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Roberto De Zerbi has insisted that he has "no intention to leave" Brighton despite being linked with Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

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Intense speculation on De Zerbi's futureItalian courted by top European outfitsBut De Zerbi wants to honour his "commitment" to BrightonWHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking to in Italy, De Zerbi emphasized his commitment to Brighton and clarified that his immediate future lies in England. The Italian coach's tenure at Brighton has seen a significant rise in his reputation after he guided the Seagulls to a European spot in his first season in charge.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Earlier, De Zerbi had revealed that he is hesitant to commit to a new deal with Brighton as he wants to ensure that the club's ambitions and plans align with his own. However, in a surprising turn of events, the Italian has firmly stated his loyalty to Brighton, asserting that no club could tempt him to leave the Premier League and revealing he is ready to honour his current contract which runs until 2026.

WHAT DE ZERBI SAID

“I love Italy and our football,” he said.

“I feel good in England, in the Premier League and I have no intention of leaving. There is no team that can change my mind, I have made a commitment. I like being outside and experiencing the atmosphere of the stadium. Furthermore, in England, I have the opportunity to improve my knowledge of the language and football.”

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Despite the speculation surrounding his future, De Zerbi remains focused on his current role and is set to lead Brighton in their upcoming fixture against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The unpredictability is what makes football great, you may think you do, but you never really know what's going to happen. Here, we at Football FanCast will break down 10 of the most shocking relegations in football history.

10 Villarreal 2011/12

Entering the 2011/12 season as a Champions League team, Villarreal finished fourth in a stacked La Liga the season before. They had a fantastic squad boasting formidable players like Marcos Senna, Mateo Mussachio, Nilmar, Diego Lopez, Giuseppe Rossi, and Borja Valero. Santi Cazorla and Joan Capdevila were both sold in the summer, but it shouldn't have made such a difference.

Their Champions League journey proved challenging as Villarreal ended up at the bottom of their group, failing to secure a single point in that season's 'group of death' facing off against opponents Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Manchester City. This lacklustre performance spilled over into La Liga, where Villarreal struggled throughout the season. With 15 defeats and only nine wins, they accumulated 41 points. Surprisingly, only the bottom-placed Racing Santander had fewer victories.

It so nearly wasn't so bad. In a nail-biting conclusion to the season, Villarreal narrowly missed avoiding relegation, finishing just one point behind 17th-placed Granada. The dramatic twist came in the form of an 88th-minute goal from Atletico Madrid’s Falcao on the final day, sealing Villarreal's fate.

Ranking the 10 biggest derbies in European football

Football FanCast takes a look at the biggest rivalries across the continent.

ByAlex Roberts Nov 4, 2023 9 Schalke 2020/21

Before their relegation in 2020/21, FC Schalke 04 were one of Germany's biggest teams, routinely finishing in the Champions League spots and progressing fairly well through Europe's biggest tournament. Fast forward to the 2021/22 season, and the club found itself embarking on its first 2. Bundesliga campaign in over three decades.

The descent was not immediate, with Schalke finishing 14th and 12th in the seasons preceding their relegation. Nevertheless, the idea of Schalke dropping into the second tier seemed unthinkable. Now, they're at the wrong end of the league table and could face being relegated yet again.

This marked only the fourth occasion that Schalke experienced relegation from the top flight, and the team underwent a tumultuous period with five different managers taking the helm. Dimitrios Grammozis, David Wagner, Manuel Baum, Huub Stevens and Christian Gross all attempted, without success, to reverse Schalke's fortunes.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi were brought in during the season, but their efforts proved futile. Ultimately, Schalke concluded the season with a mere 16 points from 34 games, trailing 17 points behind the relegation play-off spot and managing only three wins throughout the campaign.

8 Deportivo La Coruna 2010/11

After their surprise La Liga win in 1999/2000, beating out the likes of Barcelona and Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna became one of Spain's best sides, featuring regularly in the Champions League and at the latter stages of domestic competition. The fairytale wouldn't last though, and in 2010/11 they were relegated.

The years prior saw them grappling in mid-table, securing finishes ranging from seventh to 13th, including a 10th-place position in 2009/10. As time marched on, they found themselves on the brink of relegation.

In their 40th season in La Liga, Deportivo underwent a significant transformation, losing many of their key players. Despite winning 10 times in La Liga and amassing 43 points, they, like several others on this list, fell just one point short of safety. The final weekend of the season saw Deportivo slipping into the bottom three, marking a stark contrast to their earlier glory days.

7 Leeds United 2003/04

While this wasn't a huge shock at the time, the rapid decline of Leeds United is perhaps the most surprising element.

After narrowly avoiding relegation in the preceding campaign, Leeds faced another challenging season as the financial crisis at Elland Road pushed the club's debts past the £100 million mark. The consequential sale of key players persisted, adding to the team's struggles. Manager Peter Reid was dismissed on November 10, with Leeds having gathered only 8 points from their first 12 games. In his place, former player, coach and manager Eddie Gray took over on a temporary basis.

Initially, Gray's tenure brought about improved results, lifting Leeds out of the relegation zone by the end of 2003. However, a dismal stretch of seven consecutive defeats after the turn of the year left them stranded at the bottom of the table, extinguishing any realistic hope of Premier League survival.

Despite some better performances late in the season that allowed them to climb off the bottom, a definitive blow came with a 4–1 defeat at Bolton on May 2 to all but confirm their relegation. Shortly thereafter, Gray departed from the club for good, making way for Kevin Blackwell, who had previously served as Reid's assistant and was tasked with the challenging mission of steering Leeds away from a second successive relegation.

Leeds United wouldn't be back in the Premier League until 2020/21.

6 Sampdoria 2010/11

Another former league champion faced the bitter taste of relegation, as Sampdoria, winners of Serie A in 1990/91, had already experienced a drop from the top flight in 1998/99. After making a return in 2003/04, Sampdoria found stability in Serie A, consistently finishing no lower than 13th and securing five top-half finishes in the subsequent seven seasons.

