Manchester City have submitted a £55m offer for a “wonderful” midfielder, who has been identified as the heir to Kevin De Bruyne, according to a report.
Man City eyeing replacement for De Bruyne
De Bruyne is set to leave Man City at the end of the season, but rival Premier League clubs clearly seem to believe the Belgian has a lot left to give, with a number of sides recently expressing an interest.
Arsenal are now holding discussions over a shock deal for the 33-year-old, alongside Aston Villa, with club chiefs willing to back Unai Emery if he decides he wants to snap the City midfielder up on a free transfer this summer.
As such, Pep Guardiola will need to bring in a suitable heir, and although it will be a tall order to find any player capable of replicating what De Bruyne has done in a City shirt, a number of targets have now been identified.
Man City set to fend off Liverpool hijack and win race for £73k-a-week star
They have been working on a deal since January.
ByHenry Jackson May 3, 2025
River Plate’s Franco Mastantuono is one player of interest, although, given his age, the 17-year-old Argentine may not be ready to go straight into the side, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz may be more of a ready-made replacement.
Man City are also looking at options from within the Premier League, and according to a report from Spain they have now submitted a €65m (£55m) offer for Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison.
Tottenham Hotspur'sJamesMaddisonreacts
Guardiola is known to be a huge fan of Maddison, and City have now made a concrete approach for his services, with the Englishman viewed as the ideal successor to De Bruyne in attacking midfield.
The 28-year-old is deemed to fit into Guardiola’s style of play perfectly, given his creativity and ability to connect with the attack, while his ability from set-pieces is also outlined as a major strength.
"Wonderful" Maddison impressing at Spurs
It has been an extremely disappointing season for Spurs in the Premier League, but the attacking midfielder has been one of their stand-out players, picking up 12 goals and 11 assists in 45 matches in all competitions.
As such, the former Leicester City man ranks highly across a range of key attacking metrics over the past year, when compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers.
Statistic
Average per 90
Assists
0.39 (93rd percentile)
Progressive passes
8.14 (98th percentile)
Shot-creating actions
4.82 (85th percentile)
The England international has also been singled out for high praise by BBC Five Live’s Ben Haines in the past.
Maddison is clearly a quality player, but the Tottenham star is set to turn 29 in November, meaning he is unlikely to be a long-term heir to De Bruyne, and his attacking numbers suggest he is not at the same level as the City legend, so there should be some reservations about the move.
Chelsea are said to be “very serious” about signing a “big star” alternative to Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap this summer, with Enzo Maresca’s side holding every intention of bringing in a top-class number nine.
Chelsea set sights on striker signing this summer
The west Londoners are widely expected to sign a new centre-forward, and many targets are on BlueCo’s agenda already.
"Underrated" £163k-per-week star has "set his sights" on joining Chelsea
The player is determined to seal a Stamford Bridge switch.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 6, 2025
Nicolas Jackson still hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since the turn of the year, leading to concerns over the Senegalese’s suitability to lead the line going forward, even if this is partly due to injury.
Ipswich Town (home)
April 13th
Fulham (away)
April 20th
Everton (home)
April 26th
Liverpool (home)
May 4th
Newcastle (away)
May 10th
Christopher Nkunku, despite scoring 14 goals in all competitions this season, has also only bagged two league goals since the start of December – so the Frenchman isn’t exactly a prolific stand-in for Jackson when utilised as a striker.
Maresca has even resorted to using Pedro Neto in a makeshift striker role a lot of the time in recent weeks, highlighting Chelsea’s glaring need for a prolific new option.
Reports suggest that Delap is a top target for Chelsea heading into the first summer window, which is open from June 1st to June 10th and allows them to sign a striker before their Club World Cup campaign.
Ipswich Town'sLiamDelapreacts
It’s also been revealed that Delap’s contract includes a £40 million release clause tied with Ipswich being relegated, but this has alerted a host of Chelsea’s top-flight rivals, who are all on the lookout for a fresh striking option as well.
Competition for the Englishman’s signature could be fierce this summer, but Delap isn’t the only man in Chelsea’s thinking.
Galatasaray loanee and Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen is very keen to join Chelsea, according to recent claims from media sources, and his deal will also include a release clause worth up to £69 million.
