On The Premier League
What caught your eye this weekend in the Premier League?
Man City caught my eye in the Premier League this week. Everyone has suggested that they might not have the appetite to win five titles in a row. There’s the off the field stuff, and doubts about Pep’s future, but that performance against Ipswich put those doubts to bed completely.
Are they still up for it? Of course they are. They want it and they will be the team to stop this season.
Pep gets his team focussed regardless of whatever is happening. He has built a winning machine.
Haaland showed Ipswich what the level is like in the Premier League. Hattrick, have some of that.
Pep Guardiola doesn’t make many mistakes, but is letting Cole Palmer leave one of them?
Did Pep Guardiola make a mistake in selling Cole Palmer? That’s difficult to say. I love Palmer as a player; I think he’s fantastic. Did his loss impact City last season? It didn’t, and Pep has always let players go if he can’t give them the game time they desire, and I think that was the case with Palmer.
He sold Jesus, Sterling, Zinchenko, all players that delivered for him when they were at City, but he saw little bits of their game that he didn’t like. He was happy to move them on, but with Palmer it was a bit different. He wanted to play every week and Pep couldn’t give him those assurances.
If you asked Pep, I’m sure he would be pleased to see Palmer doing well.
I love Cole Palmer’s playing style and his confidence. He’s a brilliant player who has grasped his opportunity to demonstrate how good he is in the Premier League.
Cole Palmer got a hattrick of assist and a goal. Is he the best number 10 or player with a free role in the Premier League?
Cole Palmer has got an awful lot in his locker. It’s natural; it’s easy, and its instinctual. That chip he scored against Wolves on Sunday was a perfect demonstration of what he’s all about as a player.
There’s a classiness and a confidence about what he does.
I don’t think Palmer has a free role. The best teams can’t afford to have a player that is given a free role anymore - you can’t just be effective in the zones around the box, making things happen. You need to work for your team. You've got to be aware of what's going on when you are defending.
Palmer floats into positions and, when you watch him play, you could he's got a free roll because of his style on the pitch. That deceptiveness and cuteness is the beauty of his game. He’s hard to pick-up and he never stands still - you can lose players with your movement just by stepping off a someone at the right time, which is something that I had in my locker. I wasn’t the quickest, but my movement was good, and that ability to ghost around the pitch is an art that he’s got. I love watching him.
On Raheem Sterling’s Chelsea treatment
I was so shocked to see what has happened to Raheem Sterling at Chelsea. It would have been hard for him to stomach too. He’s been a top player throughout his career, especially at Liverpool and Manchester City. He’s been a top player for England over the years.
For this to happen to him, for him to be cast off and unwanted, at his age, coming into his prime, it just doesn’t make sense. These are the years where he should be performing at his best. 29-32 are often your best years as a professional footballer, because you’re experienced, you’re fit and you’re confident. For him to be sidelined like this…Wow! It shouldn’t be happening to him at this stage of his career after what he’s achieved in the game.
He showed his best form under Pep Guardiola. I think playing for a manager in such a steady and structured environment has been a big loss for him since he moved to Chelsea. Nobody knows what is going to happen at Chelsea from one day to the next, it’s a circus over there. You can’t believe what goes on at that club. The turnover of players and managers at that club is ridiculous. It’s not an environment that helps players deliver their best performances. Perhaps leaving would be a blessing in disguise for him. Perhaps playing in a settled environment with good structure is what he needs next.
On Crystal Palace being linked with a move to sign him
There’s talks that Crystal Palace would like to take him, and I suspect that he’ll have a few offers before the transfer window shuts. Palace aren’t the biggest club in the league, but they’ve made steady improvement under Oliver Glasner and everything is relatively settled there. It feels like he needs a change of environment and the opportunity to play - I think Palace could offer him that.
What happens next with Sterling?
I've been around similar situations before. A footballer getting forced out of a club isn’t anything new, it’s something you’ll see plenty of times during your professional career.
