The Baltimore Ravens to me were the most complete team in the NFL. They had a Championship defence which really didn’t let the side down too much – it was their offence that did.
The game against the Chiefs showed us that it is all about playing your best football and being in form at that exact moment.
The Ravens didn’t stick to what had been working so well for them and they got pushed out of the running element of the game. In the playoffs, you have to be able to do what you do best, even if the opposition try to stop it.
The Ravens didn’t do what they had been doing all season, despite the fact that it was what got them to the playoffs in the first place.
They were trying to pass and be a drop-back team, it just didn’t work. They lost their character at the most valuable time. That was the most disappointing part – they didn’t go out playing their way. I feel for them.
Mahomes has more talent that Brady
The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have had to overcome so much this season. They’ve had a great storyline and they’ve completely morphed into a new identity, now they’re back in the Super Bowl.
That is what Tom Brady had to do every year and we’re witnessing that with Mahomes now.
We may never see this again, because we’re seeing a guy in Mahomes who has more talent than Tom Brady, who has the ability to chase greatness.
He is changing the way he goes about his game and that is what great players are to do. I’m excited to see him in the Super Bowl.
Purdy can be “that guy” for San Fran
San Francisco have a team philosophy that is directed by one person, Kyle Shanahan, and it has worked.
The only thing that has prevented him from winning the Super Bowl is not having a guy like Patrick Mahomes; Brock Purdy can become that guy, but it will be hard to slay the dragon that is Mahomes.
Confidence is key in the Super Bowl and Brock Purdy came back and made plays when the game was on the line against the Lions, so he will be full of confidence.
Not only does he now believe that he can get it done, but his teammates believe as well. That is a formula for success.
Kelce will be rolling for the Super Bowl
Kyle Shanahan has to outwit Steve Spagnuolo’s Chiefs defence. That is the key.
This is what is so fascinating, when you look at the two teams, they are stacked with experience in play calling and head coaching but I don’t think Shanahan can outwit Andy Reid, so it will be all about who cracks first.
The thing about Chief’s head coach, Andy Reid, is that he knows how to win a game and he doesn’t tend to get pushed away from his own strategy. This game will be about who panics first. I just don’t know who that is going to be.
Looking at Kansas City’s playmakers, Travis Kelce is not young so rest will be important, but he seemed so fresh last game. He is going to have two weeks off and that is when he can get on a roll.
The way Rashee Rice is playing as well, he sees the game in the same way as Mahomes so they’re both comfortable. That allows Kelce to find those open spaces. You watch them and just think ‘this is what great NFL football looks like’.
It was a quiet transfer window around Europe. No big movements, no big deals but some interesting surprise deal took place. And we're here to vote the best five transfers of the January transfer window!
Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen to Borussia Dortmund
Credit to Borussia Dortmund as they've been smart, creative and fast. Sancho is a fantastic signing on loan for a decent fee, while Maatsen is underrated and the left back is already making an impact at the club. Two excellent signings in a complicated window.
Sacha Boey to Bayern
It was quite difficult for Bayern to find the perfect right back as they tried for Mukiele, Trippier... but then they got a fantastic player in Boey.
Aggressive and fast, he is the ideal fit for Tuchel's brand of football. They needed that kind of player, the negotiation with Galatasaray was more than difficult but credit to Bayern for getting a top signing done in January.
Kalvin Phillips to West Ham
The competition was crazy from different countries but West Ham's director Tim Steidten has been working on this one in the best way. Silent, concrete and perfect behind the scenes.
He convinced Kalvin to join and then agreed on good terms with Man City. Moyes needed that kind of player, Phillips needed... a chance to prove himself. And he has that at West Ham.
Arthur Vermeeren to Atletico Madrid
One for the future, give this boy some time to adapt.
But Atletico's Andrea Berta probably did it again after signing a gem like Samuel Lino out of nowhere two years ago in January and now performing as a superstar.
Vermeeren can bring quality, creativity, and freshness to Simeone's squad, but again - in the long term he will prove an excellent talent for a reasonable fee. A great call for Atléti.
Radu Dragusin to Tottenham
The fight with Bayern was crazy but Dragusin respected his word and decided to join Spurs ahead of the German champions.
Ange Postecoglou was also crucial in the direct exchange with Dragusin when he had the chance to speak to the defender. A proper warrior in Serie A, this was a smart move for Tottenham as they always find good opportunities in Italy.
Fabrizio Romano is an Italian sports journalist. He was born in 1993, he lives in Milan and has over 30 million followers in total on the major social networks.
He collaborates with 888sport, CBS Sports, Sky Sport, The Guardian and has been a transfer market expert since 2011. He will take care of a column dedicated to some "Behind the Scenes" of transfers.