It's always weird when a club goes from playing European football to relegation in the space of a season. In the 2010/11 season, Sampdoria, having clinched a fourth-place finish in Serie A the previous year, entered the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and also participated in Europa League football.

Sampdoria managed to win just three of their final 22 games from the start of 2011, a run marked by 15 defeats. Despite a promising start where they lost only three times in the opening 16 games, Sampdoria ultimately finished five points behind 17th-placed Lecce, sealing their fate in the lower tier of Italian football.

5 Manchester United 1973/74

The 1973–74 season marked a significant downturn for Manchester United as they faced relegation for the first time since 1938. Under manager Tommy Docherty, appointed the previous December, United struggled despite a brief return of George Best, who played his last game for the club on New Year's Day.

Docherty appointed goalkeeper Alex Stepney as the penalty taker, and although Stepney became the club's joint-top scorer after converting two penalties, United's overall performance was disappointing. The team's late-season run of victories raised hopes of survival, but defeats to Manchester City and Stoke City sealed their fate.

The decisive blow came when former United player Denis Law scored for Manchester City, contributing to United's 21st-place finish. Although erroneously believed by some to be "relegated" by City, it was Birmingham City's win and West Ham United's draw that confirmed United's fate.

Despite relegation, Docherty retained his position, and the club aimed to regain First Division status promptly. The season saw significant changes, including Best's departure and Docherty's unconventional decisions, highlighting a challenging period in Manchester United's history.

4 Fiorentina 2001/02

This relegation was so bad, the club effectively ceased to exist. The economic turmoil exacerbated their challenges, with the sale of playmaker Rui Costa failing to alleviate financial woes. As the season unfolded, the absence of Rui Costa and key goalkeeper Francesco Toldo exposed the vulnerabilities of the Fiorentina squad, particularly after striker Enrico Chiesa suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in the fifth league game.

The ageing defence struggled against opponents' strikers, and off-field issues took a toll on well-known players like Domenico Morfeo and Nuno Gomes. Not even the addition of rising star Adriano, on loan from Inter and scoring six goals, could salvage the team's fortunes.

Manager Roberto Mancini faced the axe, later reviving his managerial career at Lazio. The club's relegation and subsequent bankruptcy filing in the summer led to a rebirth as Florentia Viola in Serie C2. Virtually all players, except veteran Angelo Di Livio, departed, leaving the club in a state of upheaval and uncertainty.

3 Corinthians 2007

Corinthians fans ended 2007 heartbroken when they faced relegation from the Brazilian top flight in 2007. A four-time Brazilian champion and global titleholder in 2000 (with an additional triumph in 2012), the notion of Corinthians competing in the second tier seemed unthinkable, yet it became a stark reality.

The 2007 season brought a multitude of off-field challenges for Corinthians, with notable controversies surrounding Kia Joorabchian, linked to the club through former president Alberto Dualib, and his company. The financial struggles significantly impacted on-field performance, leading to a surprising outcome: relegation. Corinthians ended the season with a record of ten wins, 14 draws, and 14 defeats, earning them a place among the four teams demoted from the top flight.

2 Atletico Madrid 1999/00

The 1999/00 La Liga season was wild. A historic upheaval unfolded in La Liga as three of Spain's most prominent football clubs, Deportivo La Coruña, Atlético Madrid, and Sevilla, were relegated, marking the end of the century in a stunning way.

Atlético Madrid, despite reaching the Copa del Rey final, suffered relegation. This season notably stands as the last time neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid secured any domestic silverware.

Under managers Claudio Ranieri and Radomir Antić, Atletico won just nine games and finished as runners-up in the Copa del Rey, succumbing to Valencia. Striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, a significant signing from Leeds United, experienced relegation but impressed individually, finishing second in the Pichichi race with 24 goals.

Despite relegation, Atlético would bounce back after two seasons in the second tier, later becoming a dominant force in Spanish football under manager Diego Simeone.

1 Juventus 2005/06

Ah yes, the Calciopoli, scandal. It unfolded in 2006, implicating various clubs, executives, and football bodies, but Juventus were the most heavily punished. The scandal involved intercepted calls revealing relations between club executives and referee organizations, accusing them of influencing referee selections during the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons. Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio, AC Milan, and Reggina were among the implicated clubs.

In July 2006, Juventus was stripped of the 2004/05 Serie A title, relegated to Serie B, and their 05/06 title was later awarded to Inter. Despite being popularly known as a match-fixing scandal, no evidence of match-fixing violations was found in the intercepted calls.

A subsequent investigation, Calciopoli bis, implicated more clubs, including Inter Milan, but no trial occurred due to the statute of limitations. Juventus, while absolved from match-fixing, faced damage claims and sought restoration of the 2005 Scudetto, which were rejected.

Juventus returned to Serie A after winning the 2006/07 Serie B championship, and went on to embark on a dominant era with nine consecutive league titles between 2011 and 2020.

The Manchester City boss had every right to lay into the BBC for ensuring his players had less than three days rest before their FA Cup semi-final

Gary Lineker and his colleagues were standing with Pep Guardiola on the Wembley turf after Manchester City had seen off Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. They expected him to gush about how pleased he was with his players for overcoming a punishing and draining Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid to make it to the FA Cup final.

Instead, Lineker quickly found himself on the backfoot in the face of an impassioned speech from Guardiola over the fact that City's game had been scheduled so soon after their last outing, while the other semi-final between Manchester United and Coventry City, neither of whom had played in midweek, was organised for the Sunday.

"It's unacceptable" were the first words out of the City boss's mouth. "It's really unacceptable. Because I’ve won I have the courage to tell you. For the health of the players, it’s not normal. I don’t understand how we survived today. Why play today and not tomorrow, when Coventry, Chelsea, and United didn’t play in the midweek? Why not have one more day for the health of the players? Tell me how you prepare this final against Chelsea in the best moment of the season. How? It’s impossible. There’s no chance."

Guardiola's speech might have looked like a rant, but he had every right to decry the insane scheduling which continues to compromise the world's best players. And the television companies and governing bodies need to listen to him, because if potential audience targets continue to be prioritised over player welfare, football is in danger of eating itself.

