Na hora decisiva, o Flamengo deu as caras. Em temporada decepcionante, com três técnicos à frente do clube, o Rubro-Negro venceu a “final” contra o Internacional e chegará à última rodada dependendo só da sua força: uma vitória contra o São Paulo garante o segundo título consecutivo.
À diferença do que aconteceu em 2019, o estrelado Flamengo patinou nesta temporada. Viu Jorge Jesus, o técnico-ídolo, ir embora, a aposta em Domènec Torrent ter uma duração muito curta, e Rogério Ceni ter um início de trabalho complicado. E no caminho ficaram a Copa do Brasil e a Libertadores. Restou o Brasileiro, que não é pouco e também esteve por um fio.
Mas treinador e jogadores acharam o caminho, e o Fla chegou à liderança na penúltima rodada, em jogo marcado por questionamento à arbitragem na interpretação que levou à expulsão de Rodinei. A temporada, que caminhava para ser melancólica, pode agora ter o seu desfecho com o time em alta e pronto para iniciar, já no próximo fim de semana, o ano de 2021 do futebol com moral elevado. Para isso, será preciso vencer o Tricolor paulista no Morumbi.
A esta altura, com seus principais astros mostrando de novo um ótimo futebol – Bruno Henrique, Gabriel e Arrascaeta foram destaques ontem-, o Flamengo parece de novo um caminhão descendo a ladeira. É quase impossível de ser parado. Ainda que o Inter siga sonhando.
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Arthur Gurney is having the time of his young life. The toddler is crawling over one reporter’s foot and holding her leg, then he’s pulling the wind sock off a microphone as another reporter interviews his father, Harry, who’s in high demand. But Arthur is most excited sticking his head in the BBL trophy, almost as big as he is. He leans over it as if he’s Harry Potter, about to dive into the Pensieve, and then looks up and offers a cheeky smile.Harry Gurney, the Nottinghamshire left-armer, has clearly enjoyed having his family along for the first part of his three-country T20 tour. They are unlikely to be around for the next two legs; he is signed with the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL and will then join Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Such is the life of a T20 gun for hire, a career that Gurney is trying on for size. It couldn’t have had a better start, with his canny death bowling instrumental to Melbourne Renegades’ title-winning tilt. Not a bad reply from someone termed a “left-arm Mr Bean” by Mark Waugh on commentary.But he admitted to having a restless night before the final, going over the possible scenarios if he was bowling at the death.”I think when you’ve done it for a number of years it’s those situations that you live for really and [the night before the final] I was lying in bed thinking, ‘Oh god if I bowl the last two and they need 40 off the last four how do I defend it?’ said Gurney. “And it’s an amazing opportunity so that’s the way I look at it and some days when you get it slightly wrong and you disappear out of the ground and you’re a villain so you’ve just got to trust your practice and hope that more often than not you’ll get it right.” He got it right at Docklands Stadium. Gurney had conceded just eight runs in his first spell and returned to share the death bowling duties with Dan Christian who later endorse his team-mate as the best death bowler in the world. Gurney employed the slower ball brilliantly and his accurate yorkers and deceptive variations helped strangle Melbourne Stars as they collapsed in spectacular fashion. Bowling the 17th and 19th overs he conceded 12 runs and took the wicket of Nic Maddinson – the slower ball doing the trick. But it wasn’t until he had bowled the penultimate over that Gurney felt the Renegades had done enough, the Stars needing 28 runs from the final over.”I’ve had too many bad experiences over the years to rest on my laurels too much,” he said. “I think before I bowled my last over I was pretty confident but stranger things have happened so you have to maintain your focus. None of us celebrated until there were too many runs off not enough balls, it was impossible for them to reach the target.”I think we always felt that you know there’s been a lot of cricket on this pitch and so we always felt that if we got wickets then it might be difficult for batters coming in and starting. And thankfully that proved to be the case. They built a really solid platform but thankfully we started taking wickets the run rate soon starts climbing in T20.”Gurney was Nottinghamshire’s leading wicket-taker in the 2018 County Championship but when he was picked up in the IPL and then signed by the Renegades – joining up with his Notts T20 team-mate, Christian – a new and potentially far more lucrative career direction opened up and he has not ruled out becoming a white-ball specialist. Winning his first of three T20 tournaments is the ideal start.Arthur Gurney, son of pace bowler Harry, enjoyed playing with the BBL trophy•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
“I think I’ve been a pretty good T20 bowler for a few years now if I can say that without meaning to sound arrogant ,” he said. “But this is as big a stage as it gets without being international cricket so to manage to have a good day in the final in front of such a crowd and the people at home is special.”It remains to be seen how many matches Gurney will start for Quetta and KKR, but he’s hopeful the packed schedule will give him a strong lead-in to the English season when he returns for Nottinghamshire.”You’re playing matches aren’t you, you’re prepared, you’re putting yourself into pressure situations all the time, all winter, rather than running up and bowling in an indoor school somewhere in England,” he said. “When I land back in England I think I’ll be ready for a break for a few weeks but I’ll also be ready to hit the ground running when the T20 comes around.”
