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Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino left Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier out of the squad that travelled to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Pochettino said that the pair had been omitted for ‘technical reasons’.

What that exactly means is open to interpretation, and Tottenham fans have been on Twitter discussing why the pair were left out.

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Many are of the opinion that Alderweireld and Trippier had some sort of altercation which led to both players being left out of the European tie.

There is no question that the pair were missed as Tottenham suffered a 2-1 defeat, and there was something strange about their absence.

It will be very interesting to see whether the pair return for the Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.

And indeed whether Tottenham reveal the real reason for why they were not involved. Pochettino can call it a ‘technical decision’, but there is something more, according to a number of Spurs supporters.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Marco Silva may be forced into the transfer market for a new a striker in January.

The Toffees have made an uninspiring start to life under the Portuguese who replaced Sam Allardyce in the summer. Everton have created a number of chances throughout the season but haven’t been able to find the back of the net consistently. Despite new signing Richarlison scoring for fun, Cenk Tosun has scored just one goal since March.

The Turkey international lead the line well but has so far but just one goal this term is a measly return. His lack of goals will undoubtedly be concerning for Silva and the Goodison faithful. If Everton are serious about challenging for Europe, landing a top goal scorer in January may be necessary.

One man they should be targeting is Genoa sensation – Krzysztof Piatek. Valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, the Poland international moved to the Serie A this summer after racking up an impressive record in his homeland. Piatek has made an excellent start to life in Italy, scoring six goals already this season; joint top of the scoring charts across Europe’s top five leagues.

Should his superb showings continue, it won’t be long before Piatek earns a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Reports suggested Barcelona were keeping tabs on the forward who had been labelled the next Robert Lewandowski. More recently, Juventus are believed to have enquired regarding his services.

Everton could offer Piatek regular first-team football in the Premier League which could hand them the advantage in the race for his signature. Bringing the 23-year-old to the club could be just what Silva needs to get the Blues firing again.

Everton fans, thoughts?

Tottenham fans on Twitter have been left gutted as their club tweeted an early piece of team news ahead of tomorrow evening’s Champions League clash with Barcelona. Paulo Gazzaniga will be dropping to the bench as Hugo Lloris returns to first-team action at Wembley, and the supporters are gutted to see their Argentine shot-stopper dropping out.

Hugo Lloris is Tottenham’s undisputed number one and club captain. The Frenchman also captained his country to win the World Cup over the summer so there really is no doubting his abilities between the sticks. The fans aren’t annoyed to see Lloris coming in, they’re more annoyed to see Gazzaniga going out as the Argentine has done fantastically well since he came into the side and doesn’t merit being dropped.

Gazzaniga played exceptionally well against Brighton during the 2-1 win, winning the club’s man of the match award, before he then became the penalty shootout hero against Watford last Wednesday. Following that, he then kept his first clean sheet of the season on Saturday against Huddersfield and he’ll be as aggrieved as the fans are that he’s going to be dropped when Barcelona come knocking at Wembley in the Champions League.

You can read The Lilywhites’ verdict on the early team news here:

The Lilywhites will be keen to see Lloris do well tomorrow, but will also hope that Gazzaniga can get another chance this season after impressing in his three games so far.

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Tottenham Hotspur dragged themselves to a 1-0 victory over newly-promoted Cardiff City at a sparsely attended Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. An early Eric Dier goal from close range was ultimately enough to seal the points.

Neil Warnock’s winless Bluebirds were equally poor and could muster just 24% of the possession. That being said, whilst Mauricio Pochettino’s men saw a lot of the ball and carved out a number of goalscoring opportunities, they were inefficient in the final third. 

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This is not the first time this season that Spurs have ground out a victory with a sub-par performance and the North London club will be delighted to find themselves in third place in the table already despite not being in the best form. 

However, many Spurs supporters are not at all pleased with the current standard of football that their team are offering up. After Saturday’s dull affair, many took to Twitter to voice their concern with the underwhelming display…

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Arsenal face competition in the market for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe from Bayern Munich, according to SportBild via talkSPORT.

What’s the word?

Unai Emery is flying high at Arsenal following nine consecutive wins in all competitions but there is still a lot of work to do in order for the Gunners to seal a spot in the Premier League’s top-four and secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Further action is expected in the market come January, where Emery may make finding a replacement for Alexis Sanchez his priority as the Gunners currently lack options in the wide positions – and Lille’s Nicolas Pepe is a target.

However, SportBild via talkSPORT state Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also in the hunt for the 23-year-old who has impressed this season by scoring six goals in nine Ligue 1 matches.

The right target?

While Arsenal have numerous options through the middle, the wide positions are currently depleted with only Alex Iwobi standing in the squad as a natural winger. Despite his vast improvements this season, further depth is required.

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A goalscoring wide player like Pepe is the perfect candidate to provide another edge to Arsenal’s attack and it would allow Emery to shake-up his formation for the Gunners as he did in the recent drubbing of Fulham, when he paired Alexandre Lacazette and Danny Welbeck together.

Beating Bayern Munich in the hunt will be difficult but Arsenal will be able to offer more regular first-team opportunities to the 23-year-old and should certainly place the winger at the top of their transfer wishlist.

