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Antonio Conte recorded his first Premier League victory in charge of Tottenham Hotspur as his side came from behind to defeat Leeds United in north London on Sunday evening.

Spurs went into the break trailing by a goal and without a shot on target but came out in the second half as a completely different outfit, with goals from two unlikely sources in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sergio Reguilon sealing all three points to make it three games unbeaten under the Italian.

Truth be told, the visitors will return to Yorkshire feeling a little disappointed and gutted as they deserved to come away with at least a point, having racked up more possession and attempts on goal than the home side.

But Conte’s back-three held firm against the weakened Whites, with Eric Dier arguably stealing the show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In the absence of Cristian Romero, who missed the match with injury, the English colossus stepped up to be the aggressive ball-playing beast in the heart of the backline.

As per SofaScore, he recorded the most touches (76) in the Spurs team, which only goes to show that the bulk of their play came out through him in the middle of the defence. This was also reinforced by the fact that he managed more passes (53) than any other player in the side, too.

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It was even more impressive that he managed to create one big chance, with one key pass and managed three successful long balls.

Elsewhere, he defended soundly, managing a game-high seven clearances, as well as winning five of his nine duels, both in the air and on the ground, via SofaScore.

Alasdair Gold of football.london was also impressed by the 27-year-old, whom he described as the ‘quarterback’ of the team due to the lack of creativity elsewhere and also claimed that he ‘had more success with his defending though, with little getting past him.’

With Romero expected to be out for a little longer, the £92k-per-week Dier will need to keep to this standard to ensure more positive results under Conte.

So forget the goalscoring Reguilon, who won Sky Sports’ ‘Man of the Match’ award, the English powerhouse arguably stole the show in north London on Sunday.

AND in other news, Spurs could find new Christian Eriksen after January transfer boost…

MS Dhoni said the bowling needs to be better if the team is to rise to the top of the rankings

Cricinfo staff08-Jan-2010After India conceded 296 runs against Bangladesh on Thursday, MS Dhoni has demanded better performances from his bowlers. The lacklustre effort in the field didn’t prevent India from coasting to a comfortable win, but Dhoni said the bowling needs to be better if the team is to rise to the top of the rankings.”If we want to be in the number one spot, if we want to be consistent then we need to improve our performance in all departments, especially bowling,” he said after the six-wicket victory. “I want the bowlers to deliver when needed.”India have struggled to contain the runs in the death overs: Sri Lanka clubbed 59 runs in the final five overs of their chase on Tuesday to cruise to victory with 12 deliveries to spare, and Bangladesh plundered 88 runs in the last 10 overs to set India a stiff target.”We need to improve our performance by 50%,” Dhoni said. “I know that would be tough for the boys but that’s what is international cricket all about.”While it was ultimately an easy win for India, there had been a few sticky moments earlier when they were reduced to 51 for 3. It was Dhoni’s seventh ODI century and Virat Kohli’s mature 91 that ensured there was no upset. “I was never really worried as we had the second Powerplay in hand,” Dhoni said. “We were never really short of runs. We were always in reach of the target. So I and Virat decided to build up a partnership to lay the foundation and the plan worked.”Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan also pinpointed the 152-run Dhoni-Kohli stand as the match-turning one. “When we got the early wickets, we thought we had a chance,” Shakib said, “but they (Dhoni and Kohli) got a very good partnership in the middle overs and played sensibly.”Shakib though was happy with the way his batsmen performed after they combined to post Bangladesh’s highest total against India. “Consistently we are getting runs and it’s a plus point for us. Hopefully, we will try to bowl a bit better in the coming matches.”At the halfway stage of the tournament, Bangladesh have lost both their matches, India have won one and Sri Lanka are top of the table with two victories.

Cricinfo presents the plays of the day from the first day of the second Test between Bangladesh and India in Mirpur