Getty Damaging the product

City had almost disproved Guardiola's assertion by winning the match, but they did so by the skin of their teeth after being let off the hook by Nicolas Jackson's profligacy. As Frank Lampard put it: "This was not Manchester City They haven't got the spark in the legs, the energy of the press, the sharpness, the killer instinct."

Lampard added that that City's victory was down to "character", but most viewers tuning in to the game do not want to see character; they want to see skill, players running at full pelt and at their sharpest. They want to see energy, they want to see killer instinct. And that's what sums up the contradiction at the heart of this issue.

Television companies want the best matches possible and the most excitement. But if players are unable to play to their maximum as they do not have enough time to recover, the matches will be bland and spectators, both in the stadium and on TV, will feel short-changed.

Saturday's semi-final was, for large parts, an uninspiring match. It was in total contrast to Sunday's incredible game between United and Coventry. Would Coventry have been able to stage their unbelievable fightback if they had been in action on Thursday night? It seems highly unlikely.

AdvertisementGetty Just 66 hours to rest

Every athlete is different and a player in their mid-to-late 20s will often be able to cope better with a compressed schedule than a player in their late 30s, but sports scientists agree that athletes need a minimum of 72 hours for their muscles to make a full recovery.

A paper in the British Medical Journal explained that while performance recovery can be achieved within 48 hours, underlying mechanisms of muscle recovery are still in progress for up to 72 hours. In other words, muscles are still damaged for as long as three whole days after a match, making it risky to use them again at full intensity before the time has elapsed.

City's game with Chelsea kicked off 66 hours after their game with Madrid had finished. And this was their hardest and most important match of the season, one that lasted an extra half-an-hour plus penalties.

The FA did not know that Madrid and City's game would go to extra-time, but given how high the stakes were and how evenly matched the teams are, it was hardly surprising that it did. And even had it been settled by 90 minutes, City still would have had just 67 hours to recover before facing Chelsea, five below the time scientists agree players need to recover.

Getty'Plausible explanation'

Guardiola took John Stones off at half-time, but he did not suffer any major injuries during the game, although Erling Haaland, who had also asked to be substituted against Madrid, missed the trip to Wembley with a muscle injury. City are fortunate not to have a busier treatment room, because there is an established link between shorter recovery times and the rising number of injuries in top-level football.

A systematic review into the impact of match congestion on injuries by sports scientists from the Manchester Metropolitan University and Edge Hill University in 2023 revealed that overall, injury risk increased during these periods.

"It is clear from the review congested calendars in football are increasing the risk of injury for the players," said Dr Adam Field, lecturer in Sport Science and Elite Performance at Manchester Metropolitan University, of the paper's findings. "We suggest that the lack of rest time between matches is a plausible explanation, with players having insufficient time to recover, which might then impact injury in subsequent matches.

"From a scientific perspective, we know that the repetition of changes of direction, rapid accelerations and decelerations and sprints throughout a football match lead to fatigue, inflammation and muscle damage. These changes might result in an increase in soft tissue stress, reduce the ability of muscles to work effectively and changes the way a player moves, which might lead to further injuries.."

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Getty ImagesDe Bruyne's battered hamstrings

City felt the impact of their unforgiving schedule last year when Kevin De Bruyne tore his hamstring during the Champions League final against Inter, and the same thing happened on the first day of the current campaign against Burnley, forcing him to have surgery.

But what was most alarming about the episode was that De Bruyne knew that it was only a matter of time before his hamstring gave way. It was a case of when, not if, his muscles would tear. Yet he kept playing in almost every game.

“I had been struggling for two months, but I was able to hold on well and with the club we were able to manage everything. I was able to arrange to be there at the right time," he revealed last November. "I still had a lot of stress in that final. Because of all those movements, I may have made the crack a little bigger. But it was worth it."

De Bruyne likened his hamstrings to "a wet kitchen towel" and compared his surgery to "a major maintenance like you do with your car". De Bruyne was unable to play in extra-time against Real Madrid as he was so tired.

Stones has missed most of the season due to a series of injuries, while Jack Grealish's campaign has also been marked by long periods out due to groin problems. Some players have been able to keep going, such as Rodri, but even the Spaniard pleaded for a rest earlier this month. Rodri has looked way off his usual best in recent weeks, another example of the negative impact of the gruelling calendar.

Glenn Maxwell and Cameron White also piled on the misery for Western Australia at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2018Nic Maddinson marked his first Sheffield Shield match for Victoria with a fine unbeaten century to help the home side into a strong position against Western Australia at the MCG.Maddinson lost his contract with New South Wales at the end of last season and moved to Victoria for fresh opportunities. He played in the JLT Cup but had to bide his time in Premier and Futures League cricket before getting an opportunity at Shield level in the absence of Test players Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and Peter Handscomb.Maddinson’s ninth first-class century came off 155 balls and he combined in a 112-run third-wicket partnership with Glenn Maxwell.ALSO READ: Queensland go from 1 for 42 to 8 for 86 against TasmaniaMaddinson did get a life on 92 that bizarrely ended Maxwell’s innings on 57. Matt Kelly dropped a return catch but the ricochet bounced onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end where Maxwell was run-out, unluckily short of safe ground.Cameron White picked up the slack as he and Maddinson put on an unbeaten 134-run stand to take Victoria comfortably through to stumps. White moved easily to 65 not out feasting on a pretty inexperienced attack. Maddinson showed immense maturity to bat through the day, facing 282 balls for 21 fours and two sixes.ALSO READ: Carey, Cooper fifties floor New South WalesEarlier, newly-minted Victorian skipper Travis Dean fell for 16 but did play a part in an important 62-run opening stand after winning the toss. Young batting prodigy Will Pucovski missed out on his return from mental-health issues, chasing a wide one to be dismissed for 1.The Warriors’ attack strangely didn’t feature Ashton Agar, who was on Australia’s last Test tour as the back-up spinner. He’s played just four games of cricket since early September but the team opted to rest him ahead of the Big Bash League, which begins in late December.