What happens next with Sterling? Does he dig in or does he move on? That will all depend on him and his mentality. I’ve known players that have been in the same situation and have said: “Pay me up and I’ll leave, otherwise I’m not going anywhere.”
I’ve seen players do it the other way, players that have felt so disrespected by the club and its owners or the manager, that they can’t wait to get out of their as quickly as possible.
This is probably a decision that has come from the top of the club and Maresca has been told by the owners to make Sterling feel very, very unwanted.
Football is a law unto itself in these situations. It's horrible to watch and I have lots of sympathy for Raheem Sterling because I’ve been in and around dressing rooms where this happens, and you know how much it will have affected the player.
If he sat on his contract, it would hurt the owners. It would hurt the club. This is one of those situations where everyone is showing a poker face. I’m sure there will be some kind of agreement brokered because it’s not good for Sterling to waste the best years of his career not playing, and it’s not good for the club to be paying a player £350,000 a week that they don’t want to keep.
I don’t know Raheem well enough to say confidently what he will chose to do. He hasn’t done anything wrong at Chelsea, he signed a deal that the club gave him. They’ll be all kinds of skullduggery happening behind the scenes to resolve this, but I’m standing with the player here.
Ivan Toney is still at Brentford. Apparently, he has an offer on the table from Saudi Arabia. Obviously, the money will be massive, but would a move there be a waste of his talent and wouldn’t he be better to wait to play in a league of a lower standard at the end of his career?
At Ivan Toney’s age - he’s 28-years-old - he absolutely shouldn’t be thinking about a move to Saudi. That’s an attractive option for him at the end of his career - he would be wasted playing over there in his prime.
I would tell Toney, don’t worry about the wages being offered, you’ll get those opportunities later, stay in the Premier League and score goals in the best division in the world.
I'm very surprised that he hasn't gone anywhere yet. I think he would be the perfect fit for so many clubs in the Premier League. Before Tottenham signed Solanke, I was hoping that we were looking at him.
I’ve said this before, I don’t want him to sign for Arsenal, because they’ve got a lot of good players already, but he would be perfect for them. I think he would be perfect for Chelsea too, even with all the problems in West London.
He’s an old-school centre forward that causes defences so many problems. Scoring goals is the most difficult job in football, and he’s got proven pedigree when it comes to hitting the back of the net.
The window closes on Friday. Maybe some Premier League clubs are waiting to see if they can pinch him on a reduced fee, but I’d be amazed if he was still at Brentford when the window closes.
On Manchester United
What did you make of the Manchester United performance in the 2-1 defeat at Brighton?
It was more of the same from what we’ve seen at Manchester United over the last few years. Inconsistent. That’s a big problem for United, not being able to control a game for 90 minutes.
It looked like they'd gone 2-1 ahead, but then the goal is disallowed in the craziest circumstances. It’s amazing what happened there and a little bit unlucky, because if they had scored that goal, they probably would have won the game.
Manchester United are playing a kamikaze brand of football. There isn’t any control, it’s end to end stuff, and, when you give away as many opportunities to the opponent as ten Hag’s team does, you need to make sure that you take all your own chances in front of goal.
Brighton took their chances, Manchester United didn’t. Manchester United are gambling with the type of football they are playing at the moment. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It’s not good enough for a Man united team.
Were you surprised that Erik ten Hag has left Alejandro Garnacho out of the starting line-up for United’s first two games?
I’m not surprised that Erik ten Hag has started Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for United’s first two games. Garnacho is best operating off the left, and ten Hag obviously prefers Marcus Rashford in that position at the moment. If Rashford isn’t doing it, then he brings on Garnacho.
If you are Garnacho and Zirkzee tries to nick your goal with a tap-in from an offside position, how are you reacting?
I don’t think that Joshua Zirkzee tried to nick Alejandro Garnacho’s goal, that’s a harsh assessment. If you look at the action, Zirkzee tried to get on the end of the original ball across the goal and his momentum then carries him into the net where he inadvertently taps the ball in with his knee.