How the game played outThe 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League has been replete with low-scoring matches. The high-scoring ones have usually been one-sided. In that regard, Sylhet Sixers v Chittagong Vikings was an anomaly.The Sixers made 168. Vikings responded with 163. Neither team looked like they’d get as many. Sixers suffered a top-order collapse, Vikings a middle-order collapse. But such is the power teams pack their batting line-ups with these days. The batting muscle runs deep. Their lower orders are filled with burly power-hitters who love to swing.David Warner, the Sixers captain, held up his end even as Robbie Frylinck ripped through his top order after he had elected to bat. It enabled Afif Hossain to counterattack after the early losses. It also gave enough security for Nicholas Pooran to blaze away to a half-century at the fag end. And it gave Warner enough time to notch up his own fifty.Vikings were on course in the chase, but dug themselves into a hole with a middle-overs meltdown. Taskin Ahmed chipped away with 4 for 28 as Vikings’ chase got progressively harder. Sikandar Raza first, and then Frylinck took them close, but it was too much left for too late.Turning points
The Warner-Afif partnership. Sixers were reeling at 6 for 3 in the third over when the two came together. They put on 71 off 47 balls to seamlessly repair the damage.
Vikings were 63 for 1 in the eighth over of the chase, well on course, when Cameron Delport was felled by a direct hit from Sandeep Lamichhane at point. Not only did it end a dominant innings from Delport, but it also triggered a collapse through the middle overs that ended up costing them the game.
Though the required rate had jumped well over 13 at that point, Raza had left Vikings with a fighting chance when Taskin snuffed it out by inducing an inside edge that clattered into the stumps. With Nayeem Hasan cutting Taskin’s next ball straight to point, Taskin had four, and Vikings were left with 38 to get off the last two, which proved too many.
Star of the dayFrylinck had as good a day as anyone has this season. He made an early impact with the ball, snaring two wickets in his first two overs to cut through Sixers early. Later, he returned to nip out the dangerous Warner, who was set on 59 and looking to break free. Having done all that, he was also required to do a job with the bat, top-scoring for Vikings with 44 not out off 24 balls – that included four big sixes – to take them to the brink.The big missAs well as Frylinck did, he failed to capitalise on the last major opportunity that came his way. With Vikings needing seven off the last ball, Al-Amin Hossain offered a low full toss outside Frylinck’s off-stump. Frylinck couldn’t quite get underneath it, and only managed to drill it straight back towards the bowler, who stuck his hand out and kept it to a single.Where the teams standSixers’ first win of the competition took them one spot up to fourth. Vikings remained unchanged on third place with a superior net run rate.
Newcastle United have struggled to compete on all fronts so far this season due to both a lack of squad depth and their injury misfortunes. Eddie Howe may look back on the summer transfer window with great regret, having clearly failed to welcome enough reinforcements. Meanwhile, the biggest addition that he did sign was Sandro Tonali, who is now banned for ten months due to breaching betting rules. As the festive period approaches too, they may find it harder than ever to maintain their form in both the Premier League and other competitions.
The January transfer window will feel like a late Christmas present for those at St James' Park, who could finally see certain issues solved. And that could include adding depth to one position that so desperately needs it amid a reported lack of faith in one specific player.
Newcastle United transfer news
At the end of the summer transfer window, one problem that immediately stood out at Newcastle was their lack of central defenders. Yet, as the season has progressed, another concern has emerged in Howe's attacking options, with just Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak to call on when it comes to leading the line for the Magpies.
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
According to Dean Jones, Newcastle don't trust Isak's ability to stay fit and are now looking into the idea of signing a striker in the January transfer window. Jones told the Chasing Green Arrows Podcast: “I know there are concerns at Newcastle at the moment about whether they need to sign a new forward in January because of Isak and Wilson. They can’t be undone by this, it would be gutting for them if they didn’t have another option.