THE Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round weekend provided truly outstanding thrills and spills.
There was a monumental giantkilling whilst another unfancied team ruffled the feathers of their massive Premier League adversaries.
Here are the main stories catching my eye…
SENSATIONAL STONES!
Our last remaining Non-League representatives Maidstone United dramatically executed one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all-time in triumphing 2-1 at Ipswich Town.
Firstly, let me put everything into context. Maidstone occupy fourth spot in the National League South whereas 1978 FA Cup winners Ipswich Town are second in the Championship.
Significantly, these two sides sit 98 places apart in the football pyramid rankings although the Tractor Boys made 10 team changes from their previous League outing.
In addition, it is worth highlighting the incredible match stats. Ipswich racked up 78% possession plus 38 shots including 13 on target and 11 corners. Maidstone’s return was 22% possession, just two shots – both on target – and 0 corners.
Indeed, Ipswich rattled the woodwork three times during totally one-sided first half exchanges.
However those two Maidstone shots on target resulted in vital counter-attack goals via Lamar Reynolds (43 minutes) and Sam Corne (66 mins) overshadowing a Jeremy Sarmiento deflected strike for Ipswich on 56 minutes.
Reynolds’ dinked chip having run from his own half to open the scoring was simply sublime.
Visiting keeper Lucas Covolan amassed a lexicon of sprawling stops throughout leading to tremendous joyful celebrations amidst the 4,600 Maidstone fans at full-time.
By knocking out three EFL opponents so far, they have become the first club situated beneath English football’s top five divisions to reach the FA Cup Fifth Round since Blyth Spartans of the Northern League in 1978.
The Stones will now travel to face either Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry City. It could well be worth betting on a further major upset!
NOTABLE NEWPORT
Slumbering below halfway in League Two, Newport County gave 12 times FA Cup winners Manchester United a scare at sold-out Rodney Parade.
There was so much interest in this tie that temporary seating was installed to help accommodate the 9,086 crowd.
Yes, United scored twice within the initial 13 minutes where Bruno Fernandes and teenager Kobbie Mainoo converted.
But back came Newport to level things through a Bryn Morris 30 yard masterblaster (36 minutes) and Will Evans poking in at close range (47 mins) to defy FA Cup odds.
Evans really personified the FA Cup’s unique magic. A former farmer who has only played professionally for two years scoring against the team he supported as a schoolboy!
County boss Graham Coughlan said afterwards: “When we got to 2-2, I was dreaming and I thought we had United. They were certainly a bit rattled! Our own cup final would’ve been a replay at Old Trafford so it was so unfortunate we didn’t make it.”
The Premier League big boys eventually rallied to seal matters by virtue of Antony (68 mins) and £72 million summer signing Rasmus Højlund (90+4 mins). Yet the Newport County players thoroughly deserved their proud standing ovation on the final whistle.
Manchester United will visit Bristol City or Nottingham Forest in Round Five.
WREXHAM BOW OUT
Also from League Two, Wrexham manufactured a stunning effort to forge ahead at Championship hosts Blackburn Rovers on Monday night before succumbing 4-1.
With 7,000 away supporters giving vociferous backing, the Hollywood club drew first blood on 19 minutes when Andy Cannon smashed home 16 yards out following a sweeping move. “Cannon has delivered a cannon,” enthused one TV commentator.
Nevertheless, Blackburn drew on their six times FA Cup winners’ pedigree to muster goals by Sammie Szmodics (32 and 45+1minutes), Sam Gallagher (34 mins), and Sondre Tronstad (59 mins).
Szmodics has netted 21 times this season – incorporating five in two FA Cup games – cementing his position of the Championship’s leading marksman.
Next up, Rovers will entertain Newcastle United for a place in the Quarter Finals.
Barcelona are prepared for a new era as Xavi Hernandez has announced his decision: he's set to leave the club at the end of the current season.
No way back for Xavi, even if Barça will win the Champions League in May he won't change his mind as he's prepared to try new chapter and spend some time with the family after difficult times as Barcelona manager in the recent months.
Xavi felt that the atmosphere around the club and specifically the team was already very negative since July.
At the beginning of the season the situation started to be complicated, then Xavi understood that in any case he was going to part ways with Barcelona at the end of the season and he decided to make it public after one more, disappointing defeat against Villarreal playing at home.
What's next for Barcelona? It's worth to clarify that the president Joan Laporta will decide together with the board, specifically the director Deco who's gonna support in the decision process to find the best manager for Barça job.
It's going to take some time, nothing is imminent or close at this stage. It's gonna be about ideas, internal discussions and also contacts with some important agents, this is not a fast process also because Barça can't fail after this disappointing season and the strong words from Xavi in press conference.
