Back-to-back wins for Tottenham Hotspur. What is this? Yes, we know, shock horror, right?

Thomas Frank’s time in charge of the Lilywhites has not been smooth sailing so far and prior to Spurs’ win over Brentford last weekend, they had not won a game of football since the end of October.

November was a horror month for Frank, one that already raised questions about his future. However, the north Londoners are now on the right track again and they have Xavi Simons to thank for two inspirational displays in the last two games.

Xavi Simons' Spurs turnaround

While Simons’ goal against Slavia Prague in their 3-0 win on Tuesday came from the penalty spot, this has been a much-improved few days for the Dutchman who appears to be coming good in Spurs colours at long last.

Simons also found the net in the win over Brentford on Saturday and appears to be a lot happier with how things are going now.

Speaking after the game, the Netherlands international said: “It is really nice to score the goals, but feeling great on the pitch, that is the most important for me and I’m enjoying it. So, really happy to be in this moment.”

Also making an appearance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday was club legend, Son Heung-min.

The South Korean left Spurs behind in the summer for a new adventure with LAFC in MLS and he was back in England this week to finally wave goodbye to fans after a decade of service.

Simons commented: “I didn’t meet Son (before) personally and now a little bit. He is a big legend for the club and it’s a real pleasure for me to take this number and build my own legacy, so really happy to meet him.”

Son waves farewell to Spurs

Son scored 173 goals in 454 appearances for Spurs, with his final competitive appearance in the historic Europa League triumph over Manchester United back in May.

The South Korean paraded the trophy around the stadium days after that victory in Bilbao, but left in pre-season to sign for LAFC. Thus, he did not have the chance to say goodbye until this week.

An emotional evening started with Son’s mural being unveiled on the High Road before he spoke to the crowd and promised, “I will always be Spurs.”

Speaking to Korean media after, he stated: “First of all, I’m happy to be back in a place where I spent my youth and is like a home. I’m so grateful that so many fans welcomed me and cheered for me. It was a little hard (on Monday) because the flight time was longer than I thought, but I had a really happy day. Thank you so much.”

Mathys Tel, who was only drafted into Spurs’ Champions League squad this week as a replacement for the injured Dominic Solanke, was delighted to see Son.

Tel added: “Sonny is like my big brother. He is always texting me, his support is always behind me, so back in the Champions League, we won and Sonny was there… a lot of good things. Sonny is a big legend at Tottenham, so when a guy like Sonny comes after he did everything, you give everything for him.”

Spurs star showed why he could become a "future £100m" player vs Slavia

Tottenham Hotspur have yet another gem on their hands after the victory over Slavia Prague.

ByEthan Lamb 2 days ago

Mark Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series following a recurrence of the left-knee injury he sustained during the first Test in Perth. Matthew Fisher has been named his replacement.Fisher, whose only Test so far came against West Indies in 2022, is a six-foot-two seamer with a high release point. He is already in Australia as part of the England Lions side and will link up with the senior team this week. The third Test in Adelaide starts on December 17.Wood, who turns 36 in January, was hoping to be available for the last two Tests, in Melbourne and Sydney, but at the same time, he admitted that age was catching up with him. “Wood will return home later this week and will work closely with the ECB medical team on his rehabilitation and recovery,” an ECB statement said.Related

• Bazball is dead (even if England aren't quite yet)

• Hazlewood out of Ashes, Cummins confirmed for Adelaide

“Gutted to be out the remainder of the Ashes,” Wood wrote in an Instagram post. “After extensive surgery and seven long, hard months of work and rehab to get back into the Test arena, my knee just hasn’t held up. None of us expected this. I came here with high expectations about making a big impact. I’m desperately disappointed that despite yet more injections and intensive medical treatment, it has become clear that the flare-up in my knee is worse than feared.”I’m really sorry that it has left me unable to perform as expected but it is not for want of trying. Whatever happens, I will continue to push the limits to get back again. It has been a tough road these past few months but I remain determined to give it another proper go. I still believe we can turn things around. Never give in. Come on, England.”Wood had surgery on his left knee after hobbling out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign in February. The series opener in Perth was his first Test match in 15 months. He bowled 11 wicketless overs across the match and was sent to a specialist after reporting pain in his knee. He missed the second Test in Brisbane, which Australia won by eight wickets to take a 2-0 lead.Earlier in the day, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood was also ruled out of the series. But the hosts will be bolstered by the return of their captain Pat Cummins. Usman Khawaja, who missed the second Test with a back issue, is also expected to be fit and available for the third Test.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl should be delighted with the way that his team ran out 3-0 winners against Kilmarnock with relative ease on Saturday night.