It’s harsh to criticise Zirkzee in this instance. It’s just one of those things - it was a freak incident, and it probably cost Man United the three points.
Zirkzee was doing his job. He was following up on the rebound, looking to get his goals by being alert in the six-yard box. I was always taught to get on the end of things like that as a striker. You have to make sure you put the ball in the net - that’s what happened, but it was an accident, so I don’t think Garnacho or ten Hag will have been annoyed with him (for what happened).
As a striker, you have to make the right runs, and you can’t see everything that is happening around you. It would have been different if Zirkzee wasn’t sliding in and was in control of his movement - if he ran in tapped in a goal bound shot from an offside position, there would have been big problems. He was just doing his job.
United conceded another late goal. Since the 22/23 season, they have lost more games to last minute goals than any other side. Is that a concern for you? Does that tell you they have a concentration problem or fragility?
I would have to be an absolute hypocrite to have a go at Man United for conceding last minute goals because when I was the manager of Stevenage, we conceded so many late goals.
My chairman said to me, “What's the matter with your players in the last three minutes and injury time? Why are we conceding so many late goals?”
I didn’t have the answer, it kept happening. I would get into the players and tell them to make sure they were switched on for the last few minutes. Then, you’re standing on the touchline, and you see a freekick go into your box with minutes to go and you’re just thinking ‘Please not again’.
I don’t know how Erik ten Hag can address the problem of United conceding last minute goals. The most frustrating thing about Brighton’s winner was that is Joao Pedro didn’t put it away, there was another player behind him ready to tap it in. That’s not good enough defensively from Manchester United.
Jadon Sancho appears to be nearing an exit from the club. Was the writing on the wall for his United future after what happened with Erik ten Hag last season?
After everything that happened between Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho last year, it was always going to be difficult for him to resume his Manchester United career while ten Hag was in charge.
They haven’t kissed and made up, have they? It’s not a harmonious relationship between the pair of them; it can’t be. I don’t see it as a bed of roses in any sense whatsoever despite what has been said publicly.
He hasn’t featured for United this season. How can the manager communicate with him after everything that happened. You can’t have a situation where a manager is walking on egg shells around a player.
I saw he took him to Brighton as the 21st man. He wasn’t on the bench in the game - that’s a bit of a wow moment for me. The player isn’t going to like that one little bit - but that’s the manager’s decision and there’s nothing wrong with him deciding to leave him out.
There’s too many flitty in and out wingers at United; too many flashy players that don’t really do the business, and he’s one of them.
Out of all the signings United have made, who do you think will have the biggest impact on the team?
It’s hard to say who will have the biggest impact in terms of the new signings. To be honest, it’s not the type of business that excites me - I think United need a lot more quality brought into the club.
I think we’re still a long way away from competing with the biggest teams.
Matthijs de Ligt is the one player with a bit of experience and, you could say that he has pedigree given the club’s that he’s played for in the past. It was a signing I was initially excited by, but the more I’ve been thinking about it, doubts have crept in.
Is he an improvement on what we have at the club? Is he going to be better than Harry Maguire? Manchester United need to bring in players that raise the level - we won’t know if Matthijs de Ligt is one of those until we see what he can do.
I like Harry Maguire. He’s taken a lot of flak over the years, but he’s not the problem at the club, they run a lot deeper than that. Harry Maguire knows what it takes to play for Manchester United. I wonder if we needed to sign Matthijs de Ligt when Maguire is already in the building.
Scott McTominay is on his way to Napoli to play under Antonio Conte. How would you assess his Manchester United career?
I think it’s a shame that the club has decided to sell Scott McTominay. When he came on against Brighton, he raised the level and showed the commitment and desire that you expect to see from a Manchester United player. That’s what he’s done throughout his career at the club, he’s always been fully committed.