Sriram Veera in Mirpur24-Jan-2010The boy who refuses to grow up
The Mohammad Ashraful soap opera continued with yet another typical episode today: A fleeting glimpse of something memorable before the inevitable brain freeze. No one else in world cricket today does that more consistently than him. He punched, flicked and even whipped a delivery from the off stump past a startled mid-on before he combusted against Pragyan Ojha with a needless charge. Ashraful, it seems, is a boy who refuses to grow up. He still is a crowd favourite, though. A young nation is entitled to its sporting biases.Guess who’s back?
It was here in Bangladesh that Ishant Sharma made his Test debut and was tonked by Ashraful. It’s here now, though, that he has found some solace in troubled times. Both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have already pointed out that this experience will have tremendously improved his confidence. Today he again bowled well and was helped by the batsmen and even by the umpire. Billy Bowden upheld an appeal for a catch behind the wicket though it appeared that the ball touched Imrul Kayes’ thigh pad. Ishant then straightened one to remove Raqibul Hasan and moved one in to trap Mushfiqur Rahim. He hasn’t returned to his best yet, but it appears that he has spotted the path after threatening to get lost in the woods.The gambit
Mahmudullah, who led another fine rearguard with the tail, did well to farm the strike but there was one moment of confusion. It was the third ball and No. 10 Shafiul Islam tapped an Ojha delivery past square leg. Harbhajan Singh, at backward square leg, just jogged, teasing Mahmudullah to take the second run which would bring Shafiul back on strike. Mahmudullah hesitated for quite a while before he decided to cross over for the second. The next ball Ojha struck Shafiul on the pad in front of the stumps and Harbhajan’s tease could have almost worked but Bowden turned down the good shout.O captain, my captain
It was short and wide and perhaps, that’s why he went for it but he only could edge it behind. They would say that it wasn’t a captain’s shot but your heart went out for him. He has been Bangladesh’s Daniel Vettori – he has to bat, he has to bowl, take catches and captain his side to greater things. The cross is perhaps too heavy for him to carry. In Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, he has men who have started to rally around him and form the core of the side but he needs more support.Almost out of jail but…
Mahmudullah was on 96 when he cut Ojha towards Sehwag at backward point and got into a yes-no situation with his partner Rubel Hossain. Both batsmen were nearly at Mahmudullah’s end before Rubel retreated. Meanwhile, Sehwag’s throw came in but Ojha back-pedalled too far back behind the stumps and then missed hitting them as well. Mahmudullah escaped, or so one thought. However, in the next over, Rubel kept out the first four deliveries but was cleaned up by an offbreak from Harbhajan Singh. M Vijay, who himself has come close but not experienced what it feels to score a Test ton, ran up to congratulate Mahmudullah before Harbhajan too joined in. It wouldn’t have made up for the missed opportunity though, and Mahmudullah retreated ever so slowly back to the hut.

Liverpool have already endured a number of knocks and injuries to their squad so far this season, with the midfield suffering the most injury problems.

Every single one of Liverpool’s midfield has either suffered an injury this term or are currently still out of action for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

One of the midfielders Klopp has ruled out of the Merseyside Derby is local talent Curtis Jones, who would’ve thrived playing his part in this battle of the local rivals this evening.

The 20-year-old scouser has been out with an eye injury he sustained in training before the Atletico Madrid fixture and has been out of the side ever since.

The club’s manager confirmed the £27m-rated gem will be out for the clash of the Merseyside clubs, in his pre-match press conference:

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He said: “With Curtis, it’s just not in our hands. Curtis is completely fine, he’s doing what he’s allowed to do.

“If you asked Curtis, he could go out and run a marathon, but it’s just not allowed in the moment.

“We have to wait until the doctors give us the green light.”

Jones has made quite an impact on his hometown club already this season, as he stepped in to save the midfield during the initial midfield crisis at the beginning of the season, where Harvey Elliott sustained an injury that has sidelined him until at least the New Year.

After the Champions League game against Porto, former Liverpool striker, Peter Crouch, spoke of Jones’ “excellent feet” during his performance for the side in a 5-1 win, providing a rave review of the youngster.

Ex Liverpool and Real Madrid player, Michael Owen, also joined in with the compliments for Jones after the Porto performance:

“Before Harvey Elliott got injured, he was the one with the shirt. Curtis Jones has always been around, here and there, but for his sake he needs a long run in the team. When he gets the chance he needs to do what he did tonight.”

Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are all fit and played together in the 4-0 thrashing of Southampton at the weekend at Anfield, and will likely take the roles in midfield this evening at Goodison Park. That will surely give Rafa Benitez a headache, as the three are in top form off the back of a comfortable win at the weekend.

However, there is no hiding away from the lack of depth at Klopp’s disposal right now and thus, Jones’ continued absence is a big blow.

After all, his energy and ingenuity would have been huge on a night like the Merseyside derby. So far this term, he has registered three assists from the middle of the park, joint-level with Jordan Henderson but more than the likes of Thiago, Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

With that in mind, his extra creativity would have been beneficial this evening as the Reds aim to down a struggling Everton side.