Galatasaray's VictorOsimhencelebrates scoring a goal that was later disallowed
Another striker up for grabs, and firmly on Chelsea’s radar, is RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.
Chelsea "very serious" about signing Benjamin Sesko this summer
The Slovenia international rejected a proposal to join Chelsea last summer, as per Fabrizio Romano, but it is reportedly far more likely that he will leave the Bundesliga side this year.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Sesko is a “very serious” option for Chelsea, after hearing news from his sources over the weekend.
This follows another incredible campaign in Germany, where he’s racked up 19 goals in all competitions and bettered his 23/24 tally already, and the 21-year-old’s current release clause is set at £62 million (Sky Sports).
Sesko
Despite his growing status, Slovenia national team director Miran Pavlin says Sesko has remained humble, which could be an encouraging factor of his personality as Maresca’s side scour for the right man to lead their line.
“He’s very modest, coming from a small town and knows how to deal with all the things,” said Pavlin.
“He became a big star since a young age, but has stayed a normal guy and I’m sure he’ll stay like that in the future, too.”
He is the youngest to score a T20I century for South Africa, and also made the highest T20I score against Australia
Namooh Shah12-Aug-2025
Dewald Brevis’ 41-ball century was the second-fastest by a South African in T20Is•AFP/Getty Images
218 for 7 – South Africa’s total in the second T20I against Australia in Darwin is their highest against Australia, going past 204 for 7 in Johannesburg in 2016.125* – Dewald Brevis’ score in Darwin is the highest for South Africa in T20Is, bettering Faf du Plessis’ 119 against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.Brevis’ performance is also the highest in a T20I in Australia; the previous best was Shane Watson’s 124 against India in Sydney in 2016.22y 105d – Brevis’ age, making him the youngest South African to score a century in T20Is. Richard Levi was 24 years and 36 days old when he scored a hundred against New Zealand in 2012.Dewald Brevis has the highest score by a South Africa batter in T20Is•ESPNcricinfo Ltd41 – Number of balls Brevis took to reach his hundred, the second fastest for South Africa in T20Is. David Miller scored a 35-ball hundred against Bangladesh in 2017.Brevis is the first batter to score a T20I hundred against Australia in Australia. He also has the highest T20I score against Australia, a record previously held by Ruturaj Gaikwad.161 – Runs added by South Africa after the fall of the third wicket, the most they have added in a T20I. Brevis and Tristan Stubbs added 126 runs for the fourth wicket against Australia in Darwin, with Brevis scoring 91 of those runs.1 for 56 – Josh Hazlewood’s figures in the second T20I against South Africa; his most expensive in T20Is.
The offspinner averages just 31.14 in Australia, the second toughest nation to bowl spin
Sampath Bandarupalli17-Dec-2023With his five-wicket match haul against Pakistan in the home season’s opening game in Perth, Nathan Lyon has scripted his name alongside seven other bowlers to have bagged 500-plus wickets in Test cricket. Only two other Australians have achieved the milestone before him – Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Lyon enters the 500 Test wickets club to increase the tally of spinners to four, joining Muttiah Muralidaran, Warne and Anil Kumble.It took a while for Lyon to reach here, needing 123 Tests, by far the most among the four spin bowlers. Being a non-Asian spinner and often playing with a three-man potent pace-bowling unit has given Lyon fewer wicket-taking opportunities. However, Lyon has taken 24.04% of the wickets picked by the Australian bowlers in the matches he played. Only three non-Asian spinners with 150-plus wickets since 1980 have picked up a higher share of the team’s wickets.
Adding more to Lyon’s challenges, Australia has been the second toughest nation to bowl spin since his debut, as the spinners average 45.63 here, only better than 48.45 in New Zealand. Lyon’s average in Australia reads 31.14, a relatively high home average for a bowler among prolific wicket-takers. But his average at home is half that of other spinners in the matches he played in Australia, the best ratio for any spinner at home since his debut. While the average for spinners in the 63 Tests he played in Australia is 45.69, the average of other spinners (excluding Lyon) in those same Tests rises to 62.83ESPNcricinfo LtdIrrespective of the conditions, between August 2013 and June 2023, Lyon featured in all the 100 Tests played by Australia. But his streak ended when he suffered a calf injury in his 100th Test during the Ashes earlier this year.His injury forced Australia to play without a frontline spinner for the first time since 2012. Only five players have played 100 consecutive Tests for their teams before Lyon. Among specialist bowlers, no one else had a streak near to Lyon – the second best is Kumble’s 60 successive appearances for India between 1992 and 2000.
