Middlesbrough have made a manager with “an impressive CV” a top target to replace Rob Edwards, and it would be a “significant coup” if they can get a deal done.
Edwards confirmed as Wolves boss as Middlesbrough receive £3m
Wolves confirmed the appointment of Rob Edwards as their new head coach on a three-and-a-half year deal on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old left the Riverside and agreed a contract until 2029 with Wanderers after they sacked Vitor Pereira earlier this month. It is reported Boro will receive around £3million in compensation after Edwards only joined them in June on a three-year contract.
Edwards, who managed Luton in the Premier League, begins a fourth spell at Wolves after making 111 appearances as a player as well as enjoying time as a coach and interim boss. He will be joined by assistant head coach Harry Watling after the pair worked together at Middlesbrough, with the rest of his backroom staff to be confirmed in the near future.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “I know Rob very well and I have seen his growth in different jobs. He’s a very good person, he knows the club very well, he knows the city, the fans and he is very talented.
“When he was a youth coach here, he showed his tactical awareness, but after he took first-team jobs he started to grow his own identity, character and leadership.
“We need to refresh the whole club with a new coach’s philosophy, bringing his own identity and ideas, and we can build on that. We are at a new chapter for the club and Rob will be a key piece of that.”
For Boro, it is now about finding a swift replacement as they aim to continue their Championship promotion push without Edwards.
Middlesbrough make Steven Gerrard a top manager target
As reported by Rousing the Kop and journalist Graeme Bailey, Steven Gerrard is among the top targets for Middlesbrough to replace Edwards.
Steve Gibson is a long-term admirer of the former Rangers and Aston Villa boss, who is out of work after leaving Al-Ettifaq in January.
Gerrard almost returned to Ibrox last month and is open to a return to the dugout, with a move to the Riverside something that could appeal to him.
Gerrard has never managed in the Championship, with his most successful period as a manager coming in Scotland, winning the league title with Rangers.
Club
Games
Points per game
Rangers
192
2.15
Aston Villa
40
1.18
Al-Ettifaq
55
1.33
The 45-year-old primarily plays an attacking 4-3-3 system and is closing in on 300 games as a manager. Could that benchmark come at the Riverside?
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank needs to find a way for his team to create more chances on a consistent basis after some struggles in the Premier League of late.
The Lilywhites created a staggering eight ‘big chances’ against Copenhagen in the Champions League last week, per Sofascore, but they have been unable to showcase that level of creativity on the domestic stage.
Spurs created 0.92 xG in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, per Sofascore, after creating 0.10 xG in their defeat to Chelsea at home in their previous top-flight clash.
Per FBref, Tottenham rank 14th in the Premier League for xG, with 11.0 in 11 matches, which shows that they are far away from being one of the most creative teams in the division.
The former Brentford head coach, therefore, needs to adjust his system or work harder with the players on the training pitch to ensure that they start creating more chances.
One team selection move that Frank could make to add more creativity to the team in the short-term could be to unleash Wilson Odobert from the start after his excellent cameo on Saturday.
Why Wilson Odobert should start for Spurs
The former Burnley forward came off the bench to make a significant impact against Manchester United, as he provided the assist for Richarlison’s goal with a shot that turned into a cross.
Irrespective of whether it was intended as a shot or a cross, Odobert set himself brilliantly with a perfect first touch and struck the ball superbly, with an effort that may have gone in even if Richarlison had not made contact with the ball.
The France U21 international came on at half-time for Randal Kolo Muani and added directness and excitement to the Tottenham attack with his willingness to take players on with the ball at his feet.
Vs Man Utd
Wilson Odobert
Minutes played
45
Shots
1
Key passes
3
Big chances created
2
Dribbles completed
2/2
Pass accuracy
100%
Duels won
4/4
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Odobert created two ‘big chances’ in 45 minutes of action, whilst being incredibly efficient as a dribbler, as a passer, and in his duels.
That impressive cameo against the Red Devils came after he started and scored in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen, which means that the forward has registered goal contributions in successive matches for the first time in his Tottenham career.
