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[ad_pod ]Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed after his Burnley pre-match press conference on Thursday, via the club’s official website, that he is hopeful that Ben Davies will be available for the trip to Burnley on Saturday, which would be timely given Danny Rose is reportedly ill.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Davies has been out of action ever since suffering a groin injury in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea last month, but Pochettino confirmed that he is back in training and therefore could be selected for the Premier League clash against Sean Dyche’s men.

The north London outfit’s boss told Spurs TV when asked about Davies and Harry Kane’s fitness: “We need to assess them, there is still one training session more but they are doing well and I hope they will be available.”

The 25-year-old’s return to action would certainly be timely given Football.London’s Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold confirmed via his official Twitter account that Rose has been suffering from illness – which of course could make him a doubt to face the Clarets.

Who gets the nod if Davies and Rose both fine?

It would be a tough decision for Pochettino.

Would you rather your club won the Premier League or Champions League? In the video below, Pl>ymaker FC’s Matty believes English clubs have already decided…

The fact that the former has been injured and the latter has just been ill would suggest that the Argentine would be taking less of a risk if he opted to go with the England international however, and he has arguably been in much better form than his Welsh teammate in recent months.

The 28-year-old has the quality to really hurt Burnley from an attacking point of view at Turf Moor, while he has the tenacity to deal with anything the hosts might throw at him when he is defending as Tottenham look to stay in the Premier League title race by picking up another crucial three points.

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Tottenham fans are missing Mousa Dembele after the Lilywhites suffered yet another setback that could well be the nail in the coffin of their title challenge.

Tottenham lost their eighth league match of the season on Wednesday night, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge to a revitalised Chelsea side, and they are now eight points behind Manchester City.

While the Blues deserve a lot of credit for bouncing back from their cup final defeat, Mauricio Pochettino will not be happy with his side, as they were poor in all three phases.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min looked out of sorts up front, while Toby Alderweireld, Kieran Trippier and Hugo Lloris all had difficult evenings at the back.

The midfield might just be the biggest problem of all the three though, where Pochettino has just two players to pick from on a regular basis in Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko.

Neither of them covered themselves in glory on Wednesday night, and fans are bashing the decision to sell Dembele.

The Belgian international departed in January for a fee of around £11m, as the 31 year-old was set to be out of contract this summer.

Despite his contract situation, £11m is pocket change for a player who always delivered in the biggest matches, and the Twitter reactions down below are regretting the club’s decision to move him on…

Surely the promotion hunt can’t still be on… right? Having now put together a decent run of form, Aston Villa may still have the slightest chance of reaching the play-offs.

All this comes after Dean Smith has finally managed to get his side playing to a reasonable level again but an issue all season long has been how inconsistent Aston Villa are.

As an Aston Villa fan, it would be bad to get your hopes up but far crazier things have happened than a team like the Villans making a mad last-minute dash for the play-off places.

Whether they were to reach the Premier League or not, Villa know they need to recruit some more players over the summer, to generally just improve their squad.

One player who would arrive at Villa Park fully determined to succeed is Southampton’s Shane Long.

Long, (who is valued at £6.3 million on Transfermarkt) is a striker that hasn’t enjoyed a very successful two years or so, where he’s seen his goal-tally dry up massively.

But that doesn’t take into account how effective the 32-year-old can be as his work-rate is simply tremendous.

Never for a second will he give the opposition’s defence a rest and although he only has one goal and three assists to show for his commitment this season, Long has proven with every club he’s been at to be a valuable squad player. The high-pressing style so enjoyed by Smith could play into the Irishman’s favour, potentially providing a cheap alternative for Tammy Abraham.

Not prolific? No problem! Dropping down into the second tier could help Long find his scoring touch again, as he has done in years gone past.

The same would be the case if he arrived at Villa Park and although he isn’t getting younger, aged 32, Shane Long could give all his remaining energy to help Aston Villa become the Premier League club they always were, if they don’t return into the top flight this season.

Aston Villa fans, would you take Shane Long? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

It seems crazy to think that Gareth Bale left Tottenham nearly six years ago.

The Welsh international, who left north London for a then world-record fee of £88 million, was tipped to be the next British superstar to take over Spain. However, things haven’t gone exactly to plan.

Despite a breakout first year where the winger scored the winning goal in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League final, Bale has yet to really remain settled in the Spanish capital.

Injuries, feuds with players and managers and not embracing the Spanish culture are just a handful of reasons as to what many are calling “The Fall of Gareth Bale”. And with the reappointment of Zinedine Zidane, it is looking likely this season may well be the last in the Spanish capital for Madrid’s record signing.