I read some comments from United captain Bruno Fernandes who thinks that the club are ready to compete for the Premier League title. Do you share his optimism?
If Bruno Fernandes thinks that Manchester United can challenge for the title, then that’s incredibly optimistic in my book.
I don’t think the transfer activity has been of the required standard for Manchester United to get close enough to the top clubs in the Premier League and the football is far too inconsistent. For those two reasons, I think a title challenge this season is unrealistic.
Bruno is the captain of the football club, he has to speak with confidence when he talks about the club’s ambition this season, but United are a long way off challenging for the Premier League title and I think the Brighton defeat demonstrated that.
With the football United play, they are far too open. They give the opponent far too many chances. It’s a kamikaze brand of football that is full of risks. They are gambling in matches, and sometimes it goes for them, and sometimes it doesn’t. The best teams don’t gamble like that.
I don’t think anything has changed. I just see inconsistency at Manchester United.
Last season, United finished in eighth place. The club will be looking to do much better than that - what kind of season do you think they will have and what is the minimum requirement?
Manchester United need to improve on last season’s eighth-placed finish. Eighth place is never good enough for a club of Manchester United’s stature.
Champions League qualification must be the aim. The club need to get back into that competition as quickly as possible. That would be a massive achievement and improvement on last season.
On Man United vs Liverpool
This is a massive game against two teams that really don’t like each other. Was this a match that you used to enjoy playing in and how does it rank in terms of atmosphere?
I used to love playing in this match. Whenever we played Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson would make sure the players knew just how important it was to the fans and the club - it was a game that we could never lose.
The crowd will be right behind the team. It’s always one of the biggest games of the season.
Who do you think has the edge?
Liverpool has a stronger backbone than Man United, and even though they have a new manager in Arne Slot, they have shown more consistency in their opening two games and a level of control.
For Slot, he hasn’t really had to do anything different because the foundations of a great team were left for him by Jurgen Klopp. I definitely see Liverpool being the favourites in the game, even if it is at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have individuals that are capable of producing magical moments that can win you a game. I think Liverpool will have too much though, and I don’t like saying that given my connections.
I look at the two squads, Liverpool have better players. There are more winners and players with proven pedigree in that squad.
Virgil van Dijk has that confidence about him. He will give his team a lot of confidence, and he understand what it takes to win this game. He’s a proper leader - I don’t see leaders like him in the United squad and that is why I fancy Liverpool here.
On Tottenham
Teddy’s reaction to Tottenham’s 4-0 victory over Everton
What stood out for me in Tottenham’s victory over Everton was how well Tottenham played.
Everton were very average, I must admit that, but you still have to beat the opponent, and that’s what Tottenham did in a very convincing way.
My only regret from Saturday was Dominic Solanke’s availability. I was disappointed that Dominic Solanke was unavailable with an injury because it was the type of game where he would have had lots of chances to open his Tottenham goal-scoring account and get up and running in a white shirt.
Everton were generous opponents, and I would have backed him to score a couple of goals if he was in the team. It could have been a lovely start to his Tottenham career, but he's got a little ankle injury.
I don't think Tottenham will have an easier game all season, and I don't mean that disrespectfully because my mates Dychey (Sean Dyche), Woaney (Ian Woan) and Stoney (Steve Stone) are obviously running Everton.
It was one of those games where the scoreline reflected Tottenham’s domination - if they can keep doing that, can they have a good season?
I'm very optimistic about Tottenham this season. Even though they dominated the game against Everton and created a lot of chances, they still missed a few. Tottenham need to become more ruthless in front of goal to take the next step in terms of becoming a team that consistently challenges the best clubs in the Premier League.
You won’t always get lots of chances in a game, especially against stronger opposition, so you must take them. You must be ruthless in front of goal and develop that killer instinct. Hopefully Solanke can add that to Tottenham’s game this season.
Yves Bissouma was in the headlines for the wrong reasons recently. Did he offer the perfect response with his goal on Saturday?