“They really will contemplate going after another attacking option, it will probably be a versatile one that can play wide as well, Isak is a great option to go wide as well, but I don’t think they trust Isak to stay fit between now and the end of the season which is probably wise.”
Alexander Isak's injury history
PIF and Newcastle are right in their concern over their striker's ability to stay fit. Isak's injury history does not make for pretty reading and the Swede has already missed six games in the current campaign, leaving Wilson as the only forward available. Wilson's injury history isn't exactly great, either, and he's also already missed six games this season. If the Magpies don't sign another forward, they are simply playing a game of chance when it comes to whether or not they'll have a striker available.
Player
Games missed through injury since beginning of 2022/23
Alexander Isak
22
Callum Wilson
15
In total, Isak and Wilson have missed a combined 37 games since last season, which is one game away from an entire campaign. Given their European exploits, Newcastle must add depth to their frontline. The last thing that Howe needs is to run the risk of being without a natural striker when playing at such a high level. It could make or break the Magpies' top four pursuit.
The New Zealand A lower order and tail piled on plenty of runs against an India A attack that features only two frontline bowlers with international experience under their belt. Soon after losing overnight centurion Hamish Rutherford for 114, New Zealand were reduced to 211 for 5 but the India attack was unable to capitalise on the situation and the hosts declared on 458, only nine behind India’s total.Visiting openers Prithvi Shaw and M Vijay were unbeaten in a quick stand of 35 in eight overs, with the Mumbai batsman scoring 33 off 26 with seven fours.Resuming on 176 for 1, New Zealand lost their early wickets to the pace bowlers when Tim Seifert drove to edge one behind off Mohammed Siraj and Rutherford chopped on against Deepak Chahar. Chahar soon had Rachin Ravindra hole out behind square with a bouncer, and when Glenn Phillips was trapped lbw by Navdeep Saini, India looked set to take a healthy lead with the hosts five down and 256 behind.However, Dane Cleaver (53) stitched crucial stands with Doug Bracewell (48) and Kyle Jamieson (30) to take them towards 350. When Cleaver holed out against Saini off a short ball on the off side, they were 346 for 8, but Seth Rance and Blair Tickner frustrated India further with an unbeaten stand of 83 for the last wicket. Rance was unbeaten on 69 off 57 with four fours and as many sixes, and Tickner was on 30* when they declared. K Gowtham chipped in with three wickets but conceded 107 runs in his 42 overs.
JUlio Casares foi eleito presidente do São Paulo no último sábado e já acertou o retorno de Muricy Ramalho ao clube, para ser um coordenador de futebol. Emparticipação no programa ‘Bem Amigos’, do SporTV, onde era comentarista, o ex-técnico do Tricolor comentou os motivos que o levaram a aceitar o convite de Casares.
Confira a tabela do returno do Brasileirão
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– É o clube, e também junto a proposta que foi muito bem feita. Eu não vou chegar num lugar que vou tomar lugar de ninguém. É um posto que não tem. É difícil falar não. Acho que o clube precisa de alguém que tenha experiência, que é meu caso. O convite foi bem feito, vou ter autonomia. O mais importante que vou fazer lá é o meio-campo entre comissão técnica, jogadores e dirigentes -afirmou Muricy.
VEJA A SITUAÇÃO DO SÃO PAULO NA TABELA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
O ídolo do São Paulo também comentou sobre os planos para o futuro. Ele defendeu a manutenção da atual diretoria até o final da temporada e a permanência de Fernando Diniz para 2021.
– O São Paulo está em um grande momento. Depois de muitos anos o time tem uma ideia de jogo. O Diniz lançou jogadores, recuperou jogadores, fez ajustes. Não é o momento da troca, na minha opinião. O pessoal tem que ficar até o final da competição e depois o presidente vai fazer o que ele acha. O Casares é um cara sensato, tranquilo. Vai fazer essa transição bem tranquila, não vai afetar ninguém. O time vai continuar jogando tranquilamente, com o apoio da diretoria atual – finalizou.
Jadon Sancho has explained his badge-thumping goal celebration after netting for Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League win over PSV.
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Winger loaned out by Man UtdAmong the goals again for BVBHopes knock is nothing seriousGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The England international, who is on loan at BVB from Premier League giants Manchester United, helped to secure progress into the quarter-finals of continental competition. He opened the scoring in the second leg of a last-16 encounter with PSV less than three minutes into a contest that had been locked at 1-1 on aggregate.