India’s fourth-wicket pair added an unbeaten 121 to seal the win after Yuzvendra Chahal’s 6 for 42 had reduced Australia to 230

The Report by Andrew McGlashan18-Jan-2019Regardless of the result in Melbourne, India’s tour of Australia would have been triumph. But it was given the perfect ending as Yuzvendra Chahal’s career-best 6 for 42, the joint best ODI figures in Australia, set up a seven-wicket victory to take the series. Chahal’s haul left a modest target but a slow pitch made scoring tricky as MS Dhoni, whose role has dominated the narrative of the series, scored his third half-century in three innings – while being given three lives – and the recalled Kedar Jadhav produced an excellent hand.It’s the depth of players available that marks out the best teams and the success of Chahal and Jadhav, playing their first matches of the series in place of the rested Kuldeep Yadav and Ambati Rayudu, slotted in seamlessly. Chahal’s second ball of the match began Australia’s downfall when he had the in-form Shaun Marsh stumped, and he claimed three wickets in each of his two spells, surpassing his previous best of 5 for 22 against South Africa at Centurion.Australia had their chances as they defended 230 – plenty of them – as they pushed India to the final over. Virat Kohli was dropped on 10 by Peter Handscomb, above his head at first slip off Billy Stanlake; Dhoni was spilled first ball at point by the usually safe Glenn Maxwell; Kohli could have been run out on 32 and the Australians failed to spot an edge from Dhoni when he had 34. Though the asking rate climbed following Kohli’s eventual dismissal, and nudged nine when Dhoni patted back an over from Adam Zampa, India always had wickets in hand. Yet there could have been a twist had Aaron Finch held Dhoni at mid-off when 27 were needed off 18 balls.The match had started like the other two: with a superb opening spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He got one to bounce outside off to take Alex Carey’s edge to second slip, where Kohli made good ground to claim the catch, and then there was what felt like the inevitable dismissal of Finch.In the opening over of the match, which was interrupted after two balls by a shower, Finch had already had two nervous moments, firstly padding up to one with the bounce saving him and then edging short of slip. The ball before Bhuvneshwar claimed him for the third time in the series there was a curious moment, when he attempted to deliver from behind the umpire – Michael Gough called dead ball much to Bhuvneshwar’s annoyance – but with the next delivery he pinned Finch lbw.After a stand of 73 between Marsh and Usman Khawaja, Australia were derailed by the introduction of Chahal, his second delivery – mightily close to being a no-ball – manufacturing a stumping to remove the in-form Marsh when he charged at what became a wide. Three balls later he had another when Khawaja sent a leading edge back to the bowler as he attempted to turn a leg-break to the on side.Chahal’s third was one for the highlights reel when a perfectly pitched legspinner drifted and turned to find Marcus Stoinis’ outside edge with Rohit Sharma taking a terrific catch at slip.MS Dhoni plays a pull•Getty ImagesMaxwell briefly counterattacked, slotting away five boundaries as he moved along at more than a run-a-ball, before being undone by a short delivery from Mohammed Shami which resulted in a top edge to long leg where Bhuvneshwar took a brilliant catch running in. It left Maxwell with 85 runs off 61 balls in the series and a debate far from answered.With 15 overs remaining, a lengthy stay by Maxwell could have changed the complexion of the match but instead Handscomb was left with the bowlers for company, which meant he had little choice but to ensure the innings went deep. He went to his half-century off 57 deliveries, which included just two boundaries as he tried to nurse Australia to the finish, but Chahal’s return ended any hopes of a late dash – his fifth wicket coming in fitting style as he skidded one through Handscomb.Australia managed to build pressure with the new ball and after 10 overs India were 1 for 26, Rohit falling to Peter Siddle when he tried to whip a ball to leg and edged to first slip. Shikhar Dhawan struggled for his timing on a sluggish surface but the first Kohli chance came and went to allow India to lay a platform. Three balls of the 17th over brought plenty of drama as Dhawan chipped a catch to Stoinis, Dhoni slashed to Maxwell and then survived a big appeal for lbw.After his charmed life it appeared Kohli would see another chase through, but the impressive Jhye Richardson lured him into a drive to leave India 3 for 113 after 30 overs and with work to do for a reshaped middle order. Dhoni, whose fifty came off 74 balls, and Jadhav carefully ticked along, content to allow the rate to nudge up, with just the occasional show of aggression.When Zampa’s last over was taken for just a single by Dhoni, the equation was 52 off 36 which had been reduced to 27 off 18 when he drilled Stoinis towards Finch whose miserable series had a final low point as the catch burst through his hands (Jadhav also survived being run-out by a missing frame). A boundary apiece followed, and in the end, the final over started with just a single needed. Dhoni had left it rather late. But doesn’t he always?

The Australian has orchestrated a sensational turnaround in north London following a dismal 2022-23 campaign

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but back in the autumn, Tottenham were being hyped up as genuine title contenders. After 10 games, Spurs sat top of the Premier League table, having picked up a spirited point against rivals Arsenal as well as wins over Manchester United and Liverpool.

Though the latter victory did include a monumental assist by VAR, it was still difficult not to be seduced by the transfixing restoration job Ange Postecoglou had done over the course of just a single summer.

This early-season mania has ebbed away gradually as the campaign has dragged on, however, with Tottenham's recent 4-0 hammering at the hands of Newcastle providing the Australian's detractors with the most compelling evidence yet that the project may be veering off track.

The North London derby on Sunday provided Postecoglou with the perfect opportunity to respond and deal the club's bitterest foes a likely fatal blow to their Premier League title charge. But, by the time the whistle was blown for half-time, Spurs found themselves three goals down.

Getty/GOALFamiliar problems

That two of those goals came from set-pieces would have been particularly galling. First, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's botched clearance ended up flying past Guglielmo Vicario. Kai Havertz then rose high at the front post to make it 3-0, 11 minutes after Bukayo Saka had doubled the visitors' advantage by finishing off a counter-attack.