If this is to be the case, a move to the Premier League will seem the most logical of moves for the 29-year-old. Manchester United have been the side strongly linked with Bale since the fallout of his presence and importance in the Real Madrid side, however, it has been revealed this week that former club Spurs are interested in bringing back their former star.

AS report that Daniel Levy was keen to bring the Welshman back to north London on loan for the 2018/19 season with the idea of Real Madrid paying the majority of Bale’s massive £10 million annual wage, but the demand was too much for Los Blancos to fulfil.

The prospect of a return to Tottenham is something Spurs fans will be excited about. Bale was the last player to win the PFA Player of the Year for the club and his final season in the Premier League is often regarded as one of the best individual seasons in the history of the league, with the Welshman scoring 21 goals and assisting a further nine in 33 league appearances.

Bale is a beloved figure at the club, but would a reunion with Spurs be ideal for both club and player?

Tottenham have changed A LOT since Bale’s departure in 2013. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have gone from consistent fifth place league finishers to a genuine top-four side and one of the most productive teams in the country. The club has also changed a stylistically.

Although the club still favours a 4-2-3-1, the formation Bale thrived in at Spurs, Pochettino’s use of the system is completely different to what the 2012/13 PFA Player of the Year played in. The Argentine’s high-pressing, build from the back approach is something that Spurs players have adapted well too, and Poch favours players that can adapt to his style.

The likes of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli have all been transformed into bonafide superstars under Poch and his tactics, and introducing someone with the star calibre like Bale could disrupt the balance the Spurs boss has spent years trying to build.

Bale might have a strong place in the hearts of many Spurs fans, but it might be in the better interests of the team if they leave his memories in the past and look to move the club forward without him in the future.

Tottenham fans, would you like Gareth Bale back at the club?

It’s fair to say that was the best game West Ham United have ever had at the London Stadium. Indeed, the Hammers left it rather late on Saturday when they incredibly came from behind to beat Huddersfield Town 4-3 at the London Stadium thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Javier Hernandez.

The Hammers were 3-1 down with 16 minutes left on the clock but the introduction of midfielder Samir Nasri in place of captain Mark Noble on the hour mark certainly lifted the spirits of his teammates as they set out to change the game around.

And, that is exactly what the East London club managed to do when Nasri had the ball at his feet, almost dictating play and setting West Ham up to move forward very quickly.

The Frenchman showed glimpses of his brilliant past again on Saturday when he ran at the Huddersfield defenders, while his vision and passing definitely made West Ham far more threatening than in the first-half.

The decision by manager Manuel Pellegrini to bring Nasri on for Noble definitely was a sign that the gaffer feels his team has been somewhat poor in moving forward lately. Together with Manuel Lanzini, Nasri was able to pick out teammates who he felt was in good positions to do something or he played them into good positions, something Noble isn’t really capable of doing.

Nasri’s little cameo was almost reminiscent of the match he started against his former club Arsenal in January when West Ham claimed a surprise victory over the Gunners, proving the immense quality he boasts when he’s on form.

In that game, as was the case on Saturday, defenders were scared to rush onto Nasri due his ability to beat them, instead, they waited on him, giving him a lot of time on the ball to make the perfect pass. That ultimately made West Ham much more threatening in attack and it clearly got to the Huddersfield defenders who crumbled under the pressure mainly applied by Nasri.

A strange signing at the time, Nasri is looking at home in Stratford. More performances like that and the fans will too.

West Ham fans, was that the best game at the London Stadium to date? If not, which is? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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It would be fair to say that the Leeds United fans are seriously missing Kemar Roofe.

The 26-year-old has 14 Championship goals to his name this season, but has now missed Leeds’ last six league fixtures with a knee problem.

In that time, the Whites have recorded four wins, but following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield United, the club’s fans brought up Roofe.

The forward had actually only managed one goal in his eight league appearances before being injured, but there is no question that the team are missing him.

Patrick Bamford has been in decent form in recent weeks, but the striker is guilty of missing opportunities.

Roofe is reportedly not too far away from being available once again, which will be music to the ears of the Leeds supporters.

Indeed, many have taken to social media to comment on the 5ft 10in ace and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has admitted that the return of Axel Tuanzebe from injury will give him a dilemma due to the amount of loan players in the squad.

Tuanzebe – on loan at Villa from Manchester United – has declared himself fit to return after overcoming the foot injury which has sidelined him since December.

Only five loan players are permitted in each matchday squad, though, and Tom Carroll, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi are also all on loan with the Championship side this season.

It seems likely that Tuanzebe will return to the starting XI against Blackburn Rovers after the international break, with Carroll the likeliest to miss out.

Smith, however, has conceded that he now has a big decision to make.

Smith told Villa’s official website:

“Axel gives me not only a selection headache, but a loan headache. You’re only allowed five in the matchday 18.