In other news: Klopp must unleash Matip in the Merseyside derby

Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Ray Jennings is confident the team could cope despite missing Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor

Siddarth Ravindran02-Mar-2010Royal Challengers Bangalore will be a touch short on batting firepower for the first half of the IPL due to the absence of some of their big-hitting foreign stars, but their coach Ray Jennings was confident the team could cope despite missing Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor.Pietersen will be busy with England’s Tests against Bangladesh until March 24 and Taylor will be occupied by the series against Australia until the end of the month. “It’s is an issue when you miss the likes of Taylor and KP, but you know what I’m a positive guy,” said Jennings after supervising a two-and-a-half hour training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. “I’m notgoing to look at that, they arrive on the first of April and so be it, I’ve got to start finding another Kevin Pietersen in the stands, or turning some of our players like [Manish] Pandey or [Virat] Kohli into a Pietersen.”While some of the foreign players will miss parts of the tournament, Jennings was pleased with the progress of several of the Indian players in the squad, such as fast bowlers Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun who were the leading wicket-takers in this season’s Ranji Trophy.Virat Kohli, who has started to turn in some impressive performances with the national team, was another member whose development has heartened the coach. Jennings, who first saw Kohli during the 2008 Under-19 World Cup, identified him as someone who could lead the national side in the years ahead.”I thought he was unfocussed [in 2008], I sat him down during the IPL in South Africa, and I said you know what, I’m not going to accept certain things,” Jennings said. “He’s responded to me, in October I said to him he needs to start setting standards for himself, because I see himas a future Indian captain. I have watched him in the South African series, he’s become a very organised human being, he’s settled down, he’s not going over the top.”Kohli wasn’t at his best last October during the Champions League Twenty20, whereBangalore failed to make the semi-finals. Jennings, however, said that his side had actually played better in the Champions League than in the IPL, where they finished as runners-up. “Don’t judge results by the trophy,” he said. “Because I thought we played better cricket in October than in South Africa, we scored 180 three times. The playing and overall unit wasbetter.”The IPL returns to India this season after the competition was held in South Africa in 2009 because security of players couldn’t be guaranteed due to Indian general elections taking place at the same time as the tournament. Over the past few weeks, several player unions have raisedconcerns over player safety, but Jennings said he had no worries about coming to India. “From my side I have no problem with India, it’s a good place to come, I trust the bosses in what they are doing,” he said. “I’m very positive about it, from my side I’m encouraging the players to behere on time, and I have no negative feedback from the players.”

Tottenham insider John Wenham believes that Celtic may only need to pay a maximum of £3m to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent basis.

The Lowdown: £10m reports

The American defender made the move to Parkhead in the final hours of the summer transfer window, penning a season-long loan which includes an option to buy.

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Since his move to Scotland, the centre-back has made 18 appearances in all competitions, becoming a mainstay in Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Rumours emerged earlier this month that a permanent move could end up costing the Hoops £10m due to add-ons, but Wenham has dismissed those reports.

The Latest: Wenham’s comments

Wenham was talking to Football Insider regarding the recent £10m report. He labelled it as ‘ridiculous’, believing that it could instead cost Celtic between £2.5m and £3m to sign Carter-Vickers permanently.

The Spurs insider noted:

“I just cannot see that being the figure.

“I know for a fact Tottenham would have sold him for £2.5million in the summer.

“Tottenham were also happy to sell him for that much in the past. The club is realistic in their valuations. He has 18 months remaining on his deal after January.

“There is no way Tottenham are asking for £10million, that’s ridiculous.

“I reckon it will be between £2.5million or £3million. That £10million figure is totally wide of the mark.”

The Verdict: Great news…

Should Wenham’s claim prove accurate, Celtic would end up getting 70% off the rumoured £10m fee, making it even more of a no-brainer to complete a permanent deal for Carter-Vickers.

Labelled as ‘quick’ by his former Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate, with one-time Parkhead record signing Alan Stubbs also impressed by the American’s pace, the 23-year-old has been praised by Postecoglou during his time at Parkhead and has proven to be a reliable member of the Hoops squad.

He has missed just one game in green and white, partnering the likes of Carl Starfelt, Stephen Welsh and Nir Bitton at centre-back.

On that basis, the Hoops may be wise to look into sealing a £3m move in January, with plans to make Jota’s loan permanent also planned before the end of the season.

In other news: Joseph drops huge transfer update with Celtic now set to make most expensive signing of Ange era

Leeds United are scouting Feyenoord star Marcos Senesi as they plot a potential move for the centre-back.

