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Manchester United secured qualification for next season’s Champions League as Erik ten Hag’s men roared to a comprehensive 4-1 victory against wasteful Chelsea. The Dutchman has led the Red Devils to Carabao Cup glory and next month’s FA Cup final during a promising first season that looked certain to end in a top-four finish until a recent wobble. But Ten Hag has righted the ship and United secured a return to European football’s top table with a game to spare as Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored against toothless Chelsea. This was a club record 16th defeat in a 38-match Premier League season for Frank Lampard’s Blues, who saw a bad early Mykhailo Mudryk miss punished by a sixth minute Casemiro header. Further Chelsea chances went begging across the evening, including the miss by Conor Gallagher in first half stoppage time that was followed by Martial scoring. Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and substitute Marcus Rashford’s goal – his 30th of the season in all competitions – wrapped up a victory that was only dampened by Antony’s exit on a stretcher and a late Joao Felix consolation. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Last May, Casemiro won the Champions League. This May, he has qualified for it. It sounds the lesser achievement. A player who played in four Champions League final victories is now mathematically assured of a top-four finish. As Manchester United returned to the top table of European football, it owed much to Casemiro. Over the season, he has been a catalytic force. On the night when they condemned Chelsea to defeat and Liverpool to the Europa League, he was again. United had been short of goals of late but Casemiro started a rout of the 2021 Champions League winners. Erik ten Hag bought a defensive midfielder, but Casemiro has contributed much in attack. He scored the opening goal and helped set up the second with a sand wedge of a pass. Anthony Martial scored it, Bruno Fernandes added a third from the penalty spot before the substitute Marcus Rashford became the first player to score 30 goals in a season for United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. But the name that echoed most around Old Trafford, unsurprisingly, was Casemiro’s. He signed in August after the embarrassment of the 4-0 demolition at Brentford; undeterred, Casemiro has helped lead a revival. United’s season, which began disastrously, will end with Ten Hag in credit. With a trophy in the cabinet and a top-four finish, there is a sense his mission has been accomplished, even if the mood will partly be affected by whether United end Manchester City’s treble hopes in the FA Cup final. There was a pragmatic element to buying Casemiro, paying £63m for a player in his thirties. There was a need for a short-term return on their investment, but United have got it. As Ten Hag had noted on Wednesday, and in relation to Chelsea, money is not enough without strategy. Some £600m later, the Londoners played some enterprising football at Old Trafford but departed with an eighth defeat in 10 matches under Frank Lampard. United instead showed the flair to get four goals and, with Chelsea’s defence disintegrating, could have had twice as many. A third successive win took their tally to 40 victories this season and 29 games unbeaten at Old Trafford. Casemiro is the serial winner who has assumed a symbolic importance. Ten Hag revamped and upgraded United’s midfield last summer and his signings combined effectively. Casemiro’s aerial ability at set-pieces has proved a welcome benefit and he headed in Christian Eriksen’s free kick. Until the Dane was injured in January, he ranked second only to Kevin De Bruyne for assists in the Premier League, and the quality of his delivery has added another dimension. Casemiro had opened his United account against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Bought to give ballast to the midfield, he has proved more prolific than most expected; a seventh goal of the season equalled the best haul of his career. It is a moot point if this was his most important goal for United – he did score in the Carabao Cup final – but the significance of Champions League football means it could be. Jadon Sancho and Martial were particular culprits as United’s attackers took poor decisions and bad touches until, in a moment of redemption, the winger sprang the offside trap to meet Casemiro’s pass and centre for the striker to have a tap-in. Thereafter, Fernandes hit the post after being found by Sancho. Eriksen ought to have added a third from about three yards but was denied by that rarity, a wondrous save by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Fernandes did when tripped by Wesley Fofana, scoring the spot kick himself. Fofana’s traumatic afternoon continued as he gifted the ball to Fernandes. He found