Let's clarify that nothing is close with Youth team manager and former Barça CB Rafa Marquez; he's always been in the rumours but nothing is close or imminent with the Mexican coach, just one of the names discussed.
Barcelona have also not made any contact with former club's midfielder Thiago Motta who's doing fantastic job at Bologna, but sources say he's expected to stay in Serie A next season too.
More candidates will follow for sure, for example Roberto de Zerbi is appreciated by both Liverpool (Xabi Alonso and De Zerbi are in the list for sure) and Barça, but it's still too early to decide on his future, also because he wants to focus on second half of the season at Brighton.
Someone in the board appreciates Imanol, doing excellent job at Real Sociedad; but contacts didn't take place so far. Many rumours about Jurgen Klopp, that's obvious but he announced that doesn't want to coach any club next season and there's no contact from Barça side.
Barcelona will take their time, it's a crucial process for the club in a crucial moment for the team.
They can't make any mistake, the process is just at the beginning and expect more names to follow up in the list.
Fabrizio Romano is an Italian sports journalist. He was born in 1993, he lives in Milan and has over 30 million followers in total on the major social networks.
He collaborates with 888sport, CBS Sports, Sky Sport, The Guardian and has been a transfer market expert since 2011. He will take care of a column dedicated to some "Behind the Scenes" of transfers.
It's an historical week for Liverpool. One of the best managers in the history of the club, Jurgen Klopp, has decided to leave at the end of the season closing a fantastic 9 year chapter winning every possible title.
This was a shocking decision also for the players. Yes, because one of the secrets of this story is about the timing; Jurgen Klopp told the squad about his decision on Friday morning.
Direct, honest communication to tell the players that his plan is first of all to win all possible titles together this season, keeping the focus on doing special things in the present but the future will be away from Anfield for Jurgen Klopp.
His speech was really appreciated by the players; Klopp wants to leave with trophies, sources close to the German coach believes that timing is perfect to avoid any leak in the next weeks during the second, crucial half of the season and also to push the squad to make something special and win the final titles of Jurgen Klopp's era at Liverpool, definitely a different way to say goodbye in May.
Why leaving the club, so? Klopp said the truth: he has not spoken to any other club or negotiated any contract elsewhere, he's just tired after nine years in charge at Liverpool with daily hard work and also his feeling when it was time to rebuild the squad last summer was not the same he had in the past.
"It's time to stop", he told his backroom staff and then Liverpool board before informing the squad on Friday.
Liverpool are expected to face a real revolution in the summer because Klopp will leave but also all the members from his backroom staff have decided to do the same; it's over, time to refresh the staff and have new project with new head coach.
The crucial part will also be about the new director of football; another key decision has been made about Jorg Schmadtke, German director appointed last summer and very close to Jurgen Klopp. He's also leaving the club, with Liverpool prepared to review the strategy.
Sources guarantee that the intention is to get a new director in the next months and then decide on the future manager, with multiple candidates in the list; but the director will be instrumental to decide who's the best manager for present and future project.
It's not easy to replace a legend of the club like Klopp; Liverpool owners are aware of this and that's why they want to build the best structure behind the future manager, conversations will start very soon to make first decisions after Klopp shock and then proceed with the first steps of the new era.
Meanwhile, Klopp will only be focused on Liverpool and sources guarantee that he won't listen to any proposal until May.
He has no intention to negotiate with other clubs or discuss different projects right now, he wants to show total respect to Liverpool and won't accept any other conversation in this moment, waiting for the future that for sure will not be in Premier League.
End of an era, but also new project due to start soon. Important, crucial months ahead for Liverpool Football Club.
Fabrizio Romano is an Italian sports journalist. He was born in 1993, he lives in Milan and has over 30 million followers in total on the major social networks.
He collaborates with 888sport, CBS Sports, Sky Sport, The Guardian and has been a transfer market expert since 2011. He will take care of a column dedicated to some "Behind the Scenes" of transfers.
Jurgen Klopp is one of the greatest football managers of his generation
Successful at Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp was amassed an enormous net worth
Read below for more on Klopp’s career to date and earnings
Asserting himself among the best in the world at Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp has become a world star as Liverpool manager, though he has recently revealed that he will leave the club at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Those who bet on football will be familiar with Klopp’s achievements in Germany and England, winning trophies, producing entertaining football and inspiring fan bases.
Liverpool have ascended the Premier League odds under Klopp. He brought Anfield its first league title of the Premier League era, re-establishing them as title contenders after years in the relative doldrums.
Klopp Leaving Liverpool
The Liverpool manager, who has spent the last nine years at Anfield, announced in January 2024 that he was to step down at the end of the season, citing "running out of energy" as the main reason for his decision.