This shows that the French youngster is finally finding his feet in North London and is building positive momentum with his performances, which is why Frank should reward him with a start against Arsenal on the other side of the international break.
His direct play and invention with the ball at his feet could improve Tottenham’s creativity and go some way to solving some of the issues that they have had, creatively, in the Premier League this season.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Of course, a player will have to be dropped from the starting line-up in order to facilitate Odobert’s return to the XI, and that unfortunate man could be summer signing Xavi Simons.
Why Spurs should drop Xavi Simons
The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ and registered an assist in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League last week, delivering a brilliant through ball for Brennan Johnson to score.
Football FanCast published an article after that match suggesting that it was the kind of performance that could kickstart his season, as it was a reminder of the kind of quality that he can provide at his best.
Unfortunately, the Dutchman, who was signed from RB Leipzig for £52m in the summer transfer window, played 79 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday without creating a single chance for his teammates, per Sofascore.
Unlike Odobert, Xavi was unable to build on his Champions League performance by following it up with productivity in the Premier League, which has been an issue for him throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
After the 2-2 draw with United, content creator Ronaldo Brown claimed “Xavi Simons is the master of taking “one touch too many” which has gotten him swallowed in the Prem”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has no goals and one assist, which was a corner for Pape Matar Sarr to score, in eight appearances in the Premier League so far this season, since his move from the Bundesliga.
25/26 Premier League
Xavi Simons
Percentile rank vs AMs
xG
0.31
Bottom 22%
Shots on target
1
Bottom 11%
Goals
0
Bottom 3%
Chances created
6
Bottom 46%
xA
0.64
Top 47%
Assists
1
Top 49%
Touches in opposition’s box
9
Bottom 18%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table, Xavi ranks among the worst attacking midfielders in the Premier League in a host of key metrics, aside from his one assist, which was from a set-piece.
The Dutch playmaker is yet to show the kind of quality that saw him deliver 21 goals and 21 assists in two seasons with RB Leipzig in Germany, per Sofascore, which is why Frank should ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up for now.
Unfortunately, Xavi is not delivering enough quality at the top end of the pitch when given chances by Frank, whilst Odobert showed on Saturday that he can impact games in the Premier League at this stage in his development.
Frank must never start £130k-per-week Spurs duo together ever again
Tottenham ended up drawing a frenetic Premier League clash against Manchester United this weekend.
ByAngus Sinclair Nov 9, 2025
Therefore, the Spurs head coach should ditch the Netherlands international from the XI to play Odobert in a central position, where he can drive forwards and make things happen for the Lilywhites.
For the first time since Sept. 14 and for just the second time in the last two weeks, Detroit won a baseball game Thursday night, defeating the rival Guardians 4-2 at Progressive Field. The victory halted an eight-game losing streak for the Tigers and finally cooled off Cleveland, which has soared back into the postseason picture by winning 17 of its last 20 games.
The Tigers, who had a 10.5-game lead in the AL Central on Sept. 1, entered the night one game behind the Guardians after dropping the first two games of the series. With the win, Detroit climbs back into a tie for first place with Cleveland with an 86-73 record.
The Guardians, however, clinched the tiebreaker over the Tigers by winning their head-to-head series this season. If the two teams end the 162-game schedule with the same record, Cleveland will be crowned AL Central champs.
Before Thursday night's game, Fangraphs gave the Tigers a 70.6% chance to make the playoffs and an 18.6% chance to win the AL Central. But after the win, Fangraphs estimates the Tigers now have an 84.1% chance to make the playoffs and a 33.5% chance to win the division.
A huge, huge win.
Elsewhere in the American League, the Mariners officially clinched the AL West on Wednesday night—their first division title since 2001. The Blue Jays and Yankees have both secured playoff berths, but the AL East is still up for grabs, with Toronto holding the tiebreaker.
Toronto took care of business Thursday night, defeating the Red Sox 6-1, while the Yankees beat the White Sox 5-3. The Red Sox remain in the second of three AL wild-card spots, sandwiched between the Tigers and rival Yankees. The Astros, who beat the Athletics 11-5 earlier Thursday afternoon, sit one game back of the Tigers for the final wild-card spot.