What’s the story?

According to 90min, the Whites are one of a number of Premier League sides, including the likes of Newcastle, Manchester United, Tottenham and Aston Villa who have watched the defender in recent weeks.

The report adds that: “Feyenoord are currently trying to entice Senesi to sign a new deal as he has just 18-months left on his current contract, but it remains to be seen if they can fend off the growing queue of suitors.”

Better than Liam Cooper

Dubbed a “gladiator”, Senesi looks to be the kind of ball-playing centre-back that Bielsa would surely love to have at Elland Road.

A profile done by Live Score noted: “Since joining from San Lorenzo in 2019, the 24-year-old has quietly developed into one of the most progressive defenders in Europe.

“Impressive with and without the ball, the Argentine centre-back completed more clearances (3.5 per 90 minutes) than any other player across Feyenoord’s two Europa Conference League games this season, as well as having the best passing accuracy (84.76%).”And, when you compare some of his key stats to that of club captain Liam Cooper, it’s the Argentine who favours considerably better.As per Whoscored, Senesi averages a far better average match rating than the Scot (7.09 to 6.81), while he commits far fewer fouls per outing and catches opposition strikers more times on average than Cooper too.And, Senesi also wins a higher percentage of his duels (68% to 63%), and completes more dribbles per game too – making him very much someone who could complement Diego Llorente at the heart of the Leeds defence.Those stats don’t even mention how much better Senesi is on the ball, having registered more assists, averaging more key passes per game, and also boasting a far better passing accuracy for passes made into the opposition half.The £16.2m-rated star could represent a real upgrade on Cooper.Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

A round-up of matches from the fifth day of the RBS Twenty20 Cup

Cricinfo staff04-Mar-2010Group BNaved-ul-Hasan, batting at No.3, smashed 95 off 57 balls and grabbed a wicket in Sialkot Stallions’ 17-run win in a high-scoring encounter against Rawalpindi Rams at the National Stadium. Naved struck 10 fours and three sixes in his fierce knock and was supported by Shahid Yousuf (31), Shoaib Malik (33 not out) and Abdul Razzaq (25 not out) as Sialkot piled up 197. Rawalpindi lost Babar Naeem early in their reply but Naved Malik and Tahir Mughal (34 off 19) put together 51 in quick time. At 106 for 3 in the 11th over, Rawalpindi were in the hunt but Sarfraz Ahmed grabbed two quick wickets to peg them back and ensure Sialkot didn’t lose the advantage. Hammad Azam fought hard with an unbeaten 36 but the effort proved inadequate.Group AA four-wicket haul from allrounder Waqas Ahmed helped Lahore Lions steal a two-run victory, their third straight win in the tournament, against Multan Tigers at the National Stadium. In chase of 167, Kashif Naved shone with a 42-ball 58, which included five fours and two sixes. He was supported by Rameez Alam’s 33 but Waqas picked up wickets regularly after the pair were dismissed to turn the game in Lahore’s favour. Lahore had slipped to 41 for 3 in their innings but were revived by the Akmal brothers, Umar and Kamran, who added 54 for the fourth wicket. Umar went on to score 64 while Waqas dealt some lusty blows at the death to lift Lahore to a score that proved just about adequate.