Since his debut, Lyon has missed only seven Test matches played by Australia, including their recent three in the Ashes, due to an injury. Among the bowlers with 500 Test wickets, no one has missed fewer matches than Lyon enroute their milestone. The next lowest is Courtney Walsh, who missed only ten of West Indies’ 139 Tests between his debut and where he took his 500th scalp.Lyon has excelled in the two most prominent bilateral competitions – The Ashes and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with 100-plus wickets each. A total of 116 of Lyon’s 121 Test wickets against India came in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the highest for any bowler. No other Australian has even picked up half of his tally in this competition that started back in 1996, as Brett Lee is the next best with 53 scalps.
In the Ashes, Lyon remains one of the only two spinners to bag 100-plus wickets since the World War II. The offspinner has taken 110 wickets, while Warne’s 195 are the highest in the history of the Ashes.Lyon’s success in the Ashes defines his greatness with the conditions seldom favouring spinners in Australia and England. There have been 33 Ashes Tests since Lyon’s first at Old Trafford in 2013, of which he played 30 matches and picked up 110 wickets. The remaining spinners across England and Australia collectively claimed 110 in 33 Tests.
Have your say – what should India’s XI for the game against Pakistan be?
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2021Options are endless with the Indian squad, what with their IPL experience with different combinations. You can argue for Ishan Kishan and/or Virat Kohli to open just as much as you can argue to keep KL Rahul in the middle given his versatility; you can even argue for Rohit Sharma and/or Kohli to not be there in the starting XI. You can argue for Hardik Pandya as a pure batter on his potential just as much as you can argue against him on current form even if he is available to bowl. You can argue for R Ashwin’s experience, Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery or Rahul Chahar’s wristspin; you can argue for more than one of them too. So let’s be realistic with this poll, restrict it to only the slots that are open according to the team management.For that we need to take on face value what Kohli said at the toss in India’s first warm-up match: Rahul, Rohit and Kohli are locked in as the top three, in that order. And Jasprit Bumrah as the lead seamer and Ravindra Jadeja as the allrounder at No. 7 are not in any doubt.What about the middle order?
These are more situational spots based on overs left in the innings and match-ups rather than fixed batting numbers. If Hardik bowls – Rohit said before the second warm-up match that he would – it will make the choice easier. The other options are Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Kishan.
What should the spin attack look like?
Chennai Super Kings, the IPL 2021 champions, used only their spin-bowling allrounders in Dubai, but India will surely employ more spin beyond just Jadeja. Conditions will determine if they pick one or two specialist spinners, and they have got three choices. Chahar is a quick wristspinner but without a great IPL behind him, Chakravarthy is a mystery spinner in great form but doesn’t have a lot of experience, and Ashwin has a lot of experience but he is a fingerspinner who was not finishing his quota against right-hand-dominated batting line-ups in the IPL.
Bumrah, and who else?
The number of spinners and the number of fast bowlers are connected questions. Bumrah is a certainty but India will need at least one – and likely two – more quicks. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the experience of bowling in the powerplay and at the death. Mohammed Shami can extract any help there might be for fast bowlers. Shardul Thakur has impressed with his canniness and was picked belatedly after the selectors realised they were one fast bowler short.
Think back to the morning of the Fourth of July. Our nation’s birthday. Quintessential America. Barbecues. Burgers. Fireworks. Everything as you expect, including the Dodgers with the best record in baseball.
Now seems like a long time ago. Since then, the Dodgers have been as sorry as a sack of soggy charcoal briquettes: 12–21. Only the Nationals and the Rays have been worse.
Wait, the Dodgers? The $391 million payroll Dodgers? The same Dodgers who gobbled up so many high-profile free agents last winter we started asking, “Are the Dodgers good for baseball?”
Eight months later, now we’re asking, “Will the Dodgers ever play good baseball?”
They better figure it out quickly. Starting tonight, the Dodgers play six of their next 10 games against the smoking hot, deadline-fortified, first-place San Diego Padres.
What is wrong with the Dodgers? It’s time to dig in.