Here's how everything looks after Thursday's slate of games:
American League Playoff PictureAL DIVISION LEADERS
The 2025 MLB season is fully into its stretch run, and the playoff picture has solidified. While a number of the usual suspects will likely reach the playoffs, a lot has happened since the All-Star break.
When digging into the numbers of baseball's second half, several surprising, even shocking trends have emerged. The Brewers have emerged as a powerhouse. Kyle Schwarber and Nick Kurtz have been the second-half MVPs. Meanwhile, a number of teams and players are doing things you wouldn't expect.
What follows is a look inside the numbers of the surprising trends across baseball since the All-Star break.
14.3 —fWAR by Blue Jays hitters, best in baseball, to go along with a team-wide 131 wRC+, again, the best in baseball.
8.7 — fWAR produced by the Dodgers pitchers, best in MLB since the All-Star break, a full 1.5 points higher than the Reds and Phillies, who sit in second place. Their team FIP (3.37) is also tops by a wide margin over the Pirates (3.73).
197 — Runs scored by the Astros, which ranks 29th in MLB. Only the Cardinals (185) are worse. Houston's hitters have a collective fWAR of 5.2, worst in baseball among contending teams in the second half.
265 — Runs by the White Sox since the break. That ranks fifth in baseball.
287 — Runs by the Brewers since the break, best in baseball.
3.57 — Team ERA for the Brewers, second-best in baseball behind the Dodgers. So Milwaukee is scoring the most runs and has the second-lowest team ERA since the break.
4.93 — ERA of Mets pitchers since the break, 24th in baseball and worst among contending teams. Their collective WHIP (1.41) ranks 26th and is also the worst among contenders.
14 — Second-half home runs by Trent Grisham, which is second on the Yankees. Aaron Judge's 11 home runs since the break are actually tied for fourth on the team with Jazz Chisholm. (Giancarlo Stanton leads the club with 16.)
20 — Second-half home runs for Kyle Schwarber to lead MLB. The Phillies slugger is slashing .230/.348/.592 with 54 RBIs and a wRC+ of 154 since the All-Star break. The pending free agent seems to have earned himself an obscene amount of money with his performance over the past few months.
21 — Stolen bases by (*) Juan Soto… to lead all of baseball since the All-Star break. Weird. Soto had 25 total stolen bases over the past three years entering 2025 and had never topped 12 in a season before. He only stole 11 bases in 96 games in the first half.
33 — Wins for the Brewers since the All-Star break, best in baseball.
154 — Second half wRC+ for Rafael Devers, who is slashing .269/.367/.538 since the break with 14 home runs. After a slow start in San Francisco, he has found his groove offensively.
220 — Second half wRC+ by Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, by far the best in baseball. Kurtz is slashing .361/.474/.715, his OPS of 1.189 leads baseball, as does the 3.0 fWAR he has produced.
2.5 — fWAR for Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, best among MLB starting pitchers since the break. He is 5–3 with a 2.67 ERA and a sparkling 2.13 FIP. With Zack Wheeler out for the season, he's Philadelphia's best starter heading into the playoffs.
0.84 — ERA for Cubs rookie Cade Horton, best among qualified starting pitchers since the break. Horton has a 7–1 record in 10 starts, has produced 1.6 fWAR, and is just what Chicago needed after losing Justin Steele for the season.
1.74 — ERA for Paul Skenes since the All-Star break. His 2.11 FIP is the best among qualified pitchers since the break, and he's averaging 11.37 strikeouts per nine innings. If anything, the Pirates star has gotten better as his second season has gone along.
99.5 — Average fastball velocity for Hunter Greene since the break. The best among MLB starting pitchers. The Reds ace is 2–1 with a 2.35 ERA since the break.
101.6 — Average fastball velocity for Padres reliever Mason Miller since the break, best among all MLB pitchers. He's 0–0 with two saves and a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings in that time and is averaging an eye-popping 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings. This one may not be surprising, but like Skenes, he appears to be getting better as his second full season goes along.
Os torcedores criticaram o nível do jogo entre Flamengo e Botafogo nas redes sociais. Para muitos, o clássico está sendo “assustador” e de dar sono. Confira as reações abaixo.
