Tottenham Hotspur have been left with an arduous task to keep their Champions League hopes alive following a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg of their Round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig in north London on Wednesday night.

Jose Mourinho’s side were beaten by a Timo Werner penalty in the second half after Ben Davies fouled Konrad Laimer inside the area.

The first-half was wholly one-sided with the visitors managing 12 attempts at goal compared to Spurs’ three but things improved late on when Tanguy Ndombele entered the field of play, and his brief cameo has left lots of supporters at the club swooning to see more.

He replaced Gedson Fernandes in the 64th minute and completed more dribbles (four) than any other member of the home side.

This is what fans have been saying…

The Frenchman received glowing praise across the board with fans using words like “genius” and “unbelievable” whilst one supporter went as far as labelling him a “magician.”

Others emphasised the fact that the entire game changed completely after his introduction in the second half.

It also led to a range of comparisons from being a mirror of former Belgian midfielder Mousa Dembele as he was described as a “top player,” to being better than his current teammate, Fernandes, who started the match.

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While a further member of the Spurs faithful claimed Ndombele’s partnership with Giovani Lo Celso would be an “insane pairing”.

And then there were fans who were desperate to see him play more – he’s only managed to rack up 23 appearances and just 822 minutes in the Premier League since joining for a club-record £55m fee from Lyon in the summer.

Some were even wanting the 23-year-old starting matches irrespective of whether or not he could actually finish the game as there have long been doubts over his fitness, hence the lack of game time.

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With Chelsea away on Saturday afternoon, some sections of the Tottenham support will be wanting to see Mourinho name Ndombele in that starting lineup.

And in other news, Spurs target midfield upgrade to Eric Dier in Championship POWERHOUSE…

John McCallum, a contributor to the Rangers-based Gersnet podcast (February 24th, 7:22), has criticised Nikola Katic and seemingly believes that George Edmundson should be starting instead.

What’s he said?

Rangers drew 2-2 with St Johnstone on Sunday at McDiarmid Park.

They fell behind to an eighth-minute goal from Callum Hendry, but Florian Kamberi equalised prior to Joe Aribo netting a 71st-minute strike. Stevie May then levelled the scoring, earning the hosts a point.

Katic played the entire 90 minutes but McCallum believes that he was remarkably poor and has floated the idea of Edmundson starting instead.

The 22-year-old has played just five times this season, making only two starts in the Scottish top-flight.

He said: “[Katic] was very poor today, it was as bad a performance from Katic as I’ve seen. I think Edmondson must be sitting there on the bench thinking what have I got to do to get a game because he hasn’t been playing well, Katic.

“And it’s funny. One of the big criticisms I’ve got of Katic is that I think his distribution’s poor.

“I don’t think he’s great at that side of the game, which is something that a lot of modern centre-halves really need to have.”

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Changes unlikely

Katic is clearly the first-choice for manager Steven Gerrard.

The 23-year-old has made 18 appearances in the league, with 17 starts.

Edmundson, perhaps, isn’t seen to be ready but McCallum is right to point out how poor Katic was at the weekend.

Per fbref, he did not win a tackle nor make an interception as Rangers shipped two goals.

With Katic in the team overall though, Rangers have conceded just 15 goals in 18 league games and kept eight clean sheets in his time on the pitch.

But the club are comfortably second in the table, 22 points clear of Motherwell, while they are 12 behind Celtic – perhaps now is the time to try Edmundson; no ill can really come of it.

Meanwhile, Rangers fans have savaged one star!

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur supporters were left fuming with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele after footage emerged on social media of him during their game against Wolves on Sunday.

In the video posted by @fullback03, Pedro Neto is on the ball and running forward. As he gets to the halfway line, Ndombele makes a half-hearted attempt to tackle him but gets nowhere near. He then jogs back behind the Portuguese, showing minimal effort to properly track the runner and eventually, the forward manages to get a shot away.

The French international joined Spurs from Lyon in the summer, with the club paying a record fee of £53.8 million for his services (BBC Sport). However, he has so far failed to live up to his price tag, starting just 11 times in the Premier League due to a string of fitness issues (Transfermarkt).