1. Maybe the Dodgers are just in a slump
All teams go through valleys. At some point in June, the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, Astros and Yankees all had leads as big as 5 1/2 games. All gone.
But slumps this deep are rare for the Dodgers. In the past 30 years, here are the only seasons in which the Dodgers hit .236 and lost at least 21 games in a 33-game span:
Dodgers Seasons with 33-Game Span With 21+ Losses and Hitting .236 or Worse (Wild Card Era)
Year
Final Record
Postseason Result
2003
85–77
None
2010
80–82
None
2012
82–76
None
2017
104–58
Lost World Series
2025
?
?
I know you optimistic Dodger fans are thinking:
But the problems this year go deeper than 33 games. Let’s continue.
2. Dodgers don’t measure well against good teams
Los Angeles is 28–32 against teams that are .500 or better. Among the 12 teams in playoff position today, only the Tigers are worse against good competition.
To find the last Dodgers team that had a losing record against teams .500 and above, you must go back a decade, to 2015, when Don Mattingly was the manager, Andrew Friedman had just arrived as president of baseball operations—and the Dodgers were booted in the NLDS by the Mets.
That best record on the Fourth of July? Fool’s gold. The Dodgers were 14–1 against the Rockies, Marlins and White Sox. They proceeded to get swept by the Astros and then twice by the Brewers.
3. Dodgers are a poor team in defensive efficiency
This is shocking news.
What is defensive efficiency? It’s the measurement of how often a team turns batted balls into outs. I like this measurement because it does not isolate defense but reflects the unbreakable marriage between pitching and defense. A pitching staff that gets weak contact, for instance, makes the job easier for the defense.
This has been Andrew Friedman’s secret sauce. You can talk all you want about the Dodgers’ money, technology, scouting, international footprint, annoying speaker system at Dodger Stadium, whatever … turning batted balls into outs is what they do best under Friedman.
No more. Their amazing six-year year run of elite pitching combined with elite defense is over.
Dodgers MLB Rank in Defensive Efficiency
Year
Defensive Efficiency MLB Rank
2019
2
2020
2
2021
1
2022
1
2023
2
2024
2
2025
18
The Dodgers have posted their worst defensive efficiency rating in the past seven seasons in 2025. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
4. Dodgers pitchers and fielders share the blame
Dodgers pitchers allow the same average exit velocity this year as Rockies pitchers.
It continues an erosion of generating soft contact. Check out this decline.
Dodgers Exit Velocity Allowed
Year
Average MPH
MLB Rank
2022
87.4
1
2023
88.7
8
2024
88.9
17
2025
89.8
24 (tied with Rockies)
And of the Dodgers’ seven positions behind the pitcher, five of them rate average or worse, according to Outs Above Average (OAA).
Dodgers Weakest Defensive Positions by Outs Above Average (OAA)
Position
OAA
MLB Rank
Third Base
-7
24
Left Field
-6
22
Right Field
-5
21
First Base
-4
19
Shortstop
0
18
5. Dodgers don’t get enough starting pitching length
The Dodgers in recent years have redefined starter workloads. They pitch their starters with more rest and get them out quicker than any other team. They have taken this philosophy to a new extreme.
Dodgers Starters
Amount
MLB Rank
Starts on Four Days Rest
7
Fewest
Batters Faced Third Time Per Start
3.5
Fewest
Pitches Per Start
76
Fewest
Innings Per Start
4.6
Fewest
The result is that because of injuries and workload management none of their starters are in top form. Maybe they will be, come October.
6. Dodgers don’t have enough shutdown relievers
Manager Dave Roberts does not have a clear path to lock down games. This ranking is damning: the Dodgers and Yankees rank among non-contenders as allowing the highest OPS in high leverage spots.
Highest OPS Allowed in High Leverage, 2025
Team
OPS Allowed in High Leverage Spot
1. Rockies
.848
2. Nationals
.819
3. Angels
.808
4. Diamondbacks
.782
T5. Athletics
.774
T5. Marlins
.774
T7. Dodgers
.764
T7. Yankees
.764
9. White Sox
.754
So, who does Roberts trust? Here are his most used pitchers in high leverage:
Most Batters Faced in High Leverage, Dodgers 2025
Pitcher
Batters Faced
OPS in High Leverage Spot
Notes
1. Tanner Scott
89
.820
Injured List
2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
78
.695
Starter
3. Alex Vesia
71
.694
.759 OPS by RHB
4. Ben Casparius
65
.784
4.78 ERA
5. Dustin May
59
1.084
Traded
Three years ago, the Dodgers adopted a paradigm shift. That year they went 51–21 in the second half to win 111 games, a franchise record. They were in the business of building superteams and putting the gas pedal to the floor to get the No. 1 seed.