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كشف أحمد حسن مدير منتخب مصر الثاني، حقيقة رحيل محمد شريف عن صفوف الفراعنة المشاركين في بطولة كأس العرب الحالية في قطر.
وتواجه منتخبا مصر والكويت، في الجولة الأولى من منافسات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس العرب، على ملعب استاد لوسيل، بالمباراة التي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.
طالع | محمد عواد: تصدي بسام نقطة تحول أمام الكويت.. وهدفنا صدارة المجموعة
ونشر أحمد حسن عبر صفحته الرسمية على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “محمد شريف مستمر بشكل طبيعي في معسكر المنتخب الوطني في قطر ولا صحة للشائعات المتداولة بشأن استبعاده”.
واختتم: “ولا أدري لماذا تثار تلك الشائعات في ذلك التوقيت بدلًا من دعم المنتخب في البطولة”.
وكان محمد شريف أبدى اعتراضه أثناء استبداله في مباراة مصر والكويت، حيث وجه بعض الكلمات إلى حلمي طولان المدير الفني.
Pick between three Tests, with each of them having thrilling moments to offer
ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2025Update: This poll has ended. The ENG-AUS 2019 Leeds Test moves into the final.
Dravid conquers Australia and Adelaide, 2003
It was Kolkata 2001 all over again, except the support act took over the lead role this time.Instead of 445, Australia scored 556 batting first here, with Ricky Ponting hitting 242 at a strike rate of 68.75. But unlike their 171 in Kolkata, India scored 523, keeping the match on an even keel, more or less, and it was the Rahul Dravid-VVS Laxman partnership for the fifth wicket, worth 303 runs, that made it possible. Here, Dravid scored 233 from No. 3, and Laxman 148 from No. 6.Like in Kolkata, Australia’s second innings was a letdown; all they got was 196, setting India 230 to win, and the star of the show, which gave India the upper hand, was Ajit Agarkar, whose 6 for 41 thwarted Australia as they were looking to put the game beyond India.Dravid had scored that many in the first innings alone, but this time he only had to make 72, hitting the winning runs when he cut Stuart MacGill through the off side. It remains one of India’s great victories in Australia, achieved at a time when they didn’t come as thick and fast as they do now.Kusal Perera’s one-man show in Durban, 2019 Sri Lanka were coming off a 2-0 pummeling in Australia, their captain had just been sacked, and an inexperienced team, led by Dimuth Karunaratne, landed in South Africa.Then, in what was one of the most dramatic Tests in history, Sri Lanka emerged victorious, chasing down 304 with one wicket to spare. They had lost their ninth wicket while still 78 runs off their target. Kusal Perera then scored 67 of the the remaining 78 runs in an incredible finale on the fourth afternoon, along with the No. 11 Vishwa Fernando, as they saw their team home. Towards the end, you knew where this was going, even if it was just a matter of one good delivery.At lunch on the day, Sri Lanka were 166 for 5, still 138 runs away, after which Keshav Maharaj ripped through the lower-middle order, leaving them at 226 for 9. That brought Fernando to the middle, and he was entirely focused on survival. He faced 22 balls before he got off the mark.As Fernando clung on at one end, Perera defended with unreal calm, and even took several blows to his body on his way to the target. Batting for 309 minutes, he farmed the strike, and picked his opportunities to attack and push the score forward. Along the way, he also made his career-best Test score of 153*.
The Stokes show at Headingley, 2019
A Test that might not have otherwise stayed for too long in the memory, it was the unbroken 76-run stand for the last wicket between Ben Stokes and Jack Leach that lifted it to where the greatest Test matches in history are clubbed together.And, of course, the fact that in those 76 runs, one batter scored 74 (in 45 balls) and the other 1 (in 17 balls)! Not to forget that the winners had scored 67 in their first innings and then hit 362 for 9 in a Test where 246 was the next-best total.Australia won the first Test, and the second was drawn, so England wanted to win this one at Headingley to stay in the Ashes contest. But after Australia were bowled out for 179 in the first innings, all England could put up was 67, with Joe Denly top-scoring with 12. Back to Australia, and this time they put up 246.Was the pitch getting better for batting? It didn’t seem so when England were 15 for 2 in their chase of 359, and then 159 for 4 with Joe Root gone, and then 286 for 9. Stokes, the No. 5, was on 61 at the time. Off 174 balls.But with last-man Leach for company, Stokes switched something on. He hit four fours and seven sixes from that point, keeping Leach away from the strike as much as possible, before finishing it off with a flay through the covers off Pat Cummins. Done and dusted!