Two goals from Bojan Miovski and a strike off the bench from Mikey Moore sealed all three points for the Gers, who had drawn their previous two games to Dundee United and Falkirk in a frustrating manner.

The German head coach should be particularly pleased with Miovski’s two-goal burst because it will provide the centre-forward with some much-needed confidence after a poor start to life at Ibrox

Why Bojan Miovski has been Rangers' most frustrating player

Out of all of the club’s summer signings, the Macedonia international has been their most frustrating player because he has not delivered at the level that everyone knows he is capable of.

Unlike most of the other signings, Miovski arrived as a proven Scottish Premiership performer who is in the prime years of his career, at 26, after a return of 32 league goals in two seasons with Aberdeen.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock, though, the left-footed forward had only scored one goal in nine league starts for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, and has lost 68% of his physical duels in the division.

Miovski was much improved against Kilmarnock, with two goals, which makes his poor form up to that point all the more frustrating, because that is the kind of performance that he can deliver.

It’s a display that Rohl recognised too. In quotes taken from PA Media, the manager said: “We had a conversation with each other and then he made step-by-step a huge step forwards against Dundee United. He had some good chances. He’s more adaptable at the moment, not just staying on the last line, it helps in building up as well.

“I’m happy when a striker scores two goals, it’s fantastic. In general, we spoke about what I demand from him. He told also what he is thinking at the moment. And then I think, especially after the Falkirk game, we spoke about spaces, what I want to see from the centre-forward and big spaces.”

The 26-year-old marksman is not the most improved player under Rohl, though, as that title has to go to Nasser Djiga, who has stepped up in recent weeks.

Why Djiga is the most improved Rangers player under Rohl

After Rohl’s fourth match in charge, against Celtic in the League Cup, Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar described the Wolves loanee as a “rotten” signing.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Football FanCast even suggested playing James Tavernier at centre-back at the start of November because of Djiga’s poor form for the club up to that point.

That criticism was fair after several high-profile errors, including a red card against Dundee, an inexplicable defensive mix-up against Club Brugge, and Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that he “genuinely looks lost” during the loss to Celtic in the semi-final defeat that led to Edgar dubbing him “rotten”.

It did not seem like there was any way back for the Premier League loanee, who was as ‘rotten’ as Miovski was, but his run of form since John Souttar and Derek Cornelius picked up injuries has been an impressive response to that criticism.

Because there was an argument, due to his high-profile mistakes, that Djiga was the worst performer in the club, it is only logical that his recent showings make him the most improved player in the squad.

Whilst Miovski scored two goals against Kilmarnock, the striker had not scored in his previous 11 games and is yet to show his quality consistently, and the Wolves defender has now strung several performances together.

Appearances

4

Sofascore rating

7.3

Clean sheets

2

Tackles won

6/8

Clearances

18

Ground duels won

14/18

Aerial duels won

7/14

Error led to shot or goal

0

As you can see in the table above, Djiga has really stepped up in the right-sided centre-back role since Souttar picked up an injury on international duty with Scotland, winning an eye-catching 14 of his 18 ground duels in four league outings.

The Burkina Faso international has shown that he can be reliable at the back for a stretch of games, with no direct errors leading to shots or goals, whilst being dominant in his defensive duels.

Rangers have kept two clean sheets in the last four league games with Djiga at the heart of the defence alongside Emmanuel Fernandez, and Rohl will be hoping that his new defensive partnership continues to shine over the festive period.

The 23-year-old loanee, in particular, needs to prove that his current form is not a flash in the pan and that he has put the mistakes that he made earlier in the season behind him to be a reliable option for the German manager moving forward.

Rangers prioritising move to sign "strong" 6ft 4 box-crasher after scouting mission

He could be Rohl’s first signing.

ByTom Cunningham 6 days ago

On current evidence, Djiga is the most improved player under Rohl, going from “rotten” to reliable, but now he needs to do it over a prolonged period of time.

Liverpool have now reportedly joined the race to sign a rising star who could replace Ibrahima Konate, having already sent their scouts to watch the defender in action.

What next after Salah's explosive rant?

Just when they thought it couldn’t get any worse, Mohamed Salah found himself strolling through the mixed zone towards the first microphone available. And this was no friendly catch-up. The Egyptian unleashed a sensational rant, accusing Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” and claiming that there is no longer a relationship with manager Arne Slot.