What it got them was a first-round exit. The Padres sent the superteam home quickly. They held them to 12 runs and a .227 batting average in four games.
The Dodgers learned a lesson. No more maxing out. The north star became workload management. Win enough games to get to the postseason but make sure you get there with your pitchers healthy and with gas in the tank.
It worked last year, barely. Gavin Stone, who broke down, led the staff with 140 innings. But when Walker Buehler got the last out of the World Series, Kiké Hernandez, a position player, would have been the next pitcher if the Yankees scored the tying run.
This year feels like even more of a risk of for October, not grinding toward it. The Dodgers are the oldest team in baseball. They don’t turn batted balls into outs like they used to. And they don’t have the bullpen depth to withstand planned, abbreviated starts.
More than any other team, the Dodgers play the long game. It may work again. But two things have changed.
Now the Dodgers are playing from behind.
And the Padres, fortified by the trade deadline, are lighting it up like it’s the Fourth of July.
Real Madrid turned in a solid performance but made some key defensive mistakes to suffer a 2-1 home loss to Manchester City in a Champions League loss that will put further pressure on Xabi Alonso. Los Blancos took the lead, but threw it away and were unable to mount a second half comeback to drop their second game in a row.
The game simmered for the first 30 minutes. Madrid thought they had a penalty early when Vinicius was tripped by Matheus Nunes – but VAR ruled that the foul was outside the box. Otherwise, the home side were happy to dig in and defend. Los Blancos were rewarded for their rearguard efforts after 28 minutes, though, with Rodrygo giving them a 1-0 lead thanks to a tidy finish from a tight angle.
But City charged back. They got their first off a corner. Thibaut Courtois spilled the initial effort and Nico O'Reilly tapped home the loose ball. The second came from the spot. Antonio Rudiger dragged Erling Haaland in front of a gaping net. Haaland appealed. VAR determined he was fouled. The Norwegian dutifully finished from 12 yards.
Madrid had a clear chance immediately in the second half, but Jude Bellingham lifted over with the goal gaping. There were further looks, too. Vinicius had two of them, putting a free header wide before volleying over off a corner. But they simply couldn't find an equalizer – and Alonso could be in trouble.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Santiago Bernabeu…
Getty
Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
At fault for the first goal, made some vital saves after, but was beaten from the spot.
Federico Valverde (5/10):
Had a rough time against Doku, and didn't get forward loads. Can't be faulted for his effort, though.
Raul Asencio (5/10):
Absolutely torched by Jeremy Doku. Won his headers but was burned in transition over and over.
Toni Rudiger (5/10):
Gave away an entirely meaningless penalty, and never looked particularly steady at the back. Should have picked up a second yellow.
Alvaro Carreras (8/10):
Immensely effective. Shut down his wing and scampered forward down the left.
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Getty
Midfield
Dani Ceballos (6/10):
A surprise inclusion. Brought in for some midfield control but never really got in the game.
Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
Effective when the game slowed down but was complete torched on the break a few times.
Jude Bellingham (6/10):
Allowed to be the main man in midfield. In on all the action and very impressive… until he missed a sitter.
Getty
Attack
Rodrygo (8/10):
Handed a start on the right. Then moved to the left. Absolutely excellent throughout, both as a goalscorer and creator.
Gonzalo Garcia (6/10):
A bit mixed. Did well as a focal point at times, but didn't get involved enough. Can't be blamed.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
Never stopped running at his man, but City doubled up on him effectively. Missed a couple of good chances, too.
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Subs & Manager
Arda Guler (6/10):
A decent 30 minutes, but never fully got involved.
Brahim Diaz (6/10):
Barely had a kick.
Endrick (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (5/10):
Oversaw a pretty good performance, but this is a results based business and Madrid should have gotten one here. Can he survive another week?