"I told the club already in November. I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it - or at least try to explain it.
"I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.
"It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."
Sometimes divisive, but universally respected, Klopp’s achievements as a manager will be remembered for decades to come.
His integrity and values as a man are at least as significant in his appeal to neutrals and Liverpool fans alike. Let’s take a look at Klopp’s career and life to date.
Jurgen Klopp Salary
According to Goal, Jurgen Klopp’s salary is somewhere in the £10 million ballpark. Sportekz claimed Klopp was the Premier League’s second-highest paid manager in 2020-21, a place he’s unlikely to have lost in 2021-22.
Klopp’s weekly wage is comparable to that of the best Premier League strikers. Given his impact on every club he has managed, it’s hard to argue with that.
He has taken Liverpool back to the top, developed numerous players, and collected silverware.
Jurgen Klopp Net Worth
Jurgen Klopp’s net worth is reportedly in the region of £40 million. While this is dwarfed by the $120 million figure for Jose Mourinho, this ranks pretty strongly alongside many other managers in EPL predictions.
Rafael Benitez, the last Liverpool manager to win the Champions League before Klopp, comes in at £22 million. Estimates for Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel sit around £15 million.
Most of Klopp’s net worth has obviously been amassed through salaries and bonuses, but his wealth will have had a boost from endorsement deals.
He has a partnership with Warsteiner, a German beer company. Not only does Germany have a rich tradition of beer drinking, Klopp is also personally connected to the industry.
The Liverpool manager said, "My grandparents owned a small brewery and I do enjoy a good beer."
On top of the collaboration with Warsteiner, Klopp has also worked with car manufacturer Opel, Philips, and Sky Deutschland.
During Liverpool’s partnership with New Balance, he was a brand ambassador, often donning the club merchandise on the sidelines.
Jurgen Klopp Wife
Jurgen Klopp has been married twice. His first wife was called Sabine, and the couple spent over a decade together before getting divorced in 2001.
There are minimal news stories about this relationship given Jurgen’s status in world football at that point in time and their desire to keep their lives very private.
Jurgen met his second wife, Ulla Sandrock, at a pub in the 2005 Oktoberfest. The couple didn’t hang around, tying the knot in December of the same year.
Sandrock has a child from a previous marriage – a son named Dennis.
Jurgen Klopp Son
Jurgen Klopp’s son is called Marc. Born in 1988, Marc followed in father’s footsteps, taking up a career in professional football as a right-back.
Starting out with FSV Frankfurt as a youth player, Marc moved on to Klein-Karben before a switch to Darmstadt in 2009.
He was at Dortmund with his father for a couple of years, though he never broke through to the first team.
After a short spell away from the game, Marc played in the Kreisliga for VfL Kemminghausen 1925. Injuries effectively ended Marc’s career, and he retired from the game midway through the 2010s.
Jurgen Klopp Teams Managed
Jurgen Klopp has managed three teams: Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.
Upon retiring as a player in 2001, Klopp took over as Mainz manager. He had played for the club for just over a decade, racking up 340 appearances.
It took only a couple of seasons for Klopp to make his mark, guiding Mainz to the Bundesliga in 2004. Relegation followed in 2006/07, though, and Klopp resigned in 2008.
His Heavy Metal Football got a bigger stage when he took over at Dortmund later that year. The project of Klopp’s gegenpressing and some sensational recruitment saw Die Schwarzgelben win the league title in 2010/11.
Despite losing some of their best players, Klopp guided Dortmund to the 2012/13 Champions League final.
Departures and fatigue began to take its toll on Klopp and the club. He left Dortmund in 2015. Joining Liverpool a matter of months later, Klopp got his first taste of football outside of Germany.
His heart on his sleeve nature was a perfect match for Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp Honours
Jurgen Klopp has collected numerous team and individual honours during his managerial career. Here are the highlights:
Bundesliga – 2010/11, 2011/12
DFB Pokal – 2011/12
Premier League – 2019/20
Champions League – 2018/19
German Football Manager of the Year – 2011, 2012, 2019
The Best FIFA Men’s Coach – 2019, 2020
Premier League Manager of the Season – 2019/20
BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year – 2020
Jurgen Klopp Eye Surgery
Some time during the 2021 offseason, Jurgen Klopp underwent a small procedure on his eyes. It was a topic the Liverpool manager was asked about when fans and media realised he was no longer wearing his trademark glasses.
With wealth similar to that of Pep Guardiola’s net worth, Klopp isn’t exactly short of the cash to go for a procedure like this. Interestingly, Klopp didn’t go for a permanent laser treatment on his eyes. Rather, he referred to it as a ‘correction’.