AdvertisementWHAT SANCHO SAID
Emotion spilled out of Sancho after registering his first goal at Signal Iduna Park during a second spell with Dortmund, and the 23-year-old told afterwards: “It was like a relief. I think all players want to have a good start to the game and there is no better feeling than that. I’m grateful that I got the goal for the team. I’ve always got a special place for Borussia Dortmund. This is where I made my name, so I have got to be grateful to them, but also to my team-mates for believing in me. I’m just happy that we got the win.”
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
While Sancho had cause for celebration against PSV, he was forced off 15 minutes from the end after picking up a knock. He said when delivering an injury update: “Last time I played a home game, before I got injured, I felt something and I didn’t want to risk it. We’re going to check and hopefully it’s nothing. Hamstring, but it should be okay.”
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WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?
Sancho’s replacement, Marco Reus, netted a second for Dortmund in stoppage-time against PSV as they progressed 3-1 on aggregate. The Bundesliga heavyweights will now figure in the quarter-final draw, which takes place on Friday.
Manchester United return to domestic duty following the recent international break today as Erik ten Hag’s side travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in the Premier League.
The Dutchman will be hoping to carry on the momentum which saw United secure a stunning last-gasp win against Brentford in their last league match, although he will have to make a few changes to his starting XI.
What is the Man Utd team news vs Sheffield United?
Ten Hag will travel to Sheffield knowing quite a few of his players will miss the tie against the Blades due to injury problems.
Indeed, the Dutchman will be without Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka while the likes of Tyrell Malacia and Raphael Varane are also unavailable.
A new name has been added to those who will miss the tie, as Casemiro won’t be available due to suffering an ankle injury whilst on international duty for Brazil.
The midfielder was withdrawn during the 1-1 draw against Venezuela, with manager Fernando Diniz saying: "He asked to come off due to a blow to his ankle."
Ten Hag will now need to replace the 31-year-old, who was the only outfield player to feature in all 11 of United’s matches so far this term.
Scott McTominay is certainly an option, especially after his confidence-boosting cameo against Thomas Frank's men a couple of weeks ago.
Could Scott McTominay replace Casemiro?
The Scot didn’t start the tie against the Bees, but he certainly finished it. Trailing by a goal to nil heading into injury time, McTominay popped up and made himself a hero, and potentially kick-starting United’s season in the process.
While he only took five touches of the ball and completed just two passes, the midfielder scored an equaliser, before coming up with a Fergie-esque winner to secure a stunning comeback victory.
McTominay has only started two matches all season, but the £60k-per-week star gave everyone at Old Trafford a glimpse of just what he offers when given a chance.
His form for Scotland during the Euro 2024 qualifiers is testament to this. Across six matches for his country, he has scored a whopping six goals, while taking 2.3 shots per game and averaging 37.8 touches each match, and it is time Ten Hag gave him a proper chance in the Red Devils starting XI.
Lauded as “sensational” by broadcaster David Tanner following his goal for Scotland against Cyprus last month, the Dutchman will hope he can translate his form for his national side to his club as they seek points in the league.
The academy graduate managed just ten starts in the Premier League last term, yet created two big chances, succeeded with 59% of his attempted dribbles, won 60% of his aerial duels and lost possession just 5.4 times on average per game.
He has slipped down the pecking order of late, yet with injuries starting to take their toll on the Old Trafford side, the former Ajax boss might have no choice but to slot McTominay into the heart of his midfield.