Set-pieces have become a spiralling issue for Tottenham, with only the bottom-four clubs and Aston Villa conceding more from dead-ball situations over the course of the Premier League campaign. It has been suggested to Postecoglou that hiring a specialist coach might improve things, but he firmly dismissed this notion back in March.

He doubled down on his position after the Arsenal game too, telling reporters: "If I thought fixing defensive set-pieces was the answer to us bridging the gap then I would put all of my time and effort into that. But that is not where we’re at."

This was not the only familiar problem that resurfaced during the Arsenal defeat either. Perhaps the most infamous aspect of Postecoglou's tactical approach is the ludicrously high line he encourages his defenders to adopt. It's key to how Spurs press and build up, but it is also their glass chin. If their opponent can get the ball forward quick enough in transition, Tottenham can be in big trouble, as Saka's goal showed.

That strike stemmed from Declan Rice, Saka and Havertz playing through Spurs' counter-press in their own box. This afforded the German with enough space to send Saka on his way, with the England international making light work of Ben Davies before placing the ball into the bottom corner. It's not the first time Spurs have conceded a goal of this ilk this season, and it almost certainly won't be the last either.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesDoesn't tell the whole story

Yet, while the first 45 minutes of the derby did seem to further highlight the pitfalls of Postecoglou's high-risk philosophy, his side's three-goal deficit did not tell the entire story. With the Gunners 1-0 up, Cristian Romero simply had to equalise, but could only hammer a free header into the post. Shortly after, Micky van de Ven was denied an equaliser by the narrowest of offside decisions. Had Gabriel Magalhaes stuck his posterior out a few more centimetres, the goal would have been given.

The third sliding-doors moment came in the build-up to Saka's goal. A matter of seconds before the forward made the net bulge, Dejan Kulusevski went crashing to the floor in the Arsenal box. Replays were inconclusive, but it wouldn't have been a huge surprise to see Leandro Trossard penalised for seemingly clipping the Swede's heels.

Considering all of that, it's astounding that Spurs somehow conspired to find themselves trailing so heavily at the break.

Getty ImagesPromising second half

Tottenham did at least restore some pride with their second-half display. Few scenes sum up the effectiveness of their madness more than centre-back Romero galloping up to press Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, forcing a mistake and making it 3-1 and they continued to patiently probe at the best defence in the Premier League in the half-hour of action that followed.

Few could argue they didn't deserve their second, with Son Heung-min showing nerves of steel to convert from the spot after Declan Rice recklessly kicked Davies in the penalty area, and the 80 percent possession they enjoyed after the goal speaks to their ability to pen teams in with their high defensive line. In the end, though, the equaliser would not come.

It's a result that clearly hurt Postecoglou, with the Spurs boss being particularly damning about his side's defending in his post-match press conference.

"It's about now over the course of time getting from where we are to where we want to get to," he reflected. "To do that, we're still not absolutely laser focused on the details, the small things that get you from where we are to become a team that contends. Credit to Arsenal, they're there now. They're a team that does deal with the details well and we don't."

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(C)Getty ImagesSeason still a success

And while Postecoglou was in no mood to praise himself or the team on Sunday evening, if we pull the lens back and look at Spurs' season as a whole, it's hard to be too critical of their efforts.

The ex-Celtic boss took over a club in crisis last summer, fresh off their lowest Premier League finish in 14 years. To compound matters, they then lost the best striker on the planet a few days before the campaign kicked off.

The fact that Postecoglou and Co remain in with a shot of securing Champions League football – they have two games in hand on fourth-placed Aston Villa, who they trail by seven points – while the manager has had to contend with a painful rebuild job is pretty incredible. Mikel Arteta certainly didn't manage to keep Arsenal this competitive during his first few years in the hot seat, with the Gunners missing out on Europe entirely in 2020 and 2021.

That Tottenham lost a string of first-teamers to injury over the festive and New Year's period only makes their points tally – already equal to what they managed last term with five games still to play – even more impressive.

Aston Villa have been sensational this season under Unai Emery and a massive 1-0 win over treble-winners Manchester City on Wednesday night was a testament to how good a job the manager has done since moving to the Midlands just over a year ago.

However, with games coming thick and fast, Villa cannot afford to bask in the glory over their victory in midweek, with league-leaders Arsenal coming to town on Saturday. With four points separating the two sides, the Villans can prove they truly are title challengers by beating the Gunners.

Many may expect Emery to go with the same starting lineup that put City to the sword on Wednesday but the Spanish coach is a notorious tinkerman and could be looking to make things even more difficult for his old side by making one key tactical change.

Diego Carlos' statistics this season

Diego Carlos spent the majority of last season absent with a long-term injury but has become a regular under Emery over the past few months. The manager started the season using a back four comprising Lucas Digne as the left-back, Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa in the heart of the defence, and Matty Cash at right-back.

However, recently, Emery has found his new favourite tactical ploy by employing Konsa as a right-back, with Carlos sitting alongside Torres.

Meanwhile, Cash has dropped to the bench. This strategic decision has had mixed effects so far. While Villa kept a clean sheet against City during the week, Carlos also put in a "sloppy" performance away at Bournemouth last weekend, as was the opinion of The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell.

Emery must now bench "sloppy" 6/10 Aston Villa star

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The Brazilian gave away a goal after playing the ball directly to the Cherries' Ryan Christie who slipped in Dominic Solanke and the centre-forward made no mistake about tucking his chance past Emiliano Martinez.

Furthermore, at home in the 1-0 win over City, the 30-year-old received a FotMob match rating of 6.9 which was the lowest of any Aston Villa player in the starting lineup. The centre-back failed to win a single tackle and triumphed in merely 33% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels.

Carlos did not have a bad game, but Emery could potentially look to replace the experienced defender with someone who will be champing at the bit to get back into the starting lineup.

Matty Cash's statistics this season

Cash's last Premier League start came away in a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur a fortnight ago. The Poland international was replaced at half-time with the game locked at 1-1, having featured on the right side of Aston Villa's midfield four throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Emery labelled the £80k-per-week whiz as "versatile" before so this tactical change certainly fit the manager's description.