I was pleased to see Bissouma get his goal after everything that has happened with him over the last few weeks. It was a lovely finish, but, more importantly, it was a great performance.
I was always an advocate of working hard and playing hard when the time was right, but there has to be boundaries - there are certain things that you can’t do as a professional footballer.
Hopefully, it’s a steep learning curve for him and it was nice to see him repay the manager’s faith in him with his performance.
He will want to put that incident behind him now and start producing on the pitch for the club and its fans and the manager.
Wilson Odobert made his Tottenham debut. How do you think he got on?
I thought Wilson Odobert was very good in the first half. It was an eye-catching home debut.
In the second half, he showed his age, but you’ll get that level of inconsistency in a game from young players. His first half was really, really promising, and the challenge to him will be to produce a performance like that over an entire match.
I like the young man’s experience. He played 30 games for Burnley last season as a teenager and that would have given him a good grounding to what life in the Premier League is all about. He was one of their better players last season, and he carried a lot of Burnley’s attacking threat. That tells you he’s got a good mentality and is durable. I like his potential a lot. I’m really optimistic about his future at the club.
It’s Brennan Johnson’s second season with the club. What kind of improvement are you looking to see from him this season?
I'm expecting better performances from Brennan Johnson this season; more consistent performances. That’s what you expect from your players in their second season at the club.
I’m still not sure what his best position is. Is he a right winger? Is he a centre forward? I'm not really sure.
He’s a little bit like Marcus Rashford, in that he’s a player that plays wide, but you wouldn’t call him a winger because he doesn't really get that many crosses into the box.
I think he’s shown glimpses of his potential since joining the club - he’s shown some nice flashes, but now it’s about doing that consistently. When you’re a £50 million player, there’s more expectancy on your shoulders.
Now is the time for him to kick on, but he’s definitely demonstrated that there’s a good player in there. The challenge for him is to score more and create more goals. Improve on your numbers from last season (5 goals, 10 assists in 30 Premier League games). I also want to see him being more positive, taking on and beating players.
Off the ball, I’d like to see him mastering the art of that deceptive far post run, because if he can do that, he’ll start racking up the goals for Tottenham. Those little tap-ins can really add to your tally, but the movement has to be right to give you the opportunity to put them away.
He's got the first season out of the way and he's ready to kick on. I think there's glimpses that there's a good player in there.
Son Heung-min says he wants to be remembered as a Tottenham Hotspur legend, how can he do that?
For Son to become a legend at the club, I think he simply just has to keep doing what he's doing.
We’ve seen him blossom into a real leader over his time at Tottenham. This is his tenth season, and the fans absolutely love him. He brings good pace and energy to the team as well as top-level quality.
I loved his first goal against Everton. That was a reward for the hard work he does off the ball, because nine times out of ten, the goalkeeper clears that. He worked tirelessly for that goal, chasing down the first ball and pressing all over pitch. He smelt blood and ruthlessly exposed Pickford - it’s what you love to see from your forward players.
If he didn’t go full throttle, he wouldn’t have got that. It was a great goal, and it was all down to his endeavour and desire.
Sonny is such a popular player. He’s a superstar in Asia, and I think he’s a superstar in Tottenham. For me, in his tenth season, he’s already on the verge of legendary status. I think he’s already up there. Hopefully he can have a special season at the club.
Who do you think will be Tottenham’s most important player this season?
I think Dominic Solanke will be Tottenham’s most important player this season. He’s the man that Ange and the club have placed a lot of faith in to add the finishing touch to the team.
There’s an expectation that he will score the goals we need and will be the difference-maker in games that are tight. He’s joined for a large fee and that adds a certain amount of pressure. He’s also making a step-up in his playing level.
With Tottenham playing in Europe this season, it’s going to be a long, tough season. There will be a lot of games and managing that churn of Thursday and Sunday football successfully in terms of winning games, will be determined by the club’s ability to put chances away.