An off-day in Manchester suddenly leaves hosts in must-win as they ponder team balance and batting flexibility
The Preview by Shashank Kishore05-Jul-20182:22
Dasgupta: Don’t see India making any changes to their XI
Big pictureIt is hot and dry, the pitches are flat and there will be lots of spin awaiting England. Add to this a huge Indian contingent that will be cheering their team at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. If there was any doubt before, there is none now – the main challenge of the summer has arrived.A game down, England know one thing already: scoring truckloads of runs against Ashton Agar was clearly no preparation for India’s spin variety. Already, discussion of wristspin and their failure to cope against left-armer Kuldeep Yadav has become a talking point. The second T20I, therefore, gives them an opportunity to prove the Manchester nightmare was an aberration.It is one thing executing badly against this rare bowling style, another not picking them at all, as was the case with four of the five England batsmen in the series opener. While two days between games is unlikely to change their foundation towards approaching spin, it sure could have given England time to ponder over batting strategies – knowing whom to target – and perhaps batting positions. Joe Root, for example, was a complete misfit at No. 6, especially when having at come in as late as the 14th over. His strike rate in T20Is since 2016 a modest 105.74 in seven innings.India have decided to play five specialist bowlers, leaving them vulnerable at times to a bowler having an off day and little else to fall back on. That perhaps explains the team management’s preference for Suresh Raina over the in-form Dinesh Karthik, because he can offer part-time offspin. England must look to capitalise on this.A game down, India may have discovered their best batting line-up too. KL Rahul’s success at No. 3 could mean an end to the musical chairs at No. 4, with Virat Kohli all but likely to settle there for the time being. The success may have come in the shortest format, but India are approaching what would otherwise be a context-less T20I series, with an eye on next year’s 2019 World Cup.Form guideEngland LWWLL (last five completed games, most recent first) India WWWWWIn the spotlightMoeen Ali took 12 wickets in five ODIs against Australia, but has little to show with the ball in the two T20Is since. Against Australia, he was clobbered for 58 off his four overs. On Tuesday, his 2.2 overs went for 37. He didn’t look great with the bat, either, out to an ugly hoick when England needed to arrest the slide in the wake of Kuldeep’s strikes. England may well be tempted to play a specialist bowler in his stead, given their batting depth. However, should they persist with Moeen, the onus is on him to deliver.Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s lead bowler, and one bad outing is unlikely to change that. He’s graduated to become a bowler who isn’t always dependent on swing and seam, and will want to get back to his usual ways after two wicketless matches in Dublin and Manchester. Umesh Yadav’s stunning IPL form that earned a comeback and his fiery spells since have given him a headstart. Should Bhuvneshwar also find his groove back, it will give the team management a healthy headache when Jasprit Bumrah recovers from his thumb injury.Team newsEngland (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Alex Hales, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Root, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidIndia (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalPitch and conditionsCardiff has tended to play much slower than other surfaces in the UK, the average score here is just 144. Weather-wise, all of UK is set for a scorching weekend. No prizes for guessing which team is happier.Stats and trivia Umesh Yadav is the highest wicket-taker in Powerplays in T20s this year. In 16 innings, he has 17 wickets; he averages just 14.29 in this period. The only England-based bowler in the top 10 – never mind, he doesn’t qualify to play for them yet – is Jofra Archer (eight wickets in 22 innings at 34.75). Jos Buttler’s 69 in the series opener was his seventh fifty-plus score in his last eight T20 innings. All of them have come as an opener.Four of England’s top five – Buttler, Roy, Hales, Morgan – have been dismissed at least thrice to wristspinners in T20s. Buttler has been out the most: nine times in 16 innings. England are undefeated in four T20Is in Cardiff Tuesday’s win was India’s first in T20Is against England in England.Quotes”It has been made very clear that there will be few changes in the team and as a batting unit we need to flexible in our heads to be able to perform any role or responsibility that has been given to us by the team. We are all working towards it like you said, I might bat at No. 3 or 5 or 6. Someday we might want to promote MS Dhoni or Hardik Pandya if we get a good start to go and get us a few sixes or get the run rate up. So we will be flexible keeping in mind the World Cup.”
“It was a good spell from Kuldeep Yadav, first of all, and then a very good innings from KL Rahul. They thoroughly deserved the win, but we’ll be looking to bounce back come tomorrow.”
Tottenham Hotspur have produced plenty of top talents from their infamous academy, with their most outstanding graduate having recently flown the nest, seeking silverware that the Lilywhites just could not offer.
Harry Kane played 430 games for the north London outfit, having worked his way up from an unknown youngster to score 278 times and shatter numerous records.
He departed as both England and the club’s all-time top scorer, with it largely expected that he would have surpassed Alan Shearer’s Premier League tally too had he stayed.
But few could fault his decision to leave, and the £100m gained marked a remarkable fee for someone of his age. The 30-year-old will forever be a Spurs legend, having written himself into their history books, and it will take some beating to come even close to the legacy he has left.
#
Spurs' top academy graduates, via FourFourTwo
Games played for Spurs
1
Harry Kane
430
2
Ledley King
322
3
Sol Campbell
296
4
Stephen Carr
263
5
Harry Winks
203
However, that’s not to discount the wealth of talent they currently boast, with Ange Postecoglou likely enthralled about both the present and the future of his new club, given their fine start to life under his leadership.
He will hope to borrow from the successes of the last few regimes whilst eliminating the blunders, with Mauricio Pochettino’s youth production certainly a trait worth maintaining.
However, there was another outstanding factor of the Argentine’s reign that the 58-year-old coach would certainly not mind emulating, the partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
How good were Alderweireld and Vertonghen?