Konsa has done quite well at right-back and, against Man City in midweek, the 26-year-old won 67% of his tackles and 100% of his total duels, keeping the opposition quiet on his side.

However, the centre-back-cum-fullback put just one cross into the box, ending the match with a 0% crossing accuracy, as per FotMob. Meanwhile, on the left side, Digne whipped eight balls into the box, creating one opportunity for his teammates to score.

There was a huge burden placed on the Frenchman to supply crosses from the wide areas as he delivered more balls than Konsa, Leon Bailey and John McGinn put together.

Konsa is not a marauding fullback, with Emery expecting the former Brentford man to tuck inside and become a third centre-back while Digne bombs on.

Nevertheless, pushing Konsa back into his preferred spot at centre-half and bringing Cash back into the team could remove some of the creative burden from Digne's shoulders as Cash boasts similar attacking numbers to his teammate on the opposite side.

Assists

0.13

0.11

Expected Assists

0.11

0.15

Progressive Passes

3.47

3.39

Progressive Carries

2.47

1.86

Progressive Passes Received

4.47

9.23

Pass Completion %

83.2

74.4

Switches

0.13

0.16

Crosses

1.31

7.13

Passes To Final Third

2.33

2.35

Passes To Penalty Area

0.8

1.69

Crosses To Penalty Area

0.2

0.77

Stats via FBref

Digne is still outperforming Cash in several key metrics such as crosses per 90 and progressive passes received per 90 but is actually boasting more assists than his counterpart and could help Villa be a little more dangerous on the right side against Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho is undoubtedly a managerial great – when you manage clubs like Real Madrid, Inter and Chelsea, spending daft amounts of money comes with the territory.

The Portuguese’s two spells at Chelsea brought the club incredible success, including some of the most important transfers in the club’s history.

Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho and Cesc Fabregas are all players Mourinho helped lure to west London, but for every hit, there were a couple of misses.

And with the January transfer window fast approaching, Football FanCast has taken a look at Mourinho’s top 10 worst Chelsea signings.

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ByFinley Harlow Oct 4, 2023 10 Steve Sidwell Free from Reading, 2007

This one might be a little harsh. Steve Sidwell had a solid career, featuring heavily for fellow London clubs Reading and Fulham, while he established himself as a Premier League mainstay. His move to Chelsea was just a bit of an odd one.

Financially, it made sense. Sidwell joined on a free transfer from Reading, who had been yo-yo-ing between the Championship and the Premier League at the time, but he was never going to become more than a squad player at Stamford Bridge.

The midfielder only completed 90 minutes twice during his time at Chelsea despite featuring 25 times in the 2007/08 season. He did manage to score a goal in a 4-0 League Cup win against Hull City, but other than that, he didn’t make much of a mark.

He was sold to Aston Villa in the summer of 2008 for a fee believed to be in the region of £5m, so Chelsea did make a tidy profit.

Interestingly, he was given the number 9 shirt at Chelsea – something that will feature heavily in this list.

9 Khalid Boulahrouz £6m from Hamburg, 2006

Again, another weird Chelsea number 9. Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz inherited the seemingly cursed shirt number from Hernan Crespo. The Argentine may not have been amazing at Chelsea, but that’s quite a downgrade.

Even before he signed for the club, Mourinho pretty much admitted Boulahrouz wouldn’t be more than a squad player. Eventually, he was signed for a fee thought to be around £6m from German giants Hamburg in August 2006.

To be fair to Boulahrouz, he had a promising start to his Chelsea career, featuring heavily early on, including a solid defensive display against fellow top-four rivals Liverpool.

Unfortunately, a knee injury followed by a shoulder injury kept him out for a prolonged period, allowing John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho to maintain their status in the starting XI.

After a season-long loan at Sevilla, he was sold off to Stuttgart.

8 Asier del Horno £8m from Athletic Club, 2005

Sometimes with transfers, it’s the hope that kills you. Del Horno was meant to be a major upgrade on Wayne Bridge. He was versatile, could play as a left-sided centre-back, or as an out-and-out left-back.

He was 24 years old when Mourinho and Chelsea signed him from Athletic Club for £8m; old enough to know the game, but young enough for Mourinho to mould into a top defender. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

It wasn’t all bad, though, he managed to score the only goal of his Chelsea career in a 2-0 win against Spurs at White Hart Lane. He also played a respectable amount during his one season at the club, featuring 34 times.

Sadly for Del Horno, he’s mostly remembered for his straight red card in Chelsea’s Champions League round-of-16 game against Barcelona. The defender’s tackle on Lionel Messi played a pivotal role in their elimination from the competition that year.

Valencia came calling the next summer, and Del Horno returned to Spain.

7 Radamel Falcao £4m loan from Monaco, 2015

This move was all about timing. Colombian frontman Radamel Falcao was heavily linked with Chelsea while still at Porto, but he chose Spanish side Atletico Madrid instead. He was amazing at both clubs, but injuries meant he lost a yard of pace and his confidence was shot.

He had spent the year prior on loan at Manchester United, where he also underwhelmed, scoring just four goals in 26 league appearances. If anyone could get the best out of him, it was Mourinho, right?

Wrong. Chelsea paid Monaco a massive £4m for a season-long loan. They also had a £38m option to buy, which they didn’t take up for obvious reasons. He scored just once, in a 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace.

Falcao lasted longer than Mourinho, as the manager was sacked mid-season, but he returned to the south of France that summer. He did have a bit of a renaissance, but he never again reached the heights he had at Porto and Atletico Madrid.

6 Filipe Luis £15.8m from Atletico Madrid, 2014

Filipe Luis had big boots to fill. Champions League-winning left-back Ashley Cole had just left the club for Roma, and on paper, Filipe Luis was a solid replacement. But, like so many Chelsea signings, it just didn’t work out.

He had a great time at Atletico Madrid. He was part of a stellar backline that only conceded 26 goals in 38 games, helping the Madrid side win the La Liga title for the first time in 18 years in 2014. He also played a huge role in getting his side to the Champions League final that season, a game they lost 4-1 to city rivals Real Madrid.

