February, the Brazilian has been a key contributor, starting seven straight games, and has been directly involved in eight goals over that time.

  His brace against PSG may have been the headline performance, but Raphinha has impressed the last two months. He was vital as a languid Barca found their swagger against Getafe, scoring and assisting in his first start in over a month, while he was also crucial to the Blaugrana's last-16 win over Napoli in the Champions League, providing two assists as they deposited the reigning Serie A champions at the Olympic Stadium.

  Further highlights have since followed, including an assist in a comfortable win over Atletico Madrid, and the decisive goal as the Blaugrana beat Las Palmas. The real Raphinha has finally arrived.

Inter sealed the 2023-24 Serie A title by beating neighbours AC Milan at San Siro in the Derby della Madonnina.

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• Inter win Serie A title
• Derby victory sealed things
• Milan settle for second best

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Milan were first-hand witnesses to Inter securing this season's Serie A title on Monday night, as the runaway Nerazzurri won 2-1 at San Siro to ensure their closest challengers and neighbours cannot catch them with as many as five games to still play. Milan added the likes of Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders to their squad this season in the hope of reclaiming the Scudetto they won in 2021-22 but were no match for Inter's much more experienced machine. Of the two clubs, Milan were champions more recently, which is likely to make this result particularly sickening and hard to swallow.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Inter held a 14-point lead in the table prior to kick-off, having been top of the pile virtually all season. Simone Inzaghi's side went ahead on the night through defender Francesco Acerbi in the 18th minute, before striker Marcus Thuram, emulating his father's 2001-02 and 2002-03 Serie A titles with Juventus, doubled that lead early in the second half. Fikayo Tomori did pull one back for Milan 10 minutes before the end, but it was too little too late to change the result and delay the inevitable. As derby tensions boiled over, three red cards were shown in stoppage time, first as Theo Hernandez and Denzel Dumfries brawled in a physical confrontation as players from both sides tried to step in, and then for Milan's Davide Calabria lashing out with an elbow.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The battle for city supremacy has now tipped in Inter's favour. Prior to this season, each club had won Serie A on 19 occasions, also finishing runners-up 16 times. But Inter have now inched ahead with their milestone 20th title, as Milan's second-place tally creeps up 17. Juventus are way out ahead on 36, having won the last nine of those consecutively from 2011 to 2020.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN & INTER?

  Neither club is still active in Europe or the Coppa Italia this season. Despite missing out on the title, Milan have virtually guaranteed a top four place and Champions League qualification given their 14-point cushion over fifth place Roma, who have only 18 left to play for. At worst, the Rossoneri could be caught by Juventus and Bologna and potentially tumble to fourth.

Glasgow Rangers stumbled for the first time in the Premiership under Philippe Clement over the weekend.

Only a last-minute penalty saved their blushes against an Aberdeen side who had lost 6-0 to Celtic just a couple of weeks prior as they upped their performance levels against the Light Blues.

Nevertheless, the 1-1 draw against the Dons meant the Gers didn’t lose any ground on their Old Firm rivals, yet a win could have seen them claw back some of the deficit which has been allowed to build up since the start of the season.

Since the start of the 2018/19 season, the Gers have won just four times in the north-east, with the first of those matches also ending in a 1-1 draw in what was Steven Gerrard’s top-flight debut for the club.

As bad as things have been for the Glasgow side recently, going back five years, the club were in an even worse state and had finished third in the league during the previous two seasons.

The former Liverpool captain didn’t exactly enjoy the best of starts domestically, while his transfer record was hit-and-miss.

There was one player who joined the Gers in the summer of 2018 who proved to be an utterly dismal signing, yet since departing, has turned into a goal-hungry machine – Umar Sadiq.

Umar Sadiq’s statistics at Rangers

With a daunting task ahead, Gerrard sought to improve a squad which had failed to challenge Celtic during their first two seasons back in the top flight by making 14 new signings.

This was a mixture of permanent and loan moves and the young Nigerian striker joined from AS Roma on a temporary basis having scored five Eredivisie goals for NAC Breda during the second half of the season before.

The Gers needed someone to supplement the goals Alfredo Morelos was contributing and Sadiq looked like a safe option, especially without having to shell out a transfer fee.

His stint turned out to be a nightmare, however, as the youngster managed only 116 minutes of senior action for the club in four appearances, failing to find the back of the net in the process.