So, where do Liverpool and Salah go next? The Egyptian has trained today and a decision is yet to be made as to whether he travels to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

According to The Athletic’s James Pearce, some teammates were expecting his rant and those higher up at Anfield knew it was only inevitable that the chances increased that he’d speak out with every passing week on the bench.

Slot maintains the backing of Anfield chiefs, however, who view his decision to drop Salah as a selection choice which was unlikely to be long-term.

Perfect for Wirtz: Liverpool could hire the "best young manager in Europe"

Liverpool have an interest in a manager who would be the perfect appointment for Florian Wirtz.

ByDan Emery 4 days ago

What’s more, as reported by the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, the relationship between Slot and Salah is genuinely broken at present and the Egyptian simply does not see a future at Liverpool whilst the Dutchman is in charge.

It’s the lowest moment of Liverpool’s season so far and one that they could certainly do without as the fixtures come thick and fast. Alas, business goes on for FSG, who have reportedly joined the race to solve another one of Slot’s glaring problems at Liverpool.

Liverpool join race to sign Jeremy Jacquet

According to Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Jeremy Jacquet, who has impressed their scouts at Stade Rennais.

The Reds have already made checks on the 20-year-old defender and could welcome his arrival to replace Konate in 2026. The Frenchman is in the worst form of his Liverpool career and has already played himself out of a potential move to Real Madrid. Now, with his contract still on course to expire in the summer, he could still leave as a free agent.

Dubbed “physically imposing” by Como scout Ben Mattinson back in May and as “an insane centre-back in the making” by Jacek Kulig, Jacquet has only come on leaps and bounds ever since. At 20 years old, he’s someone that should be on the radar of several top clubs.

For Liverpool, that physicality would be key. The Reds have been bullied far too often this season with Konate at the scene of the crime all too often.

Salah replacement: Liverpool keen to sign "one of the best wingers in Europe"

Kian and Michael Blignaut, twins and sons of former Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut, also feature in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2025Simbarashe Mudzengerere has been named the captain of Zimbabwe’s 15-member squad for the men’s Under-19 World Cup, which takes place from January 15 to February 6.Mudzengerere, a right-hand batter and medium pacer, has captained the Under-19 national side since making his debut for them against Ireland, in Harare, on April 10 this year. He bowled a tidy spell of 1 for 28, before returning to make 37 from the middle order in a successful chase.Their squad also features Kian and Michael Blignaut, who are twins and the sons of former Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut.The U-19 coach, Elton Chigumbura, said: “We are going in with a winning mindset. This group can compete with, and beat, the best teams. Success will come from executing our processes, staying disciplined and sticking to our roles. If we do that consistently, we give ourselves a real chance to go all the way.”Zimbabwe are co-hosts of the tournament, alongside Namibia. Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Bulwayo, and the Queens Sports Club in Harare, will be hosting matches played in the country. On the pressures of playing at familiar venues, Chigumbura said: “Playing at home is an advantage – we understand the conditions and we will have great support behind us.”The tournament features four groups, consisting of four teams each, with each side facing the three others as part of their group stage fixtures. Zimbabwe have been placed in Group C: they will be playing Scotland on 15 January, England on 18 January, and Pakistan on 22 January. After a Super Sixes stage, the top four teams then face off in the semi-finals on February 3 and 4, before the winners play in the final at Harare on February 6.Zimbabwe begin their preparation with warm-up matches against United States of America on January 10, followed by New Zealand at Masvingo Sports Club on January 12.Zimbabwe squad for U-19 World CupSimbarashe Mudzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzwa Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidhi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kupakwashe Muradzi, Brandon Ndiweni, Dhruv Patel, Benny Zuze

The current WTC system is weighed in favour of bowler-friendly pitches. Here’s one that aims to incentivise longer Test matches that end in an outright result