Arsenal are set to be minus an “underrated” star for their looming North London derby against Tottenham and far beyond that, following some injury news out of the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side host Spurs on Sunday in imperious form, but the manager is being made to sweat over several key players. The Gunners remain in pole position at the top of the Premier League table after a fantastic start to the campaign, which is made all the more impressive by the absences of numerous big-name attackers lately.
Arsenal currently sit top with eight wins, two draws and one loss from their opening 11 matches, boasting a phenomenal defensive record. They’ve conceded just five goals all season, the best of any team in Europe’s top five leagues, which has formed the backbone of their title challenge.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
However, the international break has brought fresh concerns.
Left-back Riccardo Calafiori returned early from Italy duty due to hip pain, but encouragingly, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal’s medical checks confirmed that Calafiori will be available for the derby with no injury issues, just overload.
Calafiori has become an undisputed starter this term, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games, even thwarting Myles Lewis-Skelly for a consistent place in the starting eleven.
Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard is continuing his recovery from a knee injury that has plagued him since October. The Norwegian, before his country’s 4-1 win over Italy, told TV2 that his recovery is progressing and he “will hopefully be back soon” — though it remains to be seen whether that could be against Tottenham.
His creativity has been sorely missed in Arsenal’s midfield, and elsewhere in the squad, Viktor Gyokeres has been struggling with a hamstring injury sustained at Burnley. He’s missed their last two matches against Slavia Prague and Sunderland, as a result, with Gyokeres believed to remain a doubt ahead of Spurs.
Noni Madueke is approaching a comeback after being sidelined for almost two months due to a knee problem, while Kai Havertz continues his recovery from knee surgery with a potential return on the cards “towards the end of the year”, according to Julian Nagelsmann.
Gabriel Martinelli is racing to be fit for this weekend, but the game comes too soon for his compatriot, Gabriel Jesus, who’s expected to be the last to return after his ACL injury at the start of 2025 (Simon Collings).
Amid this wave of Arsenal team news, it is another Gabriel who’s been making the headlines recently.
Indeed, star defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who’s been equally vital going forward as well as at the back, was taken off with a thigh problem during Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates, and the early signs aren’t exactly cause for celebration.
Arsenal star Gabriel to miss "minimum four weeks" after thigh injury
According to journalist Sami Mokbel of The BBC, Gabriel could now miss a “minimum four weeks”, and some sources suggest that he could be out until January as the club wait for further scan results.
Gabriel has been the linchpin of Europe’s most water-tight defence, partnering both William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera to devastating effect and making him irreplaceable in Arteta’s system.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Arsenal face a crucial run of fixtures beyond just Tottenham, with Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Chelsea awaiting them right afterwards.
Beyond defensive stability, Gabriel already boasts five goal involvements in all competitions this season, including a vital late winner away to Newcastle in September, highlighting his importance at both ends of the pitch. The 27-year-old gifts Arsenal a major outlet, and has been a significant part of their outstanding set piece record this season.
With Gabriel set to miss this weekend, Mosquera or Piero Hincapie will likely come in to replace him, with the summer signings now given a baptism of fire.
While the November international break was one for the ages as teams around the globe kept their World Cup dreams alive in dramatic circumstances, the return of club football marks a magic time in the calendars of many fans, as it means we are now at the beginning of four uninterrupted months of club action. This is when narratives truly take form, with teams able to build momentum and set off on potentially season-defining runs.
Of course there will be those for whom an unhappy winter is only just beginning, and the relentless nature of the modern fixture list means there could be plenty of dark times ahead for some fanbases. However, given the action we saw upon the resumption of leagues around Europe, it's hard not to be excited by what's to come over the next weeks and months.