Speaking to BILD, he said, "It's actually totally private, but I can explain it to you once too. I've been wearing glasses since I was 10 years old - that's 44 years.
"The problem in recent years was that the glasses could no longer correct my poor eyesight. The solution to this was a minor intervention. It wasn't lasering or anything, but it made me see very well without glasses at the moment."
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
Teams losing players for AFCON is something to consider when weighing up Premier League odds in the coming weeks. Some have lost integral members of their squads, while others will be unaffected by the tournament hosted in Ivory Coast.
International football has been put on the back burner in Europe through the winter months, but this is a hectic time in the sporting calendar with AFCON and the Asian Cup taking place during European club seasons.
With injuries already causing major issues across the Premier League in 2023-24, international duties through January and February will stretch teams even thinner.
For the players, this is an opportunity to make history. Sure, they will have one eye on their club team’s results, but every AFCON is a massive event. Here are the Premier League players named in AFCON squads…
Arsenal – Mohamed Elneny
Mohamed Elneny has played a grand total of one Premier League minute this season. As AFCON begins, Arsenal are on a poor run, having been knocked out of the FA Cup and spluttered in the league.
Elneny’s absence isn’t going to make too much difference to Mikel Arteta, but it further depletes their depth with Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira sidelined through injury.
Aston Villa – Bertrand Traore
Like Elneny, Bertrand Traore has been out of favour at his club side. He is, however, a crucial member of the Burkina Faso team, and has the second-most caps of the squad for AFCON.
Traore has been dealing with a knock over the last few weeks, and has not appeared for Villa since early November. At least Burkina Faso boss Hubert Velud does not need to worry about fatigue with the former with his skipper.
Bournemouth – Dango Ouattara, Antoine Semenyo
Representing Burkina Faso and Ghana respectively, Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo are significant losses for Bournemouth. They have combined for 29 appearances in the first half of the season, 16 of which have been starts.
Bournemouth have some challenging games to come, including Liverpool, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. Andoni Iraola will be crossing his fingers for no further injuries while Ouattara and Semenyo are unavailable.
Brentford – Yoane Wissa, Frank Onyeka
Brentford have lost five Premier League matches in a row. They will be thankful that they have no more league fixtures until Ivan Toney returns from suspension, particularly with Yoane Wissa heading off to AFCON.
*Odds subject to change. Max stakes applies. T&C apply.
With four goals and an assist, Wissa is one of just three Brentford players with more than two goals this term.
While Frank Onyeka has predominantly been a substitute, he will still be missed while representing Nigeria. Brentford are dealing numerous injuries, and Onyeka is a very useful squad player for Thomas Frank.
Chelsea – Nicolas Jackson
It’s been a difficult first few months in London for Nicolas Jackson. The former Villarreal striker now gets a chance to be a hero for his country, as Senegal look to become the first nation to win consecutive AFCON titles since Egypt in 2010.
Only Cole Palmer can better Jackson’s tally of seven Premier League goals for Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino is still searching for an effective attacking formula, and there has been a setback for Christopher Nkunku after his return from injury.
Crystal Palace – Jordan Ayew
Crystal Palace notched a vital win in Jordan Ayew’s last Premier League match before joining up with Ghana for AFCON. Ayew put in perhaps his best performance of the season in the win, including an assist for Michael Olise’s opening goal.
That assist was Ayew’s fifth of the campaign. His 3.4 expected assists this season is more than Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison.
Everton – Idrissa Gueye
Idrissa Gueye is into his mid-thirties, but he’s still an asset for Everton and continues to be a key player for Senegal. The former PSG midfielder has a whopping 107 caps to his name, which is the most in an experienced Senegal squad.
While Gueye is not posting the same eye-popping numbers he did earlier in his career, he’s still up at 2.3 tackles and almost an interception per match. Sean Dyche is one of the best managers to navigate Gueye’s absence, though.
Fulham – Fodo Ballo-Toure, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey have combined for 24 Premier League starts this season. Fodo Ballo-Toure has only made four substitute appearances in the league, but his inclusion in the Senegal squad leaves Fulham a bit thin down the left.
Don’t be surprised to see the west London club delve into the transfer market this January. They will be desperate to avoid the slump that saw them slide down the table last season.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Of all the players away at AFCON, Mohamed Salah’s absence has the potential to have the greatest impact on Premier League winner betting odds.
Liverpool are top by three points as of 10th January. Salah is tied with Haaland in the Golden Boot race. The Egyptian has had four more goal involvements than any other player, and will likely be unavailable for the majority of the tournament, with Egypt expected to go on another deep run.