Kartikeya Date01-Dec-2025The World Test Championship points system awards 12 points for a Test win, four points for a draw, and none for a Test defeat. This makes a Test win significantly more valuable compared to a draw.Consider two hypothetical three-match series, where in the first, the winning side wins 2-1, earning 24 points to the losing team’s 12. In the other, the winning side wins 1-0, earning 20 points (12 for the win, four each for the draws), while the losing side earns eight. In terms of raw points, the side winning 2-1 earns more points than the side winning 1-0. It also earns a higher percentage of the available points (24 out of a possible 36, or 66.7%) compared to the 1-0 winning side (20 points out of a possible 36, or 55.6%). This is significant because a team’s position on the WTC table is decided based on the percentage of available points that they collect.It is fair to say that the WTC points system disincentives draws in Test cricket. Only 26 of the 216 Test matches (one in eight) in the WTC era have been drawn. It would not be fair to say, however, that the WTC system singularly has caused teams to chase results. That tendency precedes the championship.In the 214 Tests just before the WTC era, 32 were drawn. It is also not the case that the more successful teams in the WTC era play fewer draws. In the last two editions of the championship (2021-23 and 2023-25), the top four teams in the final table played at least as many, if not more, draws than the bottom four teams.Nevertheless, Test matches have been getting shorter. This is partly because scoring rates have been rising, and consequently, dismissals are occurring more frequently than they used to. This is also due to the DRS. Other interesting causes are evident in the record, but those are best left for a separate discussion. For now, let’s focus on the cause that keeps attracting much discussion every time a short Test match is played – the pitch.Home teams have the privilege of producing pitches of their choice in Test cricket. Different parts of the world have different types of soil, weather and traditions, and produce a variety of pitches, all of which are not equally well suited to the same styles of bowling. The ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process acknowledges this reality. In the WTC era, all home teams have produced bowler-friendly, result-oriented, pitches.Home teams cannot produce pitches that make only their own victory more likely, especially when the visiting team has sufficient quality and variety in bowling, as New Zealand, South Africa, England, India, Australia and Pakistan invariably have had for all conditions in recent times. The best home teams can hope for is that even against a fairly complete opponent, their own quality and depth in bowling on their pitches will outgun that of the visitors in the long run. The Australians, for instance, successfully made this bet when India toured in 2024-25. They lost the first Test, in Perth, on a very quick, seaming pitch, but in the end, their superior fast-bowling depth and quality told on five fast-bowler-friendly surfaces. In a short series, there isn’t always time for this type of benefit to play out. But even there, as we have seen above, 1-1 is a better result than 0-0 under the WTC points system.In the 865 non-WTC Test matches since the start of 2000 that were not played at neutral venues, the median game lasted 1982 balls. Of the 432 Tests that were completed in 1982 balls or fewer, the home team won 255 and lost 129 (or 59 wins and 30 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 432 Tests that lasted more than 1982 balls, the home team won 170 and lost 122 (or 39 wins and 28 defeats per 100 Tests). Longer Tests make winning less likely but don’t reduce the frequency of defeat; they increase the probability of draws.Under the current points system, matches less than about 300 overs long fetch the home team 60% of available points, while longer ones produce 56%. Which makes home teams interested in risking defeat chasing victory with bowler-friendly pitches•Gallo ImagesIn the WTC era the median Test has lasted 1765 balls. Of the 109 matches that lasted 1765 balls or fewer during this period, the home team won 61 and lost 40 (or 56 wins, 37 defeats per 100 Tests). Of the 106 matches that lasted more than 1765 balls, the home team won 53 and lost 34 (50 wins and 32 defeats per 100 Tests). Matches have become shorter in the WTC era; longer WTC matches (those longer than the median) produce 18 draws per 100 Tests, compared to nine draws per 100 Tests in shorter matches. But under the WTC points system shorter matches produce 59% of available points for the home team (56 wins, nine draws), while longer matches produce 56% of available points for the home team (50 wins, 18 draws). So it is in the interests of the home team to risk defeat chasing victory in the WTC era by preparing more bowler-friendly pitches.The general understanding that better batting pitches increase the probability of the draw by reducing the likelihood of winning more than they reduce the likelihood of losing, precedes the WTC era. It is no surprise that England sought old-fashioned English pitches after losing by 405 runs to Australia in the Lord’s Test of the 2015 Ashes. The cost of an English fast bowler’s wicket in England dropped from 29.1 runs in the 2011-2015 period (including that Lord’s Ashes Test), to 23.9 runs from the end of that 2015 Test to the start of the Bazball era in June 2022. The 2011-15 period was already a strong era for England, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson forming a great seam-bowling new-ball pair.India’s desire for turning pitches at home