He didn’t get his first start until mid-September – an uneventful 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Schalke.

Come the end of the season, Mourinho confirmed that Luis would be leaving the club after just one year. He returned to Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee.

5 Papy Djilobodji £2.7m from Nantes, 2015

The Senegalese centre-back might have claim to the most peculiar transfer in Chelsea’s history, which is quite a statement. He joined from French side Nantes, and was omitted from Chelsea’s Champions League squad the very next day.

Perhaps the wildest statistic about his Chelsea career is that he only touched the ball during a game twice, and that was in a League Cup game against Walsall.

In the 2014/15 January transfer window, he was loaned out to Werder Bremen, where at least he played. He made 16 overall appearances for the German club, scoring twice.

Astonishingly, Chelsea managed to make a profit on Djilobodji, selling him to Sunderland for £8m in the summer of 2015.

4 Baba Rahman £14m from Augsburg, 2015

Again, it turns out that replacing Ashley Cole was pretty hard. Ghanaian left-back Rahman joined the club from Bundesliga side Augsburg for an initial fee of £14m, rising to a potential fee of £22m if certain clauses were met.

Loan after loan means that Rahman is technically the longest-serving Chelsea player on this list. Since joining in 2015, he went on a whopping seven loans to five different clubs. He only left after Chelsea terminated his contract this past summer.

During his eight years contracted to Chelsea, he only played 23 times, of which four were as a substitute. Although this mess of a deal can’t be totally blamed on Mourinho, he was the man who started it.

3 Jiri Jarosik £3m from CSKA Moscow, 2005

Now this is a throwback. Most Chelsea fans would be able to name a vast majority of the 2004/05 Premier League-winning squad, but they’d have to be a real diehard to remember Czech midfielder Jiri Jarosik.

Signed in January 2005 from CSKA Moscow for a reported £3m, Jarosik made his debut fairly quickly, but didn’t make much of an impact. He came on in the 68th minute against Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup third round.

He even started in the League Cup final against Liverpool, a game that Chelsea went on to win 3-2, but was unceremoniously replaced at half-time by Eidur Gudjohnsen.

It may be unfair to say that Jarosik was bad at Chelsea, he just didn’t really do anything, and for that reason, it’s hard to keep him out of this list. He did get a Premier League winners' medal, though, with his only full 90 minutes of the season being the game against Bolton Wanderers that secured Chelsea the league title.

Despite joining Chelsea in January, he was loaned to Birmingham City the following August. Following their relegation in 2005/06, Jarosik moved permanently to Celtic.

2 Mateja Kezman £5m from PSV, 2004

Chelsea have had a lot of disappointing strikers in their time, but Kezman might be one of the worst. The Serbian forward was unplayable at PSV, and all of Europe’s elite were circling after he scored 35 goals in 33 Eredivisie appearances.

Mourinho and Chelsea thought they had the next big thing when they signed him for £5m – they even entrusted him with the number nine shirt that had just been vacated by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Kezman had the world at his feet, but simply couldn’t adapt to English football. It took until December for Kezman to get his first Chelsea goal, a last-minute penalty in a 4-0 home win against Newcastle.

Another player that only lasted a single season, he was sold to Atletico Madrid the next summer for £5.3m.

1 Andriy Shevchenko £30m from Milan, 2006

We have to be fair to Mourinho on this one, Shevchenko was more of a Roman Abramovich signing, but it was so catastrophic, no one else could be number one.

It’s hard to put into words just how good Shevchenko was. Before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi came along and blew everyone away, Shevchenko had to be considered as one of the best players of the 2000s, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2004.

Chelsea have a habit of signing forwards just as they are starting to decline, and that’s exactly what happened with Shevchenko. Despite the Ukrainian’s Chelsea career never really taking off, he spent three years at Stamford Bridge.

He went back to Milan on loan in 2008/09 before re-signing for boyhood club Dynamo Kyiv on a free in August 2009.

Jose Mourinho did a lot of great things at Chelsea, but ultimately, you can’t win them all.

Stars could have sealed a semi-final spot with victory but they fell 27 short Glenn Maxwell’s 40-ball 61