Tottenham create so many chances. When the games come thick and fast, when the energy levels are low, you need to take those. Tottenham will need to put away the chances they are creating early in games. With the style of football that we play, it’s physically very demanding, Ange won’t want matches going all the way where the team has to keep pressing and working hard to get a 1-0 or nick a result. He’ll want to cruise through games, and the best way to do that, is by taking your chances early.
Solanke will need to be ruthless in front of goal. Tottenham will create the chances for him, he has to take them.
The Europa League draw takes place this week. Is that a competition that your old club should be looking to win?
Tottenham should be looking to win the Europa League this season, without doubt. I think it was a very good achievement for Ange to get the club into fifth position last year.
They had a chance at the Champions League, but I think that would have come too early for this group of players - I’m not sure we would have been ready for those demands.
The Europa League is becoming an important trophy to go for these days. It’s so competitive in the Premier League to get into that top four, and the competition provides another route into the Champions League.
Years ago, at Manchester United, it would have been a disaster if we qualified for the Europa League. It would have been devastating, but it’s different now. It’s regarded as a big European trophy, and I think Tottenham are in a position to challenge for that.
What is the minimum objective for Spurs this season?
I haven't heard Ange say it, but someone told me that he wins things at the club’s he’s managed in the second year. That has to be the target, and I would be absolutely delighted if Tottenham were to go on and lift a trophy this season.
We’ve had teams and manager’s that have got close to winning major silverware over the years. We need a manager to take us to the next step and to actually win top honours, hopefully Ange is the man that can do that for us.
Winning a trophy has to be the ambition. A top four finish would be fantastic, and I think that is a realistic target. If we could add a trophy top that, then that would be an unbelievable season for the club.
On Newcastle vs Tottenham
I don’t want to put the curse on this game by saying this, but you would expect that this will be match full of goals. Both teams love to attack, Newcastle don’t look as defensively solid as they have in previous seasons, so I’m expecting a ding dong at St. James’ Park.
This could be one of them games that throws back to the old Ossie Ardiles style of football; a 4-5 to Tottenham or a 2-3. To be fair, I think it could go either way.
Is this the type of fixture that will tell us a lot about the type of season Tottenham will have?
I think this is a great fixture to have on week three in terms of seeing what these clubs are capable of this season. St James’ Park is always rocking at this time of the year. There’s optimism around the club and the type of season they will want to have.
From a Tottenham perspective, if you offered me a draw, I would snap your hands off. I know that the like of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal would be going up there to win the game, and I think that is what Tottenham will attempt to do, but we’re just a little bit behind those three teams and a draw would be a fantastic result in my opinion.
On Terry Venables
Terry was a man you admired. What are your memories of working with him?
Terry brought me from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham and I just loved working with him from day one.
We understood each other right away. We had a great connection, and it was a very easy, natural relationship. He had a wonderful way about him - I’ve worked with managers that are strictly business all of the time, but Terry knew when to let his players enjoy moments and when to keep things light. If someone in the squad told a good joke, he would enjoy that just as much as the players did.
He was a master of man management.
Are there any particular anecdotes or stories that stand out for you from working with Terry?
He was a great person to play for. He was very clever in the way that he communicated to players and used a few phycological tricks. He was brilliant at putting thoughts in your mind in terms of how to improve your game as if it was something that you had come up with yourself.
He was brilliant at giving players information. You would have a discussion with him about something, and without telling your directly, he would give you that information as if you had come up with it yourself.
As a player, after speaking with him, you’d think to yourself, ‘I had never thought about doing that or trying that, I’m going to do it’. Players like to make their own decisions, and Terry would always guide his players towards the right one with the way he spoke to them.
When he was the England manager, and there were so many top, top players in that squad, he understood how to get the best out of them. I think it helped that he was a good player in his day as well - he knew how to handle and to get the best out of the talent he worked with. He empowered his players in a way that was quite unique. He was a lovely guy.
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