Manager Sam Allardyce brought his West Brom side to Anfield on Sunday as massive underdogs. His Baggies had just one win all season and were on the road against league leaders Liverpool.
Big Sam brought out his big guns: the rarely seen 6-4-0 formation, which West Brom stuck to despite conceding an early Sadio Mane goal.
Got to love the West Brom 6-4-0 fromation pic.twitter.com/6UZJk7hA38
Football without fans has hurt clubs throughout the footballing pyramid, but the pandemic has hit non-league sides especially hard. These clubs depend on ticket sales as a primary source of revenue, and with empty stadiums across England, many local teams have been pushed to the brink financially.
These semi-pro and amateur sides also provide a helpful reminder of what true football fandom entails.
The FA Cup dream continues for Marine FC as the Northern Premier League Division One North West side qualified for the FA Cup third round for the second time in club history. The eighth-tier club defeated League Two side Colchester United on penalties in the first round, then dispatched sixth-tier Havant & Waterloo by a scoreline of 1-0 in the second round.
The Mariners reward: a third round tie at The Marine Travel Arena against current Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
There are times when you’re watching an incredible match and at a total loss as to how you’d explain the breathless spirit of the performance when it outweighs any one particular action like a line-splitting pass or must-watch goal.
Tottenham versus Manchester City on Saturday perfectly encapsulated that feeling. The easiest take was to label it a vintage José Mourinho master class, but that’s the most banal and hackneyed angle imaginable.
LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho on Friday asked England manager Gareth Southgate to name the club managers who pressure players not to represent the national team and also explain why Raheem Sterling was withdrawn from the national squad this week.
Player fatigue has become a major issue due to the tight fixture schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Southgate had said some players were keen to play for their country but found themselves in a "difficult situation" with their clubs.
There was a perception of Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino that they lacked the self-belief to win silverware and there was plenty of evidence to support that view.
Two near misses in the Premier League title race, FA Cup semifinal losses and then, when glory beckoned, a rather timid Champions League final defeat by Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur manager José Mourinho has said the wealth of experience he has gained from previous coaching stints should be reflected in a new moniker: “The Experienced One.”
Mourinho famously described himself as “A Special One” when he arrived in England as Chelsea's manager in 2004, having just guided Portuguese club Porto to the Champions League title. The 57-year-old Portuguese has since held coaching positions at Inter Milan and Real Madrid followed by a second stint with Chelsea before taking over at Manchester United and then Spurs.
LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has called on Wales to be cautious with Gareth Bale while he is on international duty, saying he fears the work the forward has done to get back to full fitness could be destroyed.
Bale started for Tottenham in their 3-1 win away to Ludgogorets in the Europa League on Thursday and looked as sharp as he has done since re-joining the club on loan from Real Madrid in September.
Tottenham, third in the Premier League, travel to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, before the international break.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho believes there could be only one reason why long-term rival Arsene Wenger missed out on mentioning him in his new book.
"Because he never beat me," Mourinho told reporters on Friday.
Wenger's autobiography — "My Life in Red and White" — looks back over his 22 years in charge of Arsenal between 1996-2018 but there was no mention of his touchline duels with Mourinho, whose Chelsea side dethroned the Frenchman's Invincibles in 2004-05.
Tottenham Hotspur's Jose Mourinho delivered a sharp riposte to critics of his "defensive" style on Sunday, saying after their 6-1 Premier League win over Manchester United that they would have scored 10 if only they had a more attacking coach.