Rashford, who ended up rolling the ball in to become the first United player to reach 30 since Robin van Persie. Rashford had come on when Antony was stretchered off, his chances of appearing in the FA Cup final presumably over, head in hands after an innocuous challenge by Trevoh Chalobah. Luke Shaw came off at half-time with a minor back injury that is less likely to rule him out. For Chelsea, the relief may be that there is only one more game to go in a harrowing season. Frank Lampard named Chelsea’s youngest ever team in the Premier League. The youngest of them acquitted himself well: for the second time in five days in Manchester, Lewis Hall was their best player. He twice could have had an assist, inviting crosses bringing an awful miss from Mykhailo Mudryk and a header wide by Kai Havertz, and had a shot parried by David de Gea. Carney Chukwuemeka showed glimpses of talent, too, and the substitute Joao Felix drilled in a consolation goal. But, when Alejandro Garnacho hit the bar, they came perilously close to conceding a fifth. It is little over a year since they faced Casemiro, then with Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final. He will be in the competition again next year. Chelsea certainly won’t be. Read More Erling Haaland aims to cap stunning debut season with Man City by winning treble Manchester United vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount Rumours: Man Utd in £55m Mount bid as Arsenal consider Smith-Rowe sale

A businessman and football club owner convicted of fraudulent trading has lost a civil court fight with a council involved in investigating allegations of mis-selling. Andy Pilley, owner of League One side Fleetwood and chairman of BES Utilities, had been involved in High Court litigation with Cheshire West and Chester Council. BES Utilities and a number of other utility firms based in the Fleetwood and Blackpool areas of Lancashire had sued the council. They made a number of complaints – including an allegation of misfeasance and an allegation that search warrants were obtained unlawfully. Council bosses denied all allegations and a High Court judge has ruled in their favour. Mr Justice Freedman has dismissed claims made against the council. The judge said the case involved “non-domestic energy suppliers based in Fleetwood/Blackpool, Lancashire” working in the “small to medium-sized enterprise business market”. He said the litigation concerned “allegations about mis-selling” which had “brought about a criminal investigation”. Pilley, 52, was found guilty last week of fraudulent trading, fraud by false representation and being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts following a trial at Preston Crown Court and will be sentenced on July 3. Three other people were also convicted. Mr Justice Freedman had overseen High Court hearings in London in late 2021 but had ruled that his findings could not be revealed until the crown court trial concluded in case jurors were influenced. The judge released his findings on late on Thursday following the conclusion of that trial. Pilley has been the chairman and owner of Fleetwood for 20 years and has overseen their rise from non-league status to the English Football League. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne in race to make Ireland’s Euro 2024 clashes Erling Haaland aims to cap stunning debut season with Man City by winning treble Izzy Christiansen calls it a day – Thursday’s sporting social

Follow live coverage as Manchester United face Chelsea in the Premier League today. The hosts only need a point to make certain of Champions League qualification, which would ensure the club finish ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League’s top four. Ten Hag named an unchanged side and stuck with the same team that beat Bournemouth at the weekend, with top scorer Marcus Rashford returning to the bench after missing recent games. Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk and Carney Chukwuemeka came in for Chelsea as Thiago Silva, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Raheem Sterling dropped out. The latter was absent from the squad entirely due to a hamstring injury. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below: Read More How Erik ten Hag survived stunning lows to lead Manchester United’s unconventional revival Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount

Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne are facing a race against time to be fit for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar next month. Frontman Ogbene is working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered during Rotherham’s 1-0 Sky Bet Championship win over Middlesbrough on May 1, while Preston midfielder Browne is continuing his rehabilitation from medial ligament damage sustained at QPR on April 7. Speaking after a four-day training camp with his EFL and League of Ireland-based players in Bristol, manager Stephen Kenny said: “Chiedozie Ogbene had a hamstring tear with Rotherham and hasn’t been able to participate this week, so we’ll have to see how that is. Alan Browne as well, [is] coming back from a medial injury, so these are dilemmas for us.” Ogbene in particular has become a key member of Kenny’s team – he started the 1-0 defeat by World Cup finalists France at the Aviva Stadium in March as Ireland opened their Group B campaign – while Browne has scored against Belgium, Scotland and Norway in the last year or so. The squad is due to be finalised next week – Atletico Madrid defender Matt Doherty will join up after his club’s final LaLiga fixture at Villarreal on June 4 – before preparations begin in earnest. Despite a resilient display against Didier Deschamps’ men, the Republic know they may need to take maximum points from June’s double-header – they face Greece in Athens on Friday, June 16 and Gibraltar in Dublin three days later – if they are to force their way out of a difficult group which also includes the Netherlands. That, however, may prove easier said than done in the heat of the Greek capital – Ireland will spend nine days training in the Turkish resort of Antalya in a bid to acclimatise – and with the hosts having topped their group in Nations League C. Hopefully some of the players can come through some of their injury difficulties and if so, we want to make sure we're ready Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny Kenny said: “Greece are a good team, they won their Nations League group so we’re going to have to really perform to a high level. We need to make sure we are absolutely 100 per cent, and going to Turkey will help us, training in similar conditions, get ourselves ready. “We go to Athens on the Wednesday and play on the Friday against Greece before we come back and play, and I heard that 42,00 have already been sold for Gibraltar, which is fantastic. It would be great to have a full house there if we could on the Monday night. “But at the moment, we’re firmly focused on our preparations for that, and I think that will give us a chance, our preparations here, coming to Bristol, going to Turkey. “Hopefully some of the players can come through some of their injury difficulties and if so, we want to make sure we’re ready.”

Erling Haaland has set his sights on history as Manchester City chase the treble. The striker remained focused on City’s finals as he collected the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year award in London on Thursday. Haaland has scored 52 goals in 51 games for City – ahead of Sunday’s Premier League finale at Brentford – following his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund last summer. City face Inter Milan in Istanbul in the Champions League final on June 10, a week after they play Manchester United in the FA Cup final, having already won the Premier League. They are aiming to emulate their city rivals’ achievement of 1999. Haaland said: “There are two finals left, we have to stay focused even though we won the Premier League. “We have to stay focused to achieve what we can achieve in the next two finals. I will do everything I can to achieve good things in the finals and hopefully win both. “It’s a good thing being favourites (against Inter Milan) because it means we have qualities, we have to attack the game in our way, play our football and in the end we’ll see who wins it.” Haaland earned 82 per cent of the votes to win the FWA award, 75 years after Sir Stanley Matthews won the first trophy, ahead of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. “I feel good, it’s a special moment,” he added, speaking to the FWA. “I expected to do good things but, to do this, I didn’t expect.” He has broken the record for the most Premier League goals in a season with 36 as Manchester City wrapped up a third straight title with three games to spare, having trailed Arsenal by eight points at one stage. I expected to do good things but, to do this, I didn't expect. Haaland on being named the FWA Men's Footballer of the Year “It’s really just about taking it game-by-game, to be honest, and to focus on what we can focus about,” said the 22-year-old. “I don’t like to focus on the future or the past. I like to live in moment and I like to take it game-by-game – exactly what he (Pep Guardiola) said we were going to do and that’s what we did. “We focused and we achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve. In then end it’s unreal what we did, being behind all season and we came like a unit together. It was amazing and an amazing feeling.” Chelsea’s Sam Kerr took the women’s award, making the Australian the first player to win the trophy in consecutive seasons. The striker scored the winner in Chelsea’s 1-0 FA Cup final triumph over Manchester United earlier this month. Chelsea, who have a two-point lead over Manchester United, know victory at Reading on Saturday will seal the WSL title on the final day of the season. Kerr said: “It’s amazing. It’s something that I’m very proud of. Off the back of the Euros women’s football has grown a lot. Walking down the street, the crowds are bigger. Everything’s just increased over the last year. “I think to some people it might look easy but every year it gets harder and harder (to win the league). Anyone that’s involved in football knows how hard it is to come back year after year and to stay at the top. So we’re doing everything to win on Saturday.