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Newcastle United were sent to rock bottom of the Premier League table, still without a win to their name this season, after being beaten 1-0 at St James’ Park by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Beram Kayal put the Seagulls ahead on the half hour mark, and the Magpies could muster no response to going behind despite taking 27 shots in the match. However, just six were on target.

The defeat heaps yet more pressure on Rafa Benitez who must turn the club’s fortunes around quickly if the Tyneside outfit are to avoid becoming cut adrift at the foot of the table. Certainly, a goalscorer must emerge in the squad, as Newcastle have only found the back of the net six times in nine league outings this season.

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Last season’s top scorer, Ayoze Perez, had a particularly poor match against Brighton. The 25-year-old Spaniard has been in poor form all season and is attracting the ire of fans.

After the match, plenty of Newcastle supporters took to Twitter to criticise Perez’s dreadful display…

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Loads of Celtic fans have been running the rule over Thursday’s defeat in Germany, and they are completely split on the performance of Ryan Christie.

Celtic were beaten all too comfortably by Red Bull Leipzig on Thursday night, and fans aren’t quite sure what to make of Christie’s performance.

The youngster was one of a number of fringe players handed a start due to this weekend’s League Cup semi-final, and he was perhaps the only Bhoys’ player who even slightly impressed.

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The 23-year-old has just 15 league appearances since signing from Inverness in 2015, and his work rate has certainly never been in question.

He put himself about in the 2-0 defeat, but wasn’t able to make anything happen on the attacking end, making just one key pass and completing just two dribbles.

Some fans are praising his effort in the defeat, while others want to see a whole lot more from a player who should soon be entering his prime.

Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Queens Park Rangers will find it difficult to keep hold of Eberechi Eze in next summer’s transfer window, with a number of Premier League clubs believed to be interested in the talented attacker.

What’s the word, then?

Last month, the London Evening Standard claimed that Tottenham Hotspur had been scouting Eze with the view to making a move for the 20-year-old.

Eze, who spent time with Arsenal and Fulham during his youth career, joined QPR from Millwall in 2016.

The attacker spent the first half of last season on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, before returning to Loftus Road, and he finished the 2017-18 campaign with two goals in 15 appearances for his Championship club.

This term, Eze has scored three times and registered two assists in 15 Championship appearances, and has been key to QPR’s recent impressive form.

Eze signed a new contract with the R’s during the summer, but money talks in football – particularly at Championship level – and if a Premier League club come calling then QPR will find it impossible to keep hold of him.

Can Eze inspire QPR to a playoff push?

QPR had a very tough start to the 2018-19 campaign, and it did appear that the club would be battling to stay in the Championship this season.

Things have changed in recent weeks, however, with the capital outfit winning four of their last five in the Championship to move into 10th position in the table.

The R’s have not conceded a single goal in their last three league fixtures, and Eze managed assists in the recent wins over Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday.

QPR’s defence has played a key role in their recent form, but they also have plenty of talent down the other end, and Eze has shown that he is capable of becoming a star in English football.

It might well be that QPR have to earn promotion to keep hold of him, meanwhile, as Eze deserves his shot in the Premier League.

Liverpool remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season, level on points with leaders Manchester City.

After reaching the Champions League final last year, the Reds have continued their terrific form into the new campaign and look well-equipped to battle City for the Premier League title. The impact of Virgil van Dijk in defence has been astounding with Liverpool conceding fewer goals than Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus and Pep Guardiola’s side since the Dutchman made his debut. With Fabinho and Naby Keita still settling into life on Merseyside, things are looking rosy for Jurgen Klopp.

Despite their form so far, the German should definitely be keeping an eye on potential January transfer targets. Klopp wanted a playmaker in the summer and saw a move for Nabil Fekir collapse at the last minute. If the Reds don’t revive their interest in the Frenchman, they should make a move for Real Madrid playmaker – James Rodriguez.

Valued at £72m by Transfermarkt, the Colombia international is currently halfway through his two-year loan spell with Bayern Munich after falling out of favour in La Liga. Despite being a crucial player for the club last year, reports suggest that Rodriguez will attempt to leave the German champions in the New Year. Juventus are reportedly interested in reuniting the midfield with Cristiano Ronaldo, but Liverpool should try to lure him to the Premier League.

Rodriguez has the quality to unlock a defence and to put him behind the attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane could be lethal. With three goals in just four Bundesliga starts this year, the Colombian will be desperate for regular game time. The 27-year-old is approaching the prime of his career, and there might not be a better manager than Klopp to get the best out of the former Porto star.

Bringing Rodriguez to Anfield in the New Year could prove to be a masterstroke.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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Arsenal fans instantly took to Twitter after last night’s 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon to send their best wishes to Danny Welbeck, after the forward suffered a horror ankle injury midway through the first half.

The England international has made only seven starts this season as a result of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette’s form, with only one of those coming in the Premier League.

In fairness, the 27-year-old has taken his chances when they’ve come, scoring five goals in the games he’s played, but his latest injury is another cruel twist of fate for a player so unlucky with finding consistent fitness.

The former Manchester United ace was issued oxygen by the Gunners’ medical staff before leaving the Emirates pitch on a stretcher, as former teammate Nani offered his support whilst current teammate Matteo Guendouzi looked on almost in tears.

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Any potential January move away for the striking ace now looks all but off.

Let’s take a look at how fans of the north London side reacted…