It is fair to say that plenty of Spurs fans were absolutely livid with the 23-year-old after seeing the video of his ’embarrassing’ lack of effort to try and get the ball from Neto.ÂHere is what some had to say about it on Twitter…

Spurs fans, what are your thoughts on Tanguy Ndombele? Let us know below…

Not too many players at Celtic would have been displeased about winning 5-0 at the weekend.

The Bhoys were at their best as they overcame St Mirren in devastating circumstances but the result should have meant bad news for one man in particular.

On the chalkboard

After drawing 2-2 with Livingston in midweek this was the ideal result for the Hoops as they bounced back from that tough encounter.

It’s not often Neil Lennon’s side drop points – they’ve failed to win on just four occasions – so this was a test of their resolve as they looked to open up their advantage over Rangers.

A 5-0 win showed their dominance over Scottish football but Leigh Griffiths was particularly bright, netting a hat-trick.

Those goals meant the forward has now registered seven strikes in 2020 alone, turning the page following a break from the game where his future in football looked in doubt.

Alongside Odsonne Edouard, Celtic once again have two strikers they can rely on to grab the goals on a regular basis. Although that’s good news for the club, it doesn’t bode well for Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The casualty

Griffiths’ hat-trick should be a dagger to the heart of Elyounoussi who has done very little wrong in his time at Celtic Park, scoring seven and assisting six.

However, the Southampton loanee has been the victim of the system Lennon now gets his team to play with.

The Norwegian is a winger by trade but the Celtic boss has preferred to set his team up in a manner that accounts for three central defenders and two wing-backs. Among that, Lennon plays with two central strikers.

With Elyounoussi not naturally gifted when it comes to defending, it’s meant that he’s had to sit on the bench since returning from injury or play out of position up front when Griffiths hasn’t been favoured. The second aspect has been a rarity, however.

The 25-year-old was deployed on the wing against Copehagen a few weeks ago but even then he spurned a tremendous opportunity in the first half to score. He isn’t a man in form, failing to contribute to a single strike since returning.

However, with the system change and Griffiths now bang in form playing in attack, it seems difficult to envisage Elyounoussi getting into the side. It also feels tricky to see him arriving for a fee once his loan expires.

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Southampton value the player at £10m and could move to Glasgow in the summer on a permanent transfer but at this moment in time, it would be foolish to spend that on someone who doesn’t play regularly.

Griffiths should be putting any potential plans Nick Hammond and Lennon had for Elyounoussi to bed. After failing to score in midweek and then being dropped to the bench last weekend, he could well become the biggest casualty of his teammate’s good fortunes.

In other news, loads of Celtic fans SLAMMED one man who “couldn’t beat an egg” on Saturday…

Aston Villa star Jack Grealish has developed into one of the Premier League’s hottest properties over the course of the 2019/20 season.

The promise shown by the youngster who thrived at Wembley against Liverpool in 2015 looks to have been realised, and his performances have deservedly commanded esteemed praise throughout the campaign.

And it appears his development has been recognised by Transfermarkt.

The popular football website recently updated their valuations of players worldwide, including the 24-year-old playmaker.

Grealish moved from £31.5m to £34.2m, which represents an increase of £29.7m from September 2017 and £11.7m from June 2019.

The market move sees him rise into the world’s top 20 most valuable attacking midfielders, leaving him marginally adrift of Nabil Fekir and James Rodriguez, who are both worth £36m.

Naturally, it must be considered that Transfermarkt generally low-balls valuations and Grealish’s ranking is relative to the marketplace.

Villa’s golden boy is beginning to get the credit which his talent deserves, and with his market rise in mind Football FanCast take a look at three landmarks and themes which define his rise in valuation.

Premier League promotion

Grealish played an instrumental role for Villa in the 2018/19 season as Dean Smith led his side to the top-flight via the playoffs.

A significant injury setback suffered midway through the season limited him to just 31 starts in the Championship, but his return coincided with an upsurge in form that led them to the Premier League.

Villa had not won in five league games before Grealish returned against Derby County on March 2nd 2019 and that game proved to be the turning point in the club’s season.

Wearing the captain’s armband, Grealish inspired a 4-0 rout against the Rams at Villa Park in a game that signalled the beginning of a ten game winning streak.

If any period in his career could underline his importance at Villa then this was it.

Stunning Premier League form

The question on everyone’s lips at the start of the season: can Grealish make the step up in class?

The answer to the question: he’s even better at the elite level.