“One will have to miss out – I have Axel, Tom Carroll, Hause, Mings, Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi. That’s a decision I’ve got to make.”

Villa have won each of their last four in the Championship to move into sixth position in the division.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Smith’s side are next in action at home to Blackburn on March 30, before travelling to Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United at the start of next month.

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Hugo Lloris has urged Tottenham Hotspur to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, per the London Evening Standard.

Spurs will open their new stadium against Crystal Palace in midweek after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

What’s the word?

Lloris was at fault for Spurs’ defeat at the weekend.

After Lucas Moura had cancelled out Roberto Firmino’s opener, Lloris conspired to concede an own goal in the last minute, parrying a routine Mohamed Salah header against Toby Alderweireld, leading the ball to trickle over the line.

Spurs have subsequently gone five games without a win in the Premier League and have seen their hopes of qualifying for the top four placed in serious jeopardy – they are just one point clear of sixth-placed Chelsea.

Lloris, though, has insisted that the result was down to “very bad luck” and has called on his team-mates to rally against Roy Hodgson’s men.

“There’s a big moment for the club on Wednesday,” he said.

“That’s the moment to get back on the winning way and get the big feeling back because it was a bit unlucky for us yesterday against a title challenger. We showed our quality but it was not enough.

“It’s one of the best stadiums in England – and maybe in Europe or the world. It’s a very interesting moment for all the Spurs community. Now it’s up to the players to make history inside this club, step-by-step.”

Lloris also insists that there is much for the club to play for this season, with a Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City looming large on the horizon.

“There’s still the Champions League quarter-final to play [against Manchester City]. Of course, we’re disappointed because we try to win every game. But after this defeat and especially the way we played in the second half we need to keep pushing and keep going.

“In the second half we showed a great mentality, we were very positive. We controlled the game, we should have won the game probably. Then we conceded a late goal in a very bad luck way.”

Shut up and move on

How dare Lloris try to rally his team-mates?

Their loss is as a direct result of a simply terrible mistake that he is attempting to blame on bad luck.

Lloris has cost Spurs all too many times and there is a very salient argument to be made that he should not be playing for the club at all, such has been his form this season.

To have the brass neck to claim “we need to keep pushing” will gall many fans.

Spurs did just that against Liverpool and came within a whisker of a creditable result. Instead, Lloris decided against catching a simple ball and now Spurs are in very real danger of losing the initiative in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

That, at the end of the day, is on him.

Many were left surprised by Scott Sinclair’s exclusion from the starting lineup on Sunday, as it was surely widely expected his experience would be vital to Celtic’s cause.

However, Neil Lennon – whether he’s in charge next season or not – is clearly shaping up the Hoops for a future without their star winger.

Since Lenny’s second coming, Sinclair’s yet to score or assist a goal in all competitions and, after links (as per the Scottish Sun) away back in March, the end is surely coming. Indeed, he’s been given quite a few chances, with Celtic tweaking their game to his advantage, but scuffed it every time.

Obviously, he’s lacking that cutting edge which defined him years ago and made him such a hit when he moved north of the border. Despite having scored 9 league goals this season, he’s far from his best. The 30-year-old isn’t as effective as he used to be, something that cannot be tolerated considering the uncertain future of the Bhoys’ attack. Even against Rangers, he only took one noticeable swipe at goal and looked nowhere near as dangerous as Odsonne Edouard and James Forrest were.

He’s been unable to cope with the new generation, often fluffing chances and looking past it. Sinclair isn’t as pacy nor as creative with his dribbling, as one could see why the Hoops might be unwilling to extend his contract any further.

If Celtic want to further stamp their authority, keeping a regressing talent like Sinclair is simply not an option. Be it under Brendan Rodgers or Lennon, he’s been extremely inconsistent this season, which will convince the Hoops to replace him with a vibrant young talent next season.

Celtic fans, should Sinclair be retained next season or not? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to a tweet from the club, as the Gers wished struggling loanee Lassana Coulibaly a happy 23rd birthday.

When Coulibaly arrived on loan from Angers last summer, very few Gers fans knew who he was or what he was capable of.

However, the young midfielder quickly endeared himself to the Ibrox faithful, dominating the early rounds of their Europa League qualification campaign with his all-action presence in the middle of the park.

The Malian midfielder is strong in the tackle, never stops running and loves a shot from distance, but his form then tailed off after picking up an injury.

The 23 year-old missed about a month with a hamstring problem between August and September, and has looked a shell of his former self since returning.

His lack of composure and passing ability makes him a liability in the middle of the pitch, and plenty of fans are responding to the club’s well wishes by asking that they send him back to Angers.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans clearly hold mixed views on the youngster…