has a much longer history in modern cricket. Most Indian captains have sought such conditions, believing (correctly) that, (a) in the long run, their superior depth and quality of spin bowling will mean they will win a lot more than they lose, and (b) that a turning pitch mitigates consequences arising from the outcome of the toss.The conventional wisdom, which has found new voice following India’s defeat at Eden Gardens – that better wickets will amplify India’s spin bowling quality – is not borne out by the record. Since the start of 1993, India have played 151 Tests at home, won 90 and lost 24. Anil Kumble played his first home Test against England in January 1993, marking the start of a prolonged period of Indian spin domination at home. India’s median home Test in this period has lasted 2059 balls. Of 75 home Tests that lasted 2061 balls or fewer, India won 55 and lost 11. Of the 75 that lasted longer than 2061 balls, India won 35 and lost 12. While it is true, as Himanish Ganjoo has showed on these pages that, relative to better batting pitches, bowler-friendly pitches reduce India’s batting average more than they do the opposition’s (since the visiting team’s batting average is lower to begin with), this does not, in the long run, translate to more frequent defeats for India.If the current points system rewards bowler-friendly pitches because teams don’t want to risk draws, how might a points system that aims to produce longer Test matches without incentivising draws be devised? Such a system would, for instance, reward a win in 400 overs more than it does a win in 280 overs. The requirement is for a system that makes the choice less obvious for home teams when it comes to preferring result pitches. It will do this by finding a way to penalise shorter Tests (and consequently, pitches at the bowler-friendly end of the spectrum) without rewarding draws. Rewarding draws is likely to encourage home teams to ask for featherbeds.The current WTC points system also does not consider the balance of play; it only considers the result. A draw is a draw, and teams get the same number of points whether it is a team hanging on by one wicket in a thrilling finish or a Test in which only 21 wickets fall over 400 overs of play.A few years ago I proposed a method of measuring the dominance of a Test team. It is sensitive to the outcome of every delivery in the match. Under that system, the two teams in the Kanpur and Ahmedabad Tests above would not finish on an equal number of points. That system also avoids arbitrary thresholds (for instance, the WTC system prescribes a 3:1 ratio for wins to draws). How points are allotted using this hypothetical system is shown below with the examples of two recent Tests. (Note, the intermediate figures are rounded to three decimal places here. In the actual calculation, they are not.)1. India vs South Africa at Eden Gardens, 2025
Result: SA won by 30 runs
SA: 312 for 20 in 654 balls
IND: 282 for 18 in 584 ballsRuns per wicket for the match (312 + 282) / (20 + 18) = 15.63IND batting points: 282 / 584 = 0.483IND bowling points: 20*15.63 / 654 = 0.478
SA batting points: 312 / 654 = 0.477
SA bowling points: 18*15.63 / 584 = 0.482
IND total points: 0.959
SA total points: 0.961Since South Africa won outright, they get a win bonus – equal to the average number of points each team earned in the match – which in this case is 0.960 (0.959 + 0.961) / 2South Africa’s total points for the match: 0.961 + 0.960 = 1.919, and India’s total points for the match: 0.959. So South Africa has +0.960 points net.2. India v England at Edgbaston, 2025
Result: India won by 336 runs
IND: 1014 for 16 in 1404 balls
ENG: 678 for 20 in 946 ballsRuns per wicket for the match: 47IND total points: 3.200
ENG total points: 1.252
IND net points: 1.948In draws, each team’s final points tally is simply the sum of their bowling and batting points. For instance, in the 2023 Ahmedabad Test referenced above, India collected 1.008 points and Australia 0.934 points. In other words, India collected a net 0.069 points and Australia a net -0.069 points.This method of assessing teams in Test matches is sensitive to the outcome of each delivery, and to the margin of victory (or even the margin of the draw). For the hypothetical WTC version of this system, I propose scaling the winning team’s points by a match-length factor to arrive at the win bonus for outright wins.The average outright result in WTC Tests takes 1738 deliveries. So we divide the number of deliveries in a match by 1800 (300 overs), or the average length. If a match lasts 2000 deliveries, the match length factor is 2000 / 1800. The consequence of this method of deriving the win-bonus figure is shown in the graph below, which compares the net points teams earn in all the outright results in WTC Tests using this modified system to their net points in the original system. The net points decrease for shorter matches and increase for longer matches.Kartikeya DateThe calculation of the net points per match for each team in the 2021-23 WTC Test cycle is below. This comparison is difficult to make because pitch preparation is shaped by the points system at work. If pitches that last five days give teams a chance to earn more points than quicker victories on more precarious pitches, then pitches will become less bowler-friendly. The comparison also depends on which matches a team loses and which it wins. For instance, the average Test match won by South Africa in the 2021-23 WTC cycle lasted 1703 balls, while the average Test they lost lasted 1319 balls. Five of their six defeats in this cycle came in New Zealand, England and Australia. The sixth was a defeat to India in the 2021 Boxing Day Test in Centurion.