Bagging a total of seven goals and six assists in 26 Premier League appearances, the budding England international has been in scintillating form at times.

Only seven players in Europe have averaged more key passes per game this season, per Whoscored, and it’s fair to say that without his presence Villa would have long been cut adrift at the foot of the table.

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Links with Manchester United

Manchester United were linked with a move for Grealish in January, per The Independent, but they eventually brought Bruno Fernandes to Old Trafford instead.

That the 24-year-old was even under consideration for a move to one of world football’s most prestigious clubs speaks volumes about his rise to prominence.

It seems inevitable that Grealish will move to one of Europe’s elite clubs should Villa drop back into the Championship – if and when the season reaches its conclusion, of course.

As the Premier League enter a third week without any action, Tottenham Hotspur’s media team have tweeted home footage of what midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has been up to during this prolonged period of downtime, and it has got loads of fans talking in north London.

The Argentine can be seen playing ping-pong with what is presumably his wife as they are cooped up at home with no training or matches occurring anytime soon.

Lo Celso is donning his Spurs training kit barring the boots, and that is something supporters have picked up on…

In what has been a shocking season for the Champions League runners-up, the 23-year-old has perhaps been the one shining light in Jose Mourinho’s squad.

Spurs have crashed out of all cup competitions and have sunk seven points adrift of the top four in the Premier League with only nine games remaining this term.

Lo Celso was putting up massive numbers on the elite stage, averaging 2.8 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes a game per WhoScored, showing fans just a glimpse of what he has to offer them long-term.

The support for the midfield maestro is emphasised in the above reactions with some members of the Spurs faithful brandishing him an “immense baller” as well as a future “legend” at the club.

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It remains to be seen when they’ll be able to see their number 18 on the pitch once again with the current suspension set to end on April 30th at the very earliest.

And finally, in other Spurs news,  one ace who was touted as a new MESSI and Pochettino SOLD is THRIVING elsewhere…

Tottenham Hotspur should be giving more of an opportunity to centre-back Juan Foyth, that’s the claim from The Athletic correspondent Charlie Eccleshare this week.

What’s he said?

The 22-year-old has been an outcasted figure in north London for quite some time now. This season alone, he’s only managed to rack up seven appearances with just 65 minutes coming from Premier League action.

Foyth was signed by ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2017 and has barely been trusted with a regular berth in the first-team setup.

He started just one match in their historic Champions League run last season and had to settle for the bench in the final against Liverpool.

But Eccleshare believes he is a ‘talented player’ who needs further chances to develop. Speaking in a recent Q&A, he said…

Any harm in it?

Jose Mourinho’s Spurs side rank as the joint-worst for goals conceded in the top ten of the Premier League, so why shouldn’t a defender be given the opportunity to prove his worth to the side?

Foyth may be a Pochettino cast-off, but Jan Vertonghen will soon depart the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while Japhet Tanganga is far from the finished article, meaning it is only really Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld left.

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It’s quite harsh on the Argentine youngster to be omitted entirely ever since a mistake against Norwich City back in December, that’s only going to blow his confidence and prove detrimental long-term.

After all, Foyth is going to remain under contract in north London for at least another 24 months unless he can secure a move elsewhere in the summer.

Spurs’ season is over – no cup competitions and some way off the top four in the Premier League. There can be no harm in giving the centre-back a run out in the remaining nine games, almost as if it were a last chance saloon trial to decide his future.

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Therefore, Eccleshare is onto something with these bold claims.

AND in other news, Spurs fans react to Jose Mourinho footage…

Somerset chief executive Peter Anderson received an interesting picture postcard in his mail earlier this week.The picture postcard had been sent to the Somerset boss by a London based family who were holidaying in Greece, who had written to say how thrilled they were that Somerset had won their recent Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy semi final encounter with Kent.The card went on to say that one of their great grandfathers had played for Somerset back in the 1880’s and that they were still in possession of his county cap.The great grandfather’s Somerset cap occupied pride of place in the family home on top of the television set, and the couple attributed the Cidermen’s amazing victory over Kent to it’s presence above the screen.Great grandfather’s cap had brought Somerset good fortune in the semi finals and it was their intention to leave it in place for the final on August 31st in the hope that it would act as the lucky omen again.Mr Anderson told me: "Great grandfather’s cap is now well into it’s second century, and it would be interesting to know who he was and how many times that he played for the county back in the years before we were granted first class status."He continued: "The only trouble is that I can’t read the signature on the card, and even if I could it wouldn’t tell us who great grandfather was."The Somerset boss would be very interested to hear from the couple who sent the card to him from Greece, and just like all Somerset supporters hopes that the cap brings the county good fortune in the Lord’s final against Yorkshire.