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Izzy Christiansen calls it a day – Thursday’s sporting social Ben Earl hopes to make England case by leading Saracens to Premiership glory Dave Challinor always confident Stockport could secure promotion

LaLiga president Javier Tebas claims with the correct legal framework he can eradicate racism in Spanish football within six months. The problem has been an issue for some time but hit the headlines on Sunday when Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior spoke out after being abused at Valencia, saying Spain was a racist country because of “continuous episodes across several cities”, and his club filed a hate crime complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. That prompted a tetchy response to Vinicius on social media from Tebas, for which he subsequently apologised, but after complaining the league’s hands were tied by the country’s law which means LaLiga can currently only identify and report incidents and punishment is rarely handed out, the outspoken president is adamant he can rapidly eliminate the problem. “What we want is the power to do more things. With the power we are convinced within months this would be solved,” he told a specially-arranged press conference. “We are going along the legal route and I think in six months’ time this will be at zero and we will be the best league in the world. “The competencies we want are for those intolerable behaviours – racism, homophobia.” When challenged on his six-month solution claim, Tebas added: “We have been able to have economic control to stop our clubs gong bankrupt so if we are given the competencies we can put an end to this because it is easier to stop than financial control. “Tomorrow, a communique will go to the head of government and political parties requesting the law is urgently modified against racism, xenophobia and intolerance and requesting the (Spanish Football) Federation and LaLiga to have competencies.” Asked why LaLiga had not made such a request before, Tebas said: “That was probably a mistake of ours too but we thought we were making progress in the courts when we made complaints directly. “We have seen it is not enough and we need greater agility and more speed to solve these problems more quickly.” We are going along the legal route and I think in six months' time this will be at zero and we will be the best league in the world LaLiga president Javier Tebas on tackling racism In the interim, Tebas said Vinicius would have his full backing should he decide to walk off the pitch in the face of further racist abuse. “If he feels affected of course I’d encourage him to leave the pitch,” he said. “He and the whole team could abandon it. That is the decision of the referee but I’d encourage him to leave the pitch – he will be supported by me personally and LaLiga.” LaLiga has set up dedicated reporting channels, via email and its website, in order to speed up the identification of people who engage in racist behaviour but since the creation of LaLiga’s integrity and security department in 2015, there have only been, according to documentation provided by LaLiga, more than a dozen racist incidents linked to matches reported. However, LaLiga also lists nine separate incidents relating to Vinicius since December 2020, four of which have been resolved but with only two found to have featured racism, with the clubs involved allowed to issue sanctions themselves. Tebas denied Spain was a racist country but admitted he was concerned about the league’s worldwide image in the light of the latest accusations, although he did not think it would deter black players from signing for LaLiga clubs. “If I weren’t concerned I’d be crazy. Of course I am concerned and we will work to find a solution to turn this image around. Spanish football is not racist,” said Tebas, who said he would speak to Vinicius when things had “calmed down” but had contacted sponsors to offer reassurances. “We think it doesn’t reflect reality. This is unexpected and difficult but something we have to face up to, we can’t just hide and cry in the corner. “We do protect black sportspeople from any racism. We will continue to protect them from any insults they receive on the field, in their professional career and outside their professional career.”

