I wrote last week that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is currently Mr Nice Guy but he can be Mr Nasty if he needs to shake up his players. On the day you read that, Tuchel played his Mr Nasty card. Callum Hudson-Odoi came on as a substitute against Southampton and was then substituted in the 76th minute.
It is probably the most embarrassing thing for a player to suffer and Hudson-Odoi was not a happy man, kicking a bottle of water across the players’ seats. After the match Tuchel monstered his players for a lack of effort and not playing to their true potential. Tuchel said Hudson-Odoi in particular lacked attitude and energy but the player disagrees. Tuchel might not have been happy but there were two words buzzing around the Chelsea dressing room after the game: Player Power! Many of the senior players were not impressed by the manager’s criticism. It has been pointed out that when in charge of Paris St-Germain Tuchel rarely attacked senior superstars such as £200million Neymar who often had quiet games and only occasionally tracked back to help his defence. He often showed a lack of effort and energy. Previous managers have suffered from strong Chelsea players commanding the dressing room, players such as John Terry, Didier Drogba and Antonio Rudiger. It remains to be seen if Hudson-Odoi becomes an outspoken player after his humiliation. On this occasion the aggression of the manager seems to have worked, Hudson-Odoi responded and played well against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, helping them to a 1-0 win in Spain. However, Chelsea have a reputation of managers being sacked by the power of strong players and Tuchel should watch his back.
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Jota back in training for Liverpool
Checking up on Liverpool’s Diogo Jota this week, I was told that he is back in training and came through a session at the Kirkby Training centre without suffering any problems. Jota has been out of actions since suffering a knee injury in the Champions League match against FC Midtjylland and has missed 17 matches so far. The game against Sheffield United on Sunday is likely to be too soon for his return but all is going well. The striker had previously scored nine goals in 17 matches after his £41million move from Wolves last summer. Manager Jurgen Klopp is hoping to have Jota available for selection against top four rivals Chelsea on March 4th.
Moyes did well to sign Lingard on loan for Hammers
West Ham owners and manager David Moyes are particularly pleased with their January transfer business. When Sebastien Haller left West Ham at the start of January, after a failed attempt at playing in the Premier League, the club was in a difficult position. Much of the responsibility to score goals rested on the shoulders of Michail Antonio. Enter Jesse Lingard who had been sidelined at Manchester United despite his obvious quality. He was signed on loan for the rest of the season. Manager David Moyes is a master at discovering under-valued talent and harnessing that talent into his teams. Lingard is not a natural striker but his light-footed dribbling skills, positioning and enthusiasm was immediate as West ham adjusted their training methods to accommodate him. Moyes quite literally rebuilt his team in the area where Lingard is most effective and the results have been spectacular. Lingard has given the Hammers a new dimension scoring two clinical goals on his debut. He also feels he has a point to prove to United that he should have been included in their first team selection and is demonstrating this through his performances at West Ham. They have no recognised striker at the moment but Lingard has patched over that crack and the club are in the top part of the table thanks to Moyes’ understanding of how to build a successful team without spending mega bucks. The next step is for the Hammers to negotiate a permanent transfer deal at the end of the season but the way Lingard is playing United are thinking that might not be a good idea.
Getting rid of Mourinho would be expensive
The main reason for bringing in Jose Mourinho to manage an under-performing Tottenham Hotspur side was to win trophies. Dropping down the league like a sinking stone in water and elimination from the FA Cup means there is one main chance left. The Europa Cup has taken on immense importance for Spurs and Mourinho is trying every tactic to make sure they win it. It will be a measure of just how good he is after much speculation that his best years are far behind him. However, my inside sources tell me that Jose will definitely not be sacked before the end of the season and even then he is fairly safe because of his £15million a year salary. To sack him and terminate his contract, which runs until 2023, would cost the north London club £34.8million and during the Covid-19 restrictions that is a lot of money. There is no break clause in his contract and therefore the club would have to pay out in full until the end of his employment. It has to be remembered that the club has only just finished paying the instalments to get rid of Mauricio Pochettino. Chairman Daniel Levy does however have two managers in mind for Jose’s job should he go. Top of his list is RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann and he would be interested because he is known to be frustrated with the club’s policy of selling off its best players for big money. Second on Levy’s list is Leicester’s Brendan Rogers who he admires for the success he has brought to the midland’s club. Jose does not need to be looking over his shoulder just yet but the warning signs are there and his Tottenham side need to improve their recent run of mediocre form.
All eyes on Barnes and Maddison
I have been wondering lately if England manager Gareth Southgate has bought himself a season to Leicester City. He always seems to be in the stands, sitting isolated, watching and taking notes. The reason for his presence are Leicester’s two outstanding players Harvey Barnes and James Maddison. Both have proved to be serious Premier League players this season and it is mainly through their efforts and that of Jamie Vardy that Leicester are sitting comfortably in the top four with a six point advantage over Chelsea for a Champions League place next season. Maddison and Barnes are heavily tipped to start for England’s next game. Leicester have now gone 16 games with only one defeat and manager Brendan Rodger’s team is settled and a threat to any top six club.
Bitter Wilder attacks refereeing decisions
If ever you doubted that Sheffield United are dead and buried in the Premier League this season, the latest words from manager Chris Wilder underlines where their football will be played next season and it isn’t in the top flight. Criticising referees has become a recent habit with him and he feels that Sheffield have not had fair treatment. After a late tackle by Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on Sheffield’s Jayden Bogle, for which nothing was awarded, he said, “We’ve just got a long list of decisions that have gone against us but they won’t have to put up with us much longer. There’ll be another promoted team that comes in the division and will get the rubbish decisions we are on the end of.”
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