Liverpool’s quest for a first title in 30 years may come crashing down very soon. If the Premier League follows in the direction of the National League then the season will be null and void.

It would be disastrous for the club who have worked so hard to open up a 25 point advantage at the top of the league.

However, in times like these, there are more important matters to consider – the health of everyone.

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When football does begin again, we may well have experienced a transfer window. One of the names to be linked with bolstering Liverpool’s ranks in the last week or so was Lille enforcer Boubakary Soumare.

The midfielder has been a rock in the middle of the park for his side this season, so much so that he’s been touted with numerous moves to England, as well as being compared to Paul Pogba.

Manchester United and Spurs were reportedly in the hunt for the £50m-rated man previously.

However, it appears as though the Reds are now pursuing him. One Spanish report suggests they’ve been in negotiations for a long period of time over a potential deal for Soumare.

This is particularly bad news for one man in particular at the club – Naby Keita, a player already linked with a move away.

The Guinean has been a neglected figure in recent weeks and the way he was left out of the squad for Liverpool’s defeat to Atletico raised huge question marks. Journalist James Pearce suggested he wasn’t even injured – this was strange for an individual that was brought in for £48m.

Though, this wasn’t the first setback Keita has had to overcome in his time at the club. The 25-year-old has played just nine times in the league this term, missing certain games through injury but also failing to impress when he has stepped onto the field.

So far this calendar year the midfield man has failed to score or assist and the fact Klopp left him out a few weeks ago spoke huge volumes.

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Another midfielder, especially one with defensive qualities such as Soumare – he has 1 tackle per game – could put the final nail in Keita’s tightly closed coffin.

He should be scared at such a prospect.

Meanwhile, one Liverpool target could USURP Shaqiri at Anfield…

Liverpool are having the season of their lives as they inch ever closer to lifting their first-ever Premier League trophy.

Jurgen Klopp will be overjoyed with the performances superstars like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané have put in, but what about the rest? Here’s a look at two players who have been quietly grafting away in 2019/2020…

Joe Gomez

Like almost any other centre-back in the world, if you’re paired up with Virgil van Dijk in defence, you’re going to slip out of the limelight a little. But the Dutchman’s new deputy has been stellar this season, stepping in during the absence of Joel Matip and putting himself on a pedestal above Dejan Lovren.

In comparison to Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi (0.8), Gomez is dribbled past less times on average (0.4) per match and averages more passes (67.1) than the Argentinian’s 63.1. In fact, Liverpool’s 22-year-old completes an average of 1.3 interceptions per 90 minutes, higher than that of van Dijk (1) and fellow Englishman Trent Alexander-Arnold (1.2), according to WhoScored.

It seems it’s been easy to overlook the talent and work-rate of Gomez who operates across a back four worth a combined £248.8million, to which Liverpool’s No.12 makes up just £30m of. But pound signs aren’t everything and the Reds arguably wouldn’t be in this insanely strong position without the consistency of Gomez this season.

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool’s midfield has been a conundrum as Klopp seems to still be working out which combination is the key to success. Before suffering an ACL injury, Oxlade-Chamberlain tallied three goals and seven assists in the Premier League which was far more than midfield teammate Georginio Wijnaldum (one goal, two assists).

The Merseyside outfit have plugged plenty of holes with the money from Philippe Coutinho’s mammoth sale, but are still yet to bring in an attacking midfielder of the Brazilian’s variety. A fit and firing Chamberlain might be the answer to these problems.

The best thing about the Ox is his willingness to shoot from range and more importantly, hit the target. His wonder-goal against Man City in the Champions League oozed Coutinho/Gerrard standards and that’s what Liverpool have been missing against tough, defensive opponents.

Unless Liverpool recruit someone else in the summer transfer window, Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to be operating in the heart of the midfield at every possible chance.

What do you think, Liverpool fans? Do you agree with the above or have there been better unsung heroes this season?