The fixture list has been kind to Liverpool during Salah’s absence until they face Chelsea on 31st January and Arsenal on 4th February.
Luton – Issa Kabore
An already thin Luton squad is being tested further with Issa Kabore’s absence. The right wing-back is second on the team in tackles per 90, and has played 1,053 minutes already in the Premier League.
Luton have a must-win against Burnley on the 12th before facing Brighton, Newcastle and Sheffield United.
Manchester United – Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat
Despite some high-profile blunders, Andre Onana has the sixth-best post-shot expected goal plus/minus in the Premier League this term. After a lengthy transfer saga following his excellent World Cup showings, Sofyan Amrabat has played just 612 league minutes.
With Casemiro still sidelined through injury, even more pressure falls on the young shoulders of Kobbie Mainoo while Amrabat pursues Morocco’s second AFCON.
Nottingham Forest – Serge Aurier, Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare, Moussa Niakhate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Ola Aina
Nottingham Forest have been hit the hardest of any team. Six players are heading to Ivory Coast for AFCON, and five of those have made double-digit league starts this season.
Cheikhou Kouyate is the only player to have started fewer than 10 times, and the ex-Crystal Palace man has still made 10 appearances in total.
*Odds subject to change. Max stakes applies. T&C apply.
The Forest faithful will have been thankful for their two wins at the end of 2023. Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping the new manager bounce can carry them through a difficult few weeks.
Sheffield United – Anis Ben Slimane, Yasser Larouci
The draw away to Aston Villa seemed to give Sheffield United some hope. Defeats to Luton and Manchester City again leave the Blades looking doomed.
Yasser Larouci and Anis Ben Slimane are not exactly integral members of the squad, but Chris Wilder needs all the help he can get at the moment.
Tottenham – Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma
Tottenham have arrested their slump with five wins from six across all competitions. Ange Postecoglou has already added Timo Werner in the January window, and rumours about a midfield acquisition are inevitable.
Rodrigo Bentancur has returned from injury at the right time, but Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg are the only other options in their two-man midfield.
Losing Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma at the same time is a real blow for Postecoglou. Both Mali and Senegal are fancied to progress, too.
West Ham – Mohammed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd
Scorer of four goals in five matches before departing for AFCON, West Ham will sorely miss Mohammed Kudus. David Moyes has other options in the final third, but losing Kudus as he was hitting a purple patch is disappointing.
Nayef Aguerd’s deputies are not of the same calibre. Moyes will at least be confident his replacements can hold the fort for a few weeks.
Wolves – Rayan Ait-Nouri, Boubacar Traore
After putting together a winning run in the league, Wolves lose Rayan Ait-Nouri and Boubacar Traore for a few weeks. Ait-Nouri has been a regular down the left, while Traore has been handed just three league starts.
Only three points off seventh place in the table, Wolves’ Premier League status is all but locked up for next season. They shouldn’t be hit too hard by these absences.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
It is not strictly accurate to claim that Liverpool fell into the doldrums between winning their last league championship in 1990 and securing their first Premier League title thirty years later.
In those three decades the Reds won the FA Cup three times, the League Cup on four occasions and in 2005 memorably pulled off a comeback of comebacks in Istanbul to lift the Champions League trophy.
Moreover, in the late 2000s, under the austere management of Rafa Benitez, Liverpool briefly began to challenge for the league again, taking Manchester United right to the wire in 2008/09.
Elevated with a midfield of Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso , with Torres up front, what a team that was.
Yet, for all of these high points, this was a club seemingly stuck in terminal decline, at least when compared to their illustrious former selves.
This was not the Liverpool of old, the one that dominated the English footballing landscape for nigh-on 25 years, consistently reaching a level of excellence that others simply couldn’t come close to matching.
For an entire generation, Liverpool football club were the big, bad wolf. The team to beat. The absolute best. And then, so quickly as to shock, they weren’t.
The reasons why and how they went from being extraordinary and extraordinarily successful, to ordinary and ordinarily competitive, are multi-fold and naturally enough – as so often is the way – originate from poor decisions being made from the top down.
Following Kenny Dalglish’s resignation in 1991, it was believed that Graeme Souness would offer some continuity and he was suitably lured south from Rangers.
Only Souness’ appointment proved to be a disastrous one, as the surly Scot endeavoured to deconstruct Liverpool’s legacy and start anew.
Ironically, the one area in which he succeeded in this regard was by signing a litany of players not fit to wear the famous shirt and inevitably as a consequence, Liverpool plummeted into semi-irrelevance.
From the Souness era to the Millennium, the Merseysiders averaged a league position of fifth, and though granted there was never a dramatic low, such as featuring in the Premier League relegation odds, nor were their defeats put on first anymore on Match of the Day.