Stockport boss Dave Challinor always believed his side would be fighting for promotion as the Hatters prepare to face Carlisle in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final. County are bidding to make it back-to-back promotions on Sunday and booked their place at Wembley after coming from behind to beat Salford 3-1 on penalties after the two sides were locked at 2-2 on aggregate after extra time over two legs. Challinor took over at Edgeley Park in November 2021, just five months after he guided Hartlepool into League Two and the County boss repeated that feat with his current club – this time finding himself one game away from his first English Football League promotion. The 47-year-old admitted they suffered a poor start to the season but never stopped believing he could guide the club to successive promotions. He told a press conference: “The start of this season was tough but we have got over that and we have built. “Now it’s come up to this point where we have to back ourselves and we all hoped of having the shot of getting into League One because that was our ambition at the start of the season. “It was a big ambition some would say, now we have the opportunity to take it. Promotion was always the plan, the hope, the ambition and that’s the big thing.” Stockport ended the season unbeaten in 13 games but narrowly missed out on the automatic promotion places, finishing just four points behind Northampton in third place. Challinor admits the Wembley stage is a far different atmosphere to many that greet his players on the pitch on a weekly basis in the fourth tier, as around 40,000 fans are expected to descend onto Wembley Way. He continued: “You can have an impact in front of 10,000 at Edgeley Park, a bigger impact elsewhere in front of 2,000, it’s going to be difficult in front of the Wembley crowd. “What we do everyday on the grass outside gives us bigger belief and trust that the players are good enough and that’s not going to stop me from wanting to kick a bottle or an advertising board. “We are in a really strong situation, the fact we have got two players in (Antoni) Sarcevic and (Chris) Hussey that have played in a play-off final, so in terms of that, they can pass on completely different feelings and emotions, and we need to use those experiences in a positive way.” Striker Paddy Madden has scored 10 league goals this season so far, and was also a part of the side which won promotion to League Two last year. The 33-year-old made the switch to non-league from League One Fleetwood in the 20-21 season, and Madden insists his move was always based around the vision of the football club when many thought it was for financial reasons only. He said: “At the time there were a lot of eyebrows raised about dropping down the leagues but I knew what kind of plans were in place here. “I had the chance to watch a couple of game at Edgeley Park, heard the atmosphere and that played a massive part in me coming here because I knew how well the team was followed. “We always backed ourselves that we would get into a good position, we are annoyed with ourselves that we did not get top three but at the same time getting promoted through the play-offs is better.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Javier Tebas wants LaLiga to have power to eradicate racism in Spanish football Jason Roy looks Los Angeles-bound but says ‘I never will walk away from England’ Callum Smith’s ‘excited’ about his Canada bout

Manchester United need only a point to make certain of Champions League qualification as they host Chelsea. Erik ten Hag’s side have already won the Carabao Cup this year, and a win or draw would be enough to ensure the club finish ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League’s top four. It would continue a promising first season under the Dutchman, with another trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final still to come. Chelsea, meanwhile, are certain to finish in the bottom half with Frank Lampard’s time in interim charge almost at an end. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Manchester United vs Chelsea? Manchester United vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 25 May at Old Trafford in Manchester. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage on the channels from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go. Team news Marcus Rashford missed Manchester United’s win against Bournemouth due to illness, but has been back in training and could return to the matchday squad. Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek will all miss the club’s remaining business this season. Chelsea are rather limping to the end of a difficult season, with Benoit Badiashile needing groin surgery and added to a significant injury list. Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount are all thought to be doubts, with Reece James and N’Golo Kante two regular starters certainly sidelined. Predicted line-ups Manchester United XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford. Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Fofana; Azpilicueta, Fernandez, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Hall; Havertz, Sterling. Odds Manchester United win 4/6 Draw 7/2 Chelsea win 17/4 Prediction Manchester United secure a top four finish with a home win.Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea Read More Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount How Erik ten Hag survived stunning lows to lead Manchester United’s unconventional revival Is Manchester United vs Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points