The centre-back pairing that Pochettino assembled helped forge the outstanding foundation for the success he would earn, although he failed to claim that elusive trophy.
Having inherited Vertonghen, who moved to north London in 2012, the former Southampton manager already had one-half of that famed duo before he even started building.
However, just one year into his reign, the combination was completed. Alderweireld unified an all-Belgian backline that would stay together until 2020, helping lead the Lilywhites to a Champions League final and even throw their name into a few Premier League title races.
Standing at 6 foot 2 and 6 foot 1 respectively, they balanced each other out with technical prowess, a touch of pace at times, and impeccable positioning to thwart opposition attacks. However, should forwards back off these two, it would often prove catastrophic, as their quality allowed them to thread passes from deep.
Such a trait is imperative in the modern game, and with both boasting it, they were unsurprisingly dominant for years.
Former Spurs academy graduate Alton Thelwell would emphasise this point, noting: “Both of them have been exceptional. They complement each other very well and literally they’re all-round quality defenders. They read the game well, they get on the ball and they play the Tottenham way.
"Vertonghen likes to pass the ball with elegance – he’s like the Rolls-Royce of defending. He gets on it with his left foot, he’s got excellent ability and the same goes for Toby as well. I’d say he’s probably a bit more tenacious than Vertonghen but overall they’ve got all the attributes that you want.”
The pinnacle of their partnership arguably came around 2016, with Alderweireld's throughout the 2015/16 season. The 34-year-old maintained an impeccable 7.28 average rating, buoyed by his six goal contributions, 1.7 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and mammoth 7.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
To compare this with Vertonghen’s 2016/17 campaign, it is clear to see the similarities that made them so great.
He too would post a 7.31 average rating of his own, with his 85% pass accuracy feeding into his 1.3 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and seven clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Vertonghen would remain complimentary of his teammate and compatriot even in the final few years of their partnership, with the 150-cap titan claiming: “Whenever we play we understand each other. When I left for Tottenham, Toby left for Atletico [Madrid] and Southampton but we found each other quite quick after that, so no stress.
“We've been playing together for a long time and we know how to play together, but I don't want to speak about this because it might sound disrespectful to whoever is playing next to me or next to Toby in other situations.”
Clearly one of the finest centre-back partnerships the club and potentially the division has ever seen, should Postecoglou manage to create a couple of heirs from the academy, the potential is there for him to surpass Pochettino’s tenure with ease.
Within the academy, two defenders stand out as potential candidates to step up and become stars to uphold their backline for the next decade.
One such name, in Alfie Dorrington, has been at the club since he was 13. The other, in Ashley Phillips, was snagged from Blackburn Rovers just this summer for a mere £3m.
Who are Ashley Phillips & Alfie Dorrington?
With physicality hardly a problem for the teenage monsters, their presence within such an illustrious setting will do their development no harm as they seek to reach the technical level to one day emerge into the Premier League.
Saying that, the former Rovers ace already recorded 15 senior appearances for the Lancashire outfit, and across his eight Championship appearances last term the 18-year-old maintained an 83% pass accuracy alongside his 2.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Former Blackburn Rovers centre-back Ashley Phillips.
Despite his inexperience, he still garnered plenty of praise from former boss Tony Mowbray: “He's 6ft 4', he's fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he's composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute."
Not to mention that he also branded him “aggressive”, as if to highlight his mental toughness too.
Meanwhile, Dorrington has been a mainstay for the U21s for years now despite his youth, and in the Football League Trophy has offered enough to suggest Vertonghen and Alderweireld's legacy may be replicated sooner than we think in north London..
His 6.85 average rating during the 2022/23 run of the competition was largely upheld by the one tackle and 7.5 clearances per game he managed, via Sofascore.
Spurs' PL seasons with Alderweireld & Vertonghen
Position Finished
Goals conceded
Clean Sheets
2019/20
6th
47
8
2018/19
4th
39
13
2017/18
3rd
36
16
2016/17
2nd
26
17
2015/16
3rd
35
13
Respected journalist Alasdair Gold even outlined the 18-year-old as one of the U21s most likely to push towards the senior squad, as he told football.london: “I think Alfie Dorrington stands a better chance now of making some headway with Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga heading off.
“The young centre-back is a real talent and he's been training with the first team at times and will continue to do so this season and that can only help his development.”
Fans love to see academy graduates rise up to stake a first-team starting claim, so should both Dorrington and Phillips emerge at the same time, they will hope to copy the exceptional Belgian partnership that underpinned the last truly successful regime.