New Zealand’s marks out of 10 for the two-Test series against Australia

Brydon Coverdale01-Apr-2010New Zealand struggled to stay in touch with Australia for the full five days and lost both Tests convincingly. There were highlights in the performances of Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori, but there remains room for a lot of improvement.Brendon McCullum was the stand-out performer for an over-powered New Zealand•Getty Images7
Brendon McCullum
Had a strong series with the bat thanks to his rearguard second-innings hundred in Wellington, a performance which went against his natural aggressive instinct, and a fighting half-century when New Zealand were trying to hold on in Hamilton. McCullum, who recently had the vice-captaincy taken from him, showed impressive maturity after being jolted by a lazy dismissal in the first innings of the series.6.5
Daniel Vettori
As usual, shouldered a heavy burden and no player from either team bowled more than his 107.3 overs for the series. His four wickets in the first innings at Hamilton gave New Zealand early hope but for the rest of the series he struggled to get many breakthroughs, which was as much a reflection of the Australians seeing him out and taking few risks as his own bowling. As the No. 6 batsman, he frustrated Australia with 77 in Wellington and outperformed some of his top-order colleagues.Ross Taylor
Sparkled with New Zealand’s fastest ever Test century in Hamilton, which will be one of the defining memories of the series. His 25-run over against Nathan Hauritz will be remembered forever by the fans who scattered around Seddon Park to avoid being struck by his sixes. He didn’t have much impact in his other three innings.6
Tim Southee
Had a tough time in Wellington, where he rarely looked like taking a wicket and was likely to be dropped for the second Test. Daryl Tuffey’s injury allowed Southee to retain his place and he collected six wickets in Hamilton, swinging the ball impressively. He also provided a late batting highlight with a barrage against Doug Bollinger and briefly threatened to rewrite the record books for fastest Test fifties.Brent Arnel
To look at his figures of five wickets at 50, it would be easy to assume Arnel had a poor debut series. In fact, he was the most consistent of New Zealand’s seamers, moving the ball just enough to make the batsmen work hard. Did enough to warrant keeping his place in the side, especially in light of how some of his colleagues struggled.5.5
Tim McIntosh
Like several of his mates in the batting line-up, had only one innings of significance. His 83 in the second innings at the Basin Reserve showed that the top order could fight, as he applied himself over several hours. However, he remains vulnerable early and his three other bats brought a combined 32 runs.Martin Guptill
Showed promise but delivered little until the final innings, when he scored 58 as New Zealand were trying to hold on in Hamilton. It’s unclear where he is best suited to batting and he is still finding his feet at Test level, but is a good prospect.4.5
BJ Watling
Didn’t pass fifty during the series and is still learning about how to handle world-class new-ball attacks. His top score was 46 and he wasn’t out of his depth, but will need to lift to retain his place as an opener in the long-term.4
Mathew Sinclair
Unexpectedly brought back for the second Test after a two-year absence, Sinclair made starts in both bats without proving that he should remain. Mark Greatbatch was impressed with his application in the second innings but the likely return of Jesse Ryder later in the year will in part determine whether Sinclair stays.3
Jeetan Patel
Left out in Wellington and included for Hamilton, Patel remains in the unenviable position of being an in-and-out player. It is hard for him to find rhythm when he spends so long on the sidelines and he picked up a couple of wickets, but at a costly average of 85. Vettori is convinced Patel is the second-best spinner in the country, so he should play a greater role in the tours of the subcontinent later in the year.2
Peter Ingram
Run out for 5 in the first innings at the Basin Reserve and caught behind for 1 in the second, Ingram offered little at No. 3 and was axed for the second Test. His lack of footwork made him vulnerable outside off against quality bowling but he promptly went back to the Plunket Shield and plundered 85 and a century while the second Test was under way, suggesting he might remain in the mix in future.Daryl Tuffey
Didn’t make a breakthrough in Wellington and continued his ten-year run without a Test wicket against Australia. Suffered a broken hand while batting, which ruled him out of the second Test and the World Twenty20.Chris Martin
A series return of 1 for 260 was exactly what Martin didn’t want, after declaring before the first Test that he was keen to lift his disappointing five-day record against Australia. At 35 and with some younger prospects in the domestic ranks, the future for Martin is unclear.

Leeds United could help answer Marcelo Bielsa’s prayers by finally signing Reading star John Swift in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to reports over from the summer by The Sheffield Star, Bielsa’s side, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford, have got their eye on the attacking midfielder.

And now, former Arsenal star Kevin Campbell has delivered his seal of approval over a move, and suggested that his signing could be key for the Whites to recapture their form.

He said: “Yes, I think they’ll have to go in for a John Swift or someone like that. January is gong to be so important for Leeds. They need to recruit wisely.

“Swift is have an amazing season at Reading. I think he could be one of two or three players who come in to bolster that squad.

“I know there is good youngsters coming through but this is the Premier League. You need proven quality. The players coming in need to be ready to fight. It is a big month for Leeds coming up.”

Leeds need him

If Leeds were in need of a central midfielder in the summer, then they are absolutely crying out for one now given the extent of their Premier League performances and recent injury crisis.

The Whites find themselves firmly in the mix of a relegation battle heading into Christmas, while they received the massive blow that talisman Kalvin Phillips will be out for the next couple of months.

While Swift isn’t likely to be a like-for-like replacement for the England international, he does offer something much-needed in the Leeds engine room.

The Reading ace has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, managing an impressive 65 goal contributions in 185 games – in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has been impressive to say the least, netting eight goals in the Championship as well as chipping in with nine assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

With a record of 40 senior goals to his name in his professional career thus far, Swift could help answer Bielsa’s prayers of needing a new midfielder this January.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star must be axed vs Arsenal…