Losses were no longer a novelty that got the nation talking. They were the norm from an also-ran.
What made their steady and inexorable decline infinitely harder to take of course was seeing their arch rival from down the M62 emerge as the new super-power.
After decades of dwelling in mediocrity, Manchester United rose imperiously to prominence under Sir Alex Ferguson and with their title triumphs coinciding with the newly-formed Premier League and its considerable commercial weight, it duly made the Red Devils a world force.
This was their time and it’s fair to say they full capitalised on it. Indeed, United dominated the English footballing landscape for nigh-on 20 years.
For an entire generation, they were the big, bad wolf. The team to beat. The absolute best. And then, so quickly as to shock, they weren’t.
The parallels between United’s recent struggles and Liverpool’s failure to adjust to being mortal in the Nineties are hard to ignore. In fact, they are uncanny, right down to the mistakes being repeatedly made.
They begin with United attempting to appoint continuity in the form of a Scottish manager.
David Moyes may not have tried to deconstruct Old Trafford’s legacies – he would never have dared – but, like Souness, he was not up to scratch, additionally bringing in players who fell far below the elite standards required.
For David Speedie, read Marouane Fellaini.
From there we head into more abstract territory though it’s no less convincing.
Post-Souness, Liverpool found their glorious recent past to be a burden, pulling them in one direction while simultaneously they attempted to start over.
Not knowing which way to go, or who they were anymore, they became overly reverential to their glory days while trying to forge a fresh path. Ultimately, they became caught between two stools.
United too have suffered enormously from this predicament as they veer from one way of thinking, to another.
Each incoming manager vows to organically build but each summer the club spends a fortune on their latest galactico signing, typically in a position that is already well catered to. Why? Because they’re Manchester United, that’s why. It is what they feel they’re supposed to do.
Leaving little funds to then actually buy players to forge a productive collective unit, the manager is forced to shoehorn these luxury players into his ill-balanced side.
Such schizophrenic thinking, and such futile attempts to resolve their problems in a single window, has had unavoidable consequences. United’s average league position since 2013 is fifth. Sound familiar?
In truth, the media haven’t exactly helped matters, falsely portraying every success – because like Liverpool, even their fallow period has brought trophies, if seldomly - as a rebirth, a recovery.
United are back because they have won the League Cup. United are back because they’ve strung five victories together in a row. It’s gotten tiresome.
The media haven’t helped either, by depicting every poor season as a temporary crisis, doing so because it’s in their best interests to retain the illusion that a club blessed with a huge fan-base – and thereby a huge audience and readership – are still as relevant as they used to be.
The truth of the matter is that this season is not a crisis for United. It is their reality and furthermore has been their reality for a decade. This is who they are now and this is who they’ve been for quite some period.
At times, it feels like the only two entities to properly acknowledge this are the cold and clinical betting markets and a popular show broadcast on Saturday evenings.
At the beginning of every campaign, United’s Premier League odds cast them as outsiders, the 13-time champions usually justifying the distinct lack of faith shown in them.
On Match of the Day meanwhile, a defeat by Erik Ten Hag’s men is typically consigned to the middle section.
No longer are defeats a novelty, nor their struggle an especially big story. Rather it is the norm.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
The fans, players and staff at the Philadelphia Eagles will definitely be questioning things after their defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.
At this point in the year they have to know their identity and know what things click for them, but I’m not sure they do.
A season really has four quarters and by the fourth quarter you want to know who in your team is really hot.
You need to be able to lean on players who you know will perform and plays that will work – they don’t have that. That is scary for them because you don’t want to be still trying to figure things out going into the playoffs.
Every week we’re asking questions about them and that is not a good place to be in heading into the playoffs.
Raiders squad wants Antonio Pierce to stay
I definitely think that Antonio Pierce should be named Raiders Head Coach permanently because I have seen him lead – that is what you’re looking for. I think Mark Davis will have seen that and the players also recognise it.
The players performances are telling Mark Davis that Pierce is their guy, so if he goes another route then he could be in very dangerous territory.
If Davis chooses someone else, whoever it is will be the team’s second choice. That is not good.
If he doesn’t go with Pierce, then whoever is in that seat will have to a lot to prove. Everyone in the Raiders locker room wants Antonio Pierce.
Jason Bell’s NFL awards:
MVP: Lamar Jackson
It’s looking like Lamar is going to be the MVP and I actually made that prediction at the start of the season.
I thought he could be the MVP, but I actually still thought that Kansas City would be the better team. The Chiefs could still be really scary but the Ravens look seriously good.
Offensive Player of the Year: Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill would have to be my pick for Offensive Player of the Year and I actually think he should have made a better case to be the MVP.