His last appearance was the worst of the lot. With Morelos suspended and Kyle Lafferty injured ahead of the League Cup semifinal clash against Aberdeen, Sadiq was Gerrard’s only hope.

He headed over in the sixth minute before straying offside on a few occasions as he simply couldn’t time his runs well.

His lack of attacking input severely restricted Rangers, and they ended up conceding a goal with just over ten minutes remaining as Lewis Ferguson headed in from a corner.

Sadiq was booked for diving near the end of the match, and it summarised his performance up to a tee, while Sky Sports gave him a rating of just 4/10, which was the worst out of any player in the starting XI.

He was sent packing in December, not even halfway through his loan agreement and not many of the Ibrox faithful would have believed how impressive he has turned out since leaving.

What Umar Sadiq did after leaving Rangers

The 6 foot 2 striker finally left Roma to join Partizan Belgrade in January 2020 following a solid six-month loan spell at the club and during his spell in Serbia, he scored 23 goals and grabbed 19 assists across just 52 matches and this attracted interest from afar.

It wasn’t long before he was on the move again, joining Spanish side Almeria, and that is where his career really began to take off.

During his time in Spain, Sadiq not only helped the club secure promotion to La Liga, but he plundered 43 goals in 84 appearances along the way, a stunning total and a far cry from diving against Aberdeen to try and win a penalty just a few years before.

He was dubbed as a “first-rate” striker by Mirandes manager Joseba Etxeberria during his spell in the second tier, and it showcased how far he had come in just a short space of time.

Following two goals in his first three matches in the top flight, Sadiq was signed by Real Sociedad for a fee in the region of €25m (£21.6m) during the final days of the summer transfer window in 2022.

He was looked upon as a replacement for the recently departed Alexander Isak, who moved to Newcastle United and it completed a stunning journey from goalless in Scotland to playing in one of the biggest leagues in the world.

He managed only one goal before suffering a season-ending injury after just a few matches for Sociedad, yet he has returned to the senior squad this term and has one goal in 13 La Liga matches.

Hopefully, he can regain the form which sealed a big-money move to the club in the first place as he looks to improve his goal record.

During his loan spell at the Light Blues, the 26-year-old was only valued at around €0.5m (£0.4m) and if he had impressed during his time in Scotland, Gerrard may well have tried to strike a deal with Roma with regard to a potential permanent move.

While clearly not fit for purpose in the Premiership, Sadiq has improved vastly since 2018 and his move to Sociedad justifies this.

Rangers star who hasn't played all month could feature vs Aris

Rangers face a crucial tie against Aris Limassol on Thursday evening

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 27, 2023

Judging by his scoring rate since 2020, the Gers may rue his hasty exit, and he was even linked with a big-money move to Bayern Munich. It has been a stunning turnaround for a player who failed to find the back of the against the might of Aberdeen, St Mirren or Hibernian during his stint in Scotland.

No one at that time felt he could reach such heights, of course, and it is a testament to his character that he rebounded from such a poor spell abroad to forge the career that he has at this current moment in time.

Since leaving Rangers in 2018, Sadiq has notched a total of 71 career goals, not a bad return at all.

He wasn’t the first player to struggle at Ibrox before shining elsewhere and nor will he be the last, that’s for sure.

Pep Guardiola wants to stay at Manchester City at least until the end of next season amid rumours of him returning to Bayern Munich.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Guardiola won't leave Man City until 2025
• Linked with a move to Bayern Munich
• Bundesliga side in search of Tuchel's replacement

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The City boss has achieved overwhelming success in England in the last eight years, winning every competition the club competed in. Guardiola is contracted to the club until 2025 and according to his agency, the Catalan coach wants to honour his contract.

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  The former Barcelona head coach has recently been linked with a move back to Bayern Munich as the Bavarian club look to replace outgoing manager Thomas Tuchel. They have struggled to nail down a successor to the German, having been rejected by Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso and former Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , a representative of Guardiola's consulting agency Tacticgrup said: "Pep has Bayern in his heart, but he doesn't want to leave Manchester City this summer. He's very happy and has a contract until 2025. A return to Bayern is not an option."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PEP GUARDIOLA?

  The 53-year-old's side will be next seen in action on Saturday as they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage in a must-win Premier League clash.