Manchester United need only a point to make certain of Champions League qualification as they host Chelsea. Erik ten Hag’s side have already won the Carabao Cup this year, and a win or draw would be enough to ensure the club finish ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League’s top four. It would continue a promising first season under the Dutchman, with another trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final still to come. Chelsea, meanwhile, are certain to finish in the bottom half with Frank Lampard’s time in interim charge almost at an end. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Manchester United vs Chelsea? Manchester United vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 25 May at Old Trafford in Manchester. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage on the channels from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go. Team news Marcus Rashford missed Manchester United’s win against Bournemouth due to illness, but has been back in training and could return to the matchday squad. Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek will all miss the club’s remaining business this season. Chelsea are rather limping to the end of a difficult season, with Benoit Badiashile needing groin surgery and added to a significant injury list. Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount are all thought to be doubts, with Reece James and N’Golo Kante two regular starters certainly sidelined. Predicted line-ups Manchester United XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford. Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Fofana; Azpilicueta, Fernandez, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Hall; Havertz, Sterling. Odds Manchester United win 4/6 Draw 7/2 Chelsea win 17/4 Prediction Manchester United secure a top four finish with a home win.Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea Read More Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount How Erik ten Hag survived stunning lows to lead Manchester United’s unconventional revival Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount

Herm Edwards returned to ESPN in November after multiple years away coaching college football at Arizona State. So if he missed a thing or two that happened in

Tottenham Hotspur have, yet again, a summer of change and big decisions ahead of them. The mid-campaign sacking of Antonio Conte has left plenty of questions to be answered, ones which Cristian Stellini was unable to deal with and which Ryan Mason hasn’t fared much better on either, but as usual in the close-season there’s one issue which matters above all else: transfers. For most clubs without a head coach in place, while not an ideal scenario, there will still be a normal process to follow and an expected list of targets to bid for. Those exact names might change depending on who takes over, but the recruitment team will already know, for example, they need to replace an out of contract central midfielder, or want to upgrade on the goalkeeper and so on. For Spurs, it’s rather more complex given they don’t have a sporting director in place either - this summer really is a clean slate in that regard. It’s an opportunity to start afresh, but also presents a bit of a problem from a tactical team-building perspective, specifically because the managers Daniel Levy appears to be targetting are so radically different from Conte. The Italian favoured a regular 3-4-3 setup, while the potential incoming names most heavily linked have been first Arne Slot - he has since announced he’s staying at Feyenoord - and now Ange Postecoglou, both coaches who have had fixed back four systems this season and before. By and large that’s not a wild issue to contend with; the Spurs front three could fit in the Celtic boss’ 4-3-3 without question as an example, but there is one area of this Tottenham team which is an absolute misfit for any back four boss: the defensive flanks. Spurs’ squad is, naturally, built with wing-backs. And not the full-backs-turned-wing-backs type after being let off their defensive leash either, but outright flexible, offensive-minded, hard-working attacking outlets, mostly wingers asked to play from deeper starting positions. Ivan Perisic was a wide forward; Ryan Sessegnon made his name as a winger. Emerson Royal has never been a full-back worthy of the title, even when he was nominally included in a Barcelona back four lineup. Back in October, Pedro Porro lined up on the right and Perisic on the left directly against each other - the Spaniard then playing for Sporting CP, as wing-back, of course. Stellini’s final game in charge as interim boss showed the folly of trying to quickly repurpose the wing-backs on Spurs’ books into back four players. With Porro on the right and Perisic on the left, Tottenham had no line, no cohesion, no protection against the speed, movement and confidence of Newcastle’s attack, resulting in being five goals down in 21 minutes. A 23rd-minute sub put an end to that experiment, and it wasn’t repeated afterwards until Spurs’ most recent outing. Another defeat ensued. With Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie due to return from loans, both also far more adept as wing-backs than full-backs, there’s a real dilemma as to the future in that area of the pitch unless an incoming boss is determined (or convinced) to stay the course with a three-man setup. While the centre-backs are also more adept at being in a three than a pair - Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies at the very least are more comfortable in this system - there’s more scope for a club to sign a central player who can play in both arrangements than there is to start a total overhaul down the flanks. That is particularly important as these positions affect buildup play so much for both of the recently linked bosses, while defensively there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest a back three has helped Spurs - only the bottom three, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have conceded fewer this season. Postecoglou, it should be noted, has been tactically flexible in his career. He used a back three with Australia at times, though usually in matches where they were the underdog. Whether that’s his preferred stance when reshaping an entire team is doubtful. Whoever the incoming manager is will, naturally, want a say on at least the type of player and the area of a team they want guarantees in. Perhaps the appointment of a new sporting director will do likewise, them having clarity of how the team should be rebuilt and move forward. Regardless of the eventual name the club lands - and judging by their recent attempts to fill the dugout, even an approach for Postecoglou might be a long way from a success - there’s one absolute certainty: if they plan a Tottenham future with a back four in place, a complete overhaul is necessary to go from leaky wing-backs to a stable setup, only adding to what is already set to be a chaotic and expensive summer in north London. Read More Tottenham identify new first choice for manager after Arne Slot snub Arne Slot makes decision on Tottenham job Premier League 2022/23 season awards: Best player, manager, transfer flop and breakthrough act Tottenham identify new first choice for manager after Slot snub Arne Slot makes decision on Tottenham job Tottenham identify leading candidate to be next manager