Botafogo e LDU se enfrentaram nesta quarta-feira (8), pela quarta rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores. Com gols de Hugo e Junior Santos, o Glorioso venceu a partida, assumiu a segunda posição do grupo e respirou na competição. Agora, vai até Lima e Barranquilla, encarar Universitario e Junior, respectivamente.
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O jogo
Como todo de Libertadores, o confronto foi tenso. Apesar da qualidade dos dois times, o VAR foi o que mais chamou a atenção, com uma checagem de mais de 10 em um gol anulado da LDU. Melhor na partida, o Glorioso abriu um placar com um golaço de Hugo, mas viu Estrada empatar a partida no fim do primeiro tempo.
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Por fim, Junior Santos brilhou mais uma vez e garantiu a vitória do Glorioso no Nilton Santos.
✅ FICHA TÉCNICA BOTAFOGO X LDU Libertadores – Fase de Grupos – 4ª rodada
🗓️Data e horário:quarta-feira, 8 de maio de 2024, às 21h30 (de Brasília); 📍Local:Estádio Nilton Santos, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ) 📺Onde assistir: TV Globo, ESPN eDarío Herrera (ARG) Star+ 🟨Árbitro:Darío Herrera (ARG) 🚩Assistentes: Facundo Rodríguez (ARG) e Ezequiel Brailovsky (ARG) 🖥️VAR:Hernán Mastrangelo (ARG)
➡️ Assine o Star+ e acompanhe o melhor da Libertadores quando e onde quiser!
⚽PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES BOTAFOGO (Técnico: Artur Jorge) John; Damián Suárez, Bastos, Lucas Halter e Hugo; Marlon Freitas e Gregore (Danilo Barbosa); Luiz Henrique (Savarino), Jeffinho, Júnior Santos e Eduardo.
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LDU (Técnico: Josep Alcácer) Alexander Domínguez; Quintero, Ade, Facundo Rodríguez e Quiñonez; Piovi, Villamil, Azugaray e Jhojan Julio; Estrada e Arce.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has declared that the weight of expectation lies firmly on Italy’s shoulders as his young side prepare for a daunting 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final away to the four-time champions. The March showdown in Italy on 26 March will mark the first step on what could be a remarkable path back to football’s grandest stage for both nations.
Should Northern Ireland conjure an upset, they will face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later in a decisive, winner-takes-all play-off final for a coveted ticket to North America.
Two teams with ghosts of tournaments past
Italy’s recent record in World Cup qualifiers is nothing short of astonishing for a global heavyweight. They have missed the last two tournaments, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, both exits sealed by devastating play-off defeats and the Azzurri have not reached the finals since Brazil 2014. Northern Ireland’s own wait is even longer, stretching almost 40 years, but O’Neill believes that his side’s recent away performances prove they should not be dismissed. Despite away losses in Germany and Slovakia during the group phase, O’Neill believes that his players showed the resilience and quality needed to trouble elite opposition.
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O'Neill ready to take the fight to Italy
Northern Ireland qualified for the play-offs through their Nations League ranking despite finishing behind Germany and Slovakia in their World Cup qualifying group.
However, an upbeat O'Neill told reporters: "It's difficult to win away in international football and that is something this team still has to develop, but I take a lot of encouragement from the performances in Cologne and Slovakia where we were challenged and were missing key players in those games. We still gave a really good account of ourselves and were in the game in Germany for 70, 75 minutes. We were in the game in Slovakia right to the end and felt a little bit aggrieved by the nature of that result."
O'Neill wants his troops to turn the pressure dial up on an Italian squad already grappling with expectation and scrutiny.
"We have to make the game as difficult as possible for Italy and it will be difficult for them with the expectation they carry into the game," he said. "If we can add to that with how we play the game and the level of our performance, then who knows. We have an opportunity to go to a World Cup and we have to do everything possible to try to take it. What I will say to them is 'don't waste the opportunity'."
O'Neill wary of task ahead
The looming possibility of a third consecutive World Cup absence is unthinkable for a nation with Italy’s pedigree. Their previous two failures came in the most painful manner imaginable, play-off losses to Sweden in 2018 and a shocking defeat to North Macedonia in 2022. But O’Neill believes it is vital for his squad to avoid becoming distracted by Italy’s anxieties.
"The Italian team of now is not going to be the Italian team of eight years ago," he said.