Rookie: CJ Stroud
There isn’t too much more that can be said about CJ Stroud that we haven’t already heard. He is my obvious pick for Rookie of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett
The Defensive player of the year is the toughest one for me. I’ll stick with Myles Garrett because that Browns defence is playing so well and he has torn teams apart this season. I’ve enjoyed watching him this year.
The other big contender for me is Micah Parsons because he literally obliterates teams. Even when it doesn’t look like he’s wrecking shop, he’s still wrecking shop. He shows up on the highlight reels almost every game.
2024 Draft set to be an exciting one
At this point in the year nobody can truly know what is going to happen in the draft.
Nobody knows anything until the Bears decide what they are going to do. It really comes down to who is willing to pay up.
It is going to be an exciting drafts because it is not just quarterbacks coming through and we still have to wait and see what Chicago do.
There are so many moving points which means we need to be locked into what happens in the off-season.
A few games catch the eye in Week 18
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins is obviously the big game in Week 18 given that it is the battle for the AFC East, but there are a couple others that I have got my eye on.
Indianapolis Colts @ Dallas Texans and Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars should also be great games. The Jaguars Titans game is a really big one because that will lock up the AFC South. They’re all big matchups.
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears is another big one because the Bears could knock the Packers out. Justin Fields is playing for his future and they’re playing for a playoff spot. The two teams simply don’t like each other and it is going to be an epic battle.
The management style of Sean Dyche is accompanied by all manner of stereotypes, not all of them flattering.
He is generally perceived to be an old-fashioned sergeant-major type who demands maximum application. He can drill a back-line into uniformed order with the best of them.
What you typically get from a Sean Dyche team is commitment, organisation and very little hesitation to revert to basics when the basics are called for.
In all of these regards, the former Burnley boss is painted as a throw-back, a non-nonsense meat and potatoes guy who stands unique amongst data geeks who can tell you the GPS stats for their reserve left-back at the drop of a hat.
Of course, all of this is a nonsense, a slight on a manager who is as tactically savvy as any of his peers, with intuitive man-management skills that are nigh-on unrivalled.
Sean Dyche is a thoroughly modern coach, one of the very best we have. He just happens to unfortunately embody the persona of a bouncer at a working men’s club.
Still, that didn’t stop social media taking great delight in succumbing to cliché soon after the ‘Ginger Guardiola’ took charge at Everton. A video emerged of the players huffing and puffing in training, all to a backdrop of Dyche grinning from ear to ear.
‘Good old Dychey’, seemed to be the patronising sentiment. He’ll soon whip those under-performing Blues into shape. He’ll soon have them running.
Which he has, though pertinently not to an extent particularly greater than what was evidenced under his predecessor Frank Lampard. Bar the odd exception such as Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the Toffees’ overall milage has remained the same.
What Dyche has done at Goodison is firstly install a structure, and a sensible one at that, before trusting his players over time to embrace an identity, one that has organisation at its core, but also allows for any number of midfielders to bomb forward and assist Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top.
To date, the strategy is working a treat.
But back to the beginning and his appointment. On taking over at Everton last January, Dyche inherited a broken team devoid of any confidence. They had won only three games all season and somewhat inevitably they found themselves well-backed in the football betting to drop.
Pragmatism was required. The basics. Subsequently, all of the attributes that he is associated with – those that additionally diminish him – came to the fore and it’s no coincidence that four of their following five crucial victories were achieved via hard-fought 1-0 scorelines.
This season, however, we have seen a different Everton. There has been more adventure. More risks taken in the final third and more men advanced forward to allow these risks to be taken.
A 4-4-1-1 formation, that can easily switch to a 3-5-2 when up against it, lies at the heart of their improvement, a system that has got outstanding performances out of James Garner and Onana.
That has seen Doucoure play almost as a second striker at times and given license to Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison to create down the flanks.
It should be said too that the form of Tarkowski, Branthwaite and Mykolenko at the back has been central to Everton winning games. A Sean Dyche team will always be solid, no matter what.
How Everton, as a club, responded to this seismic set-back would be fundamental to the health of their short-term future.
And here we go back to Dyche’s man-management acumen, because what we’ve witnessed is a team hell-bent on immediately righting a wrong. Four consecutive victories leading up to Christmas, all to nil, is testament to that.
The Toffees still feature in the sports betting relegation markets. Due to their enforced points deduction they presently lie just a mere point above the bottom three.
Yet this is a team that is in infinitely better condition to their struggling incarnation of twelve months prior. With kinder fate, they would be fancied to challenge for a European spot.
Sean Dyche didn’t accrue the characteristics he is known for unfairly. Many of them hold true. But he is far, far more than silly stereotypes.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