For now, though, here's our 10 biggest winners and losers from the past couple of days…
AFP
WINNER: Eberechi Eze
Back in the middle of August, Tottenham fans were gearing up to welcome Eberechi Eze to north London after widespread reports that Spurs were closing in on a deal to sign the Crystal Palace midfielder. Fast-forward three months, and those same supporters could only watch on in horror as Eze scored a superb hat-trick to decide the north London derby in Arsenal's favour and further tighten the Gunners' grip on the Premier League title race.
Arsenal's last-minute hijack of Eze's Tottenham switch was one of the most dramatic moments of the summer transfer window, and the England international has gradually grown into his role at the Emirates Stadium, most notably by stepping into the shoes of injured captain Martin Odegaard. And it was from that position on the right side of Mikel Arteta's midfield three where Eze did his damage on Sunday as he continually found space on the edge of the penalty area to cause problems for the Spurs defence.
Eze set the tone for his virtuoso performance with a delicious chipped ball for Declan Rice to volley towards goal in the opening couple of minutes, and while Guglielmo Vicario could keep out that effort, he was powerless to stop Eze when he got into shooting positions either side of half-time. Eze showed unerring accuracy with his finishing, and by the end of the game was showing off his full array of flicks and tricks as the Gunners moved six points clear at the top of the table.
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Getty Images Sport
WINNER: Michael Olise
Perhaps Eze was inspired by the performance of one of his former Palace team-mates just over 24 hours earlier? Michael Olise has taken his game to a new level since leaving Selhurst Park to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, emerging as one of the most creative forwards in Europe while also forcing his way into the France line up during World Cup qualifying.
On Saturday, however, it looked like it might be a long afternoon for Olise and his Bayern team-mates as they went 2-0 down at home to Freiburg inside the opening 17 minutes. From there, though, the ex-Reading youngster took over, as he first provided the assist for teenager Lennart Karl to pull one back before equalising himself in first-half stoppage time with a drilled effort from the edge of the box.
After the break, it was Olise's corner which found an unmarked Dayot Upamecano to volley Bayern into the lead, and after Harry Kane had netted his customary goal, Olise danced through the Freiburg defence to set up Nicolas Jackson for goal number five. And Olise wasn't done there, either, as he rounded out the scoring with a superb individual strike after cutting inside from the right wing.
His five goal contributions at the weekend takes Olise's tally to 22 combined goals and assists in just 23 appearances for club and country so far this season, and the 23-year-old still has plenty of room to improve even further. For now, though, his focus will turn to midweek and a reunion with Eze as Bayern take on Arsenal in a heavyweight Champions League clash.
Getty Images Sport
LOSER: Liverpool
Back in the Premier League, and while Arsenal edge further clear at the top, the reigning English champions' sorry season hit a new low on Saturday as Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Boos rang down from the Kop as the Reds lost their sixth league game of the campaign already, leaving them languishing in the bottom half of the table just six months on from the joyous scenes that greeted them securing the title back in May.
Successive wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid suggested Arne Slot's side had turned a corner ahead of the international break, but defeat to Manchester City has now been followed up by an embarrassing loss to Sean Dyche's side that has caused some to start questioning whether Slot possesses the tactical acumen to reverse this slide or if a new manager needs to be sought if things do not turn around.
"We're definitely letting the manager down, but we've let ourselves down as well," said captain Virgil van Dijk as he tried to ease the pressure on his compatriot and coach. "At the moment it is a mess – that's just a fact. As the champions we can't be in the situation we are in right now."
A 'mess' is an understatement. Liverpool aren't just the defending champions – they are also a team that spent over £400 million on bolstering their squad, led by the British-record acquisition of Alexander Isak, who returned to the line up on Saturday but mustered just 15 touches in another anonymous display. Isak is now the first Liverpool player to taste defeat on each of his first four league starts for the club, but he is far from the only person to blame for Liverpool's predicament, and right now it's difficult to see a route out of this for Slot and co.