"Not all their players are going to carry the burden of having been unsuccessful in play-off games. As a nation, they carry that burden, and the expectation of their crowd will be that they go to a World Cup. They have won it four times and are one of the heavyweights of world football, but those things are out of our control and our focus will be on how we are."
O'Neill expects a passionate Italian side to take the pitch and added: "Italy away is going to be a massive game, a great game for us to be involved in. The expectation and pressure is very much on the Italians, so we will need to use that in our favour. I know they've lost home and away to Norway and the bulk of their squad is based in Serie A. Gattuso is their manager, so you will expect them not to be lacking in passion.
"We have four months to prepare for this and look at Italy in close detail, so the work will start today and tomorrow. I suppose we would have preferred one of the other teams in Pot One, but to get to the World Cup, you're going to have to beat two good teams."
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A defining moment awaits both nations
Two countries with proud football histories now stand on the brink of either redemption or renewed despair. For O’Neill and his young squad, belief is growing. However, for Italy, the stakes could not be higher, as another failure to qualify for the World Cup would be a dark spot. Gattuso has won the golden trophy wearing a blue jersey, and now it remains to be seen if he can inspire them to the main event after more than a decade.
Tottenham were denied a first Premier League win at home since the opening weekend this afternoon, as Man United defender Matthijs de Ligt broke Spurs hearts with a dramatic added-time equaliser, despite Thomas Frank’s side briefly snatching a late 2-1 lead.
Tottenham 2-2 Man United as poor Spurs home form continues
Bryan Mbeumo had put United ahead in the 32nd minute, with the October Premier League Player of the Month continuing his excellent form by nodding past a helpless Guglielmo Vicario at the far post.
The visitors dominated for large periods as Spurs looked disjointed and lacked overall creativity at home once again. Tottenham did have one chance before the interval, but striker Richarlison failed to capitalise — missing a golden opportunity when presented with a free header from 12 yards out.
He somehow completely missed the ball, leaving every Spurs fan in the stadium stunned, and those same supporters booed the home side off at half-time after a very disappointing first 45.
United looked on their way to three points, managing the game well after the restart, even if the brilliant Senne Lammens was forced into a couple of excellent saves to maintain their advantage.
However, the equaliser eventually did come, with substitute Mathys Tel’s shot in the 83rd minute deflecting off de Ligt and finding the back of the United net.
Wilson Odobert
7.4
Matthijs de Ligt
7.3
Amad Diallo
7.3
Mathys Tel
7.1
Patrick Dorgu
7.1
via WhoScored
Frank’s player introductions changed the game, with fellow sub Destiny Udogie setting up the Frenchman for his brilliantly taken equaliser inside the box. Yet another sub, Wilson Odobert, then chipped into the late drama.
Richarlison directed Odobert’s ball outside the box past Lammens and into the bottom corner on 91 minutes, sparking wild celebrations as the Brazilian removed his shirt in jubilation. Tottenham appeared to have completed a sensational comeback, yet there was one final twist.
A United corner to the back post was headed home by de Ligt, who was completely unmarked, in the 96th minute — silencing Spurs’ celebrations and rescuing a dramatic point for Ruben Amorim’s side.
The draw maintains United’s four-match unbeaten streak while Tottenham’s home woes continue. Spurs have now won just four of their last 20 home league games, with their excellent away record masking real struggles at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Peter Crouch takes aim at "lackadaisical" Djed Spence in Man United draw
For United’s first goal, so much went wrong.
Pape Sarr made the bizarre decision to play a very difficult pass to Micky van de Ven just outside Spurs’ penalty area, rather than just clearing the ball, and the Dutchman was then rushed into a botched clearance before United capitalised and opened the scoring.
Right-back Djed Spence also failed to close down the cross for Mbeumo’s header quick enough, with ex-Tottenham striker Peter Crouch telling TNT Sports at half-time that his defending simply wasn’t good enough.
Crouch said that Spence looked “too calm” when going to press Diallo, insisting that the defender was “lackadaisical” at that moment which cost Spurs the first goal of the game.
Djed Spence for England
Overall, the north Londoners were arguably the weaker side and a victory for them would’ve been quite harsh on United, even if their brief comeback sparked real hope of a perfect last Premier League result before the November international break.
Their next two matches after the break are actually away from home, but they’re against very tough opposition in Premier League leaders Arsenal and European champions PSG.