The Report by Tristan Lavalette03-Feb-2019Perth Scorchers celebrated stalwart Michael Klinger’s farewell match in style with a throwback performance marked by powerful batting and clutch bowling to inflict a setback in Melbourne Stars’ semi-final hopes.Even though the cellar dwellers had only pride to play for, the match at Perth Stadium was emotion-charged with Klinger having announced his retirement from Scorchers.After being sent in, Scorchers mustered their best score of the season with 3 for 182 through the re-emergence of Ashton Turner who clubbed a belligerent 42-ball 69 after Klinger laid the platform with a run-a-ball 30.A brilliant 106-run partnership between Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis had Stars on track in the chase, but Scorchers rediscovered their prowess in defending totals with well-executed bowling towards the backend to record a comfortable victory.Stars could have sealed a semi-final spot with victory but remain at the fourth position, while Scorchers can still avoid an embarrassing wooden spoon with Adelaide Strikers just two points ahead.One last hurrah for KlingerAll eyes were on Klinger, who was hoping to go out with a bang and provide belated cheer for the home fans after a downtrodden season. The 38-year-old had been granted a farewell match after a hamstring injury ruled Shaun Marsh out of action.Having made just 115 runs from nine matches before being dropped, Klinger looked rusty early on with several ugly swipes but seemed energised by the high-octane batting from Josh Inglis, who smacked five boundaries in his first 14 balls before holing out two balls later.Klinger found his groove with trademark flowing drives to the boundary. He was joined by Turner, the slumping hard-hitter promoted to No. 3. A pulled four off Dwayne Bravo in the eighth over lifted the once-hot Turner into double digits for the first time in five matches.Combating Scorchers’ uncharacteristically strong start, Stars captain Glenn Maxwell persisted with his seam bowlers through the first ten overs before finally introducing Adam Zampa’s legspin.A nudged single by Klinger was his all-important 29th run to pass Chris Lynn as the leading run-scorer in the BBL history. Another single brought up Klinger’s highest score of the season but thoughts of a fairytale finish evaporated when he holed out off Liam Plunkett in the 12th over.Klinger, a dual champion with Scorchers, was acknowledged by several Stars players and received a standing ovation from the crowd.Turner rediscovers his brutal bestOne of the many problems for Scorchers has been an inability to accelerate at the backend, but this time was different. After a relatively sedate middle period, Turner and Cameron Bancroft decided to put the foot down by attacking Zampa with aggressive footwork.In a bid to get out of his slump, Turner started somewhat conservatively scoring 31 off his first 28 balls but needed just five more deliveries to reach fifty as he exploded through power hitting. Turner, who was aided by a bad drop from Maxwell on the boundary when on 41, clubbed Stoinis’ next delivery into the crowd.There was no stopping Turner who toyed with the field and blasted Zampa in the penultimate over for a massive six over long-on. He was unable to repeat the dose on the next ball and was caught by Maxwell at long-on in a major relief for the beleaguered Stars.Dunk falls in controversial fashionOn a ground where there have been several contentious incidents this season, more controversy ensued when Ben Dunk fell in the second over after the third umpire adjudged a forward-diving Nick Hobson had caught cleanly at square leg. Hobson initially indicated that it was a bump ball, but the umpires convened and gave it out on the soft signal.Replays were inconclusive forcing a fuming Dunk to trudge off and Stars’ mood further soured when Peter Handscomb fell shortly after to leave the visitors reeling at 2 for 11 in the fourth over.A miserly Jason Behrendorff frustrated Maxwell and Stoinis, but the runs flowed after his spell ended to leave the contest delicately poised.Maxwell’s heroics fall shortMaxwell took a liking to the bowling of Andrew Tye and Mitchell Marsh mid-innings as he accelerated to revive ghosts of Callum Ferguson’s masterful chase. He spectacularly brought up his half-century with a towering six off young Clint Hinchliffe, while Stoinis was more content to play the supporting role with hard-run singles and twos.Stars were in the driver’s seat until Maxwell was brilliantly caught by Hobson at backward square-leg and the match suddenly swung Scorchers’ way when Stoinis fell two balls after for 49.Apart from some lusty hitting from Nic Maddinson, including a mammoth six into the second tier off Tye, Stars fell away badly to ensure Klinger capped off his glittering Scorchers career in winning fashion.

The Blues came back from being 2-0 down at the break to keep their slim hopes of European qualification alive with a point at Villa Park.

After a difficult week, Chelsea showed some fight to earn themselves a point at Aston Villa that could yet prove crucial in their fight for European qualification. Mauricio Pochettino's side came from 2-0 down at half-time to secure a 2-2 draw against Unai Emery's Champions League hopefuls.

The Blues were looking to bounce back from their chastening defeat to Arsenal last time out, but made the worst possible start when Marc Cucurella diverted John McGinn's scuffed shot into his own net inside the opening four minutes.

The visitors looked to battle back, and Nicolas Jackson came closest to equalising when he hit the post with a header, but Chelsea found themselves two goals down before half-time as Morgan Rogers was allowed to cut inside onto his right foot and fire a low shot into the bottom corner.

Chelsea were dominant after the break as Pochettino made a couple of tactical tweaks, and their improved display was rewarded around the hour-mark as Conor Gallagher won the ball back on the edge of the Villa box, and the ball was worked to Noni Madueke to curl home. Gallagher then produced a moment of magic with 10 minutes to play, as he whipped a 20-yard effort into the top corner.

Pochettino's team even thought they'd won it right at the death when substitute Axel Disasi headed home in stoppage-time, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review thanks to a shove from Benoit Badiashile in the build-up, and the Blues were forced to settle for a point.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Villa Park…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Djordje Petrovic (6/10):

Had no chance with the opening goal, but will be disappointed to be beaten at his near post by Rogers. Did make a decent save to deny Watkins in the first half.

Trevoh Chalobah (4/10):

Deployed as a narrow right-back, but didn't seem to fully understand where he was meant to be when Villa attacked. Will feel he could have done better for both goals.

Thiago Silva (6/10):

Beaten for pace on one occasion by Watkins, but an assured presence in defence otherwise. Limped off late on.

Benoit Badiashile (6/10):

Looked much more comfortable next to Thiago Silva having struggled so much at Arsenal. Punished for his slight shove at the death when Chelsea thought they'd won it.

Marc Cucurella (6/10):

Could do little about his own goal, though he wasn't great from a defensive point of view. Did offer a fair bit in attack, both out wide in the first half and in a more inverted role after the break.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Moises Caicedo (7/10):

An encouraging display with the ball, as he looked to play incisive passes and posed something of a threat around the edge of the box. Was caught on the wrong side of the ball when defending a couple of times, but made some crunching challenges to win the ball back.

Conor Gallagher (7/10):

Lacked quality in the first half, even if he worked tirelessly. Managed to put everything together after the break, however, as his excellent pressing led to Madueke's goal before his superb finish levelled the scores.

Cole Palmer (4/10):

Returned from illness but not at his best as Villa largely crowded him out. Set-pieces were disappointing before he missed a huge chance to win it in stoppage-time.

Getty ImagesAttack

Noni Madueke (7/10):

A real game of two halves. Forced to hug the touchline in the first half, and he was guilty of not tracking back for both Villa goals. Moved inside after the break and instantly became Chelsea's most dangerous attacker, with his goal a superb finish.

Nicolas Jackson (6/10):

Ran himself into the ground and unfortunate that a fine finish was ruled out for offside. Should have scored with a free header that hit the post.

Mykhailo Mudryk (3/10):

Struggled to get himself into the game, while his final ball was constantly lacking. A first-half shot that almost hit the corner flag summed up his performance.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Cesare Casadei (N/A):

Thrown on in the final minute.

Axel Disasi (N/A):

Almost the hero with his stoppage-time header that was controversially ruled out.

Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):

Didn't get his set up right in the first half, but deserves huge credit for both the tactical tweaks he made and how he was able to encourage his players to battle back.