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Getty Images Sport
LOSER: Phil Foden
Given their own collapse last season, Manchester City know how Liverpool are feeling, but right now Pep Guardiola's side should be more focused on whether they can get themselves back into the title picture after Saturday's damaging defeat at Newcastle. Having got themselves to within four points of the Gunners heading into the international break, City slipped up on Tyneside thanks in large part to some miserable finishing.
Phil Foden wasn't the only culprit in that regard, but there's no doubt that his chances to score – especially the one he spurned in the first half – were the most presentable, and the homegrown midfielder would have expected to have found the net at least once. Instead, Foden was left to rue a missed chance to not only boost City's title hopes but also his own chances of playing a key role at the World Cup this summer.
Foden returned to the England squad for their games against Serbia and Albania, but had to make do with appearances off the bench on both occasions, suggesting he remains behind both Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in the pecking order. And so on a weekend when both his main rivals for a starting role with the Three Lions, as well as Eze, showcased their abilities in front of goal, Foden was left wanting.
It is no surprise to anyone that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been in such dominant form this season. The Citizens number nine cannot stop scoring, and already has 19 goals to his name from just 16 games so far in 2025/26, chipping in with an assist, too.
His form in the Premier League has been largely unstoppable. Haaland has found the back of the net 14 times in the English top flight, coming in just 12 appearances. In two of those games, the 25-year-old didn’t score. His form has been as good as ever for City.
However, it is not just at club level where Haaland has been in fine goalscoring form. Norway are reaping the benefits, too.
Haaland’s form in the November international break
Despite only playing 48 games for his country, Haaland has 55 goals already. That makes him the top goalscorer in Norway’s history, 22 clear of anyone else. Captaining his nation in the November internationals, he added four more goals to that tally.
The first of two braces Haaland scored during the international break came at home to Estonia. Two second-half strikes, six minutes apart, helped Norway to a 4-1 win, pushing them closer to automatic World Cup qualification.
Next up was a tougher assignment against Italy. The City striker, however, helped to brush the our-time World Cup winners aside, securing another 4-1 win.
The strikes came within a minute of each other, the first an acrobatic effort in the penalty box and the second an easy goal from close range, with City teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma unable to stop Haaland from scoring.
The goals from Haaland this week will certainly please the Citizens faithful. The fact that their talismanic number nine is continuing his deadly form ahead of a huge festive period surely means they can expect to see similar results at club level.
Haaland, however, was not the only City striker who shone during the November international break.
Man City’s other in-form international striker
There is one question surrounding Haaland, and that is who City have as an alternative to the striker. There is no obvious understudy in the first team, despite the likes of Omar Marmoush being able to operate as a nine.
Well, Pep Guardiola could always turn to the academy if needs be, where the club might have the homegrown Haaland in the form of Reigan Heskey. The 17-year-old is the son of former England striker Emile and has been impressing for City’s academy for several years.
Heskey, who was born in Liverpool, can operate on either flank or as a striker. He shone for City’s under-18s last season in the U18s Premier League, a competition in which he bagged 18 goals in 19 games and assisted a further seven.
Guardiola is possibly the most important person who could take note of this impressive form of the teenager. Well, the Spaniard gave Heskey his first-team debut this season, a seven-minute Carabao Cup cameo against Huddersfield Town, along with his brother, Jaden.
It is not just his club form that has been superb, but his form for England under-17s.
Heskey has been a key member of the Three Lions U17 World Cup squad this month, with football scout Antonio Mango describing him as “unstoppable this international break.”
The 17-year-old attacker played five matches in the competition, finding the back of the net four times and assisting three. He also averaged 1.9 key passes and three successful dribbles per 90 minutes, showing just how much of a threat he is.
Goals and assists
1.4
7
Key passes
1.9
9
Big chances created
0.6
3
Dribbles completed
3
14
Tackles and interceptions
2.3
11
Heskey is certainly showing deadly form in front of goal, which Guardiola has already rewarded with minutes in the first team. If he continues on this upward trajectory, there is no reason to suggest he cannot break into the squad permanently a bit further down the line.
Haaland was not the only City striker in form for his country this month. Heskey has been on fire, and would love to keep this form going when he returns to club football.
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