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So its raining cats and dogs every day? Threat of snow? A team frustrated after three league defeats on the spin with little or no goal-scoring capability? Fan base up in arms? Well, Ive got the answer to you. Warm weather, sunshine, a pint, some tapas, maybe some flamenco guitar for good measure. Such was the tonic that Big Sam and his squid provided a Harry Kane-included Spurs squad yesterday. It couldnt have come at a better time.

As for the game, of course, we dominated. Of course, we wasted our best chances for fifty minutes until we didnt. Kudos to Hojbjerg for threading the pass to Kane, to Kane for a clinical finish, and to Lucas and others who set up Son for an even easier finish to salt this game away. But of course but for a bit too much eagerness on behalf of their striker, there were the dangerous balls into the box that on a different day v a different side might easily have yielded a goal or two and denied us the victory.

But this isnt the time to harp on negative thingsAurier was back and effective, Sanchez and Toby were acceptable, the midfield was more aggressive (Lamela and Lucas both making contributions) and our finishers finished. So while Champions League looks a remote possibilityand probably best won through the Europa League, a top seven finish is still attainable. Weve got that going for us which is nice.

But lets face itthat isnt what Jose was hired to do. The midweek games over the next three weeks are the ones he was brought here to win. So farand admittedly the opposition has been poor but for a good Championship side in Brentford and Chelsea who we escaped from via penalties before their previous manager had figured out how to play his team (well, maybe he never did)Jose hasnt lost a knockout game yet.

The Toffees are a tough draw coming after their spirited late comeback at Old Trafford yesterday with a dangerous front line against our leaky defence, Calvert-Lewin in particular seems primed to cause trouble. But this is the type of game where our manager can set us up in a way that gives us our best chance. Surely it will be largely a counter-attacking approachwith possibly the same lineup we saw today except for Sissoko or Doherty starting in place of either Lamela or Lucas and Aurier.

And if we win he can then decide just how much priority to give to what surely is the toughest league game remaining on the fixture listCity at the Etihad after they will have journeyed to Wales to play Swansea. Im thinking that AVB has time on his hands, and is schooled in how to produce a 6-0 defeat because maybe the Wolfsberger game a week Thursday is the bigger of the two. So bring him in to be the guest coach.

We might just see a sacrifice on the weekend because, despite our surprising success against Pep these past three years, this seems a huge mismatch. But that is why Levy pays Jose the big bucksfor all the problems, away wins in trophy competitions the next ten days will give the final three months of this season some real focus. At least we can enjoy the respite from the slog for a few days.

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Opinion: The tonic which Tottenham needed - The Spurs Web

BEING wheeled down the corridor signing consent forms, Shea Downey wasnt even sure which hospital he was in.

Hours earlier, hed looked the cut of his uncle Henry, stationed at centre-back as Lavey overcame their old adversaries Dungiven in a first round Derry SFC match.

Nothing had happened to make him feel the pain in his stomach that he was experiencing the next day. By night, it was a quick run up the road to Antrim Area and a rapid diagnosis.

They said my appendix was about to burst and they had to operate, he recalls.

Lavey would reach the county final for the first time in 25 years but it would be the following April before Downey would play again.

Despite having been called into the senior Derry setup almost straight out of minor, he is yet to make his championship debut.

Its not for any lack of ability or application.

His appendix operation initially appeared to have gone as routine, but in the months afterwards, he was dogged by an infection that just wouldnt clear.

They did it and the doctor was happy enough how it went, but it was whatever way I reacted to it. There was still an infection there.

They sent me home but I was still getting bad pains in that area, so I had to go back into hospital. I stayed in for a good few days. It took me ages to get over it.

It was a few months before I could even run. I just couldnt get rid of it.

We ended up going to Kingsbridge [private hospital in Belfast] then to get it sorted, I got a scan done up there and they said there was a bit of an infection there and they gave me something to get rid of it.

It was just a waiting match then, you had to wait until the infection died down before you could even start. I was trying to do a bit of jogging to get back for Lavey, they were doing well, but it just wasnt happening.

I couldnt jog at all with the pain, I could barely move.

It was around the same time as Tottenham Hotspurs Eric Dier had the exact same issue. While he returned to playing, it took him many months to properly get the better of feeling sore and ill.

With his father Seamus and great-uncle John Brennan at the helm, Shea could only watch on as Lavey embarked on their run to the Derry final, in which they were left to rue a poor first half against Coleraine.

You could see about the place when we got to that final, it was a big deal in the parish. It was covered in orange and black flags, there was a scarecrow, a painted car and everything. It was hard watching that, not being able to play in it.

After every game boys were asking me and I said Id be back for the next round. But I was trying to do a bit at the pitch and it just wasnt happening.

I was still in the changing room. I togged out in the final, I dont even know why for I wasnt getting on. That was the only game I togged out.

We came back well after half-time and thats why its so hard to watch nearly, youre jumping out of your seat and you just want to go and help out. Thats just the way things happen. Hopefully we can get back and go that step further.

It was January before he hit the field in Owenbeg to resume training with Derry. But having recovered from the appendix issue, his hamstrings started playing up. They havent stopped since.

The second training session with the county side, he popped the hamstring. Its been such a regular occurrence on both sides that hes not even sure which side went first.

Turned 23 last week, it had been anticipated hed be a regular in the Derry team by now. Instead, hes still yet to make his championship debut and has only played in a handful of Allianz League games.

The injuries themselves have been unkind, but so too the timing.

He missed the whole of 2019s inter-county campaign with the hamstring issue that flared up in that first session.

Indeed, a final year Business Studies student at Ulster University, he is set to finish up without kicking a ball in the Sigerson Cup unless he goes down the post-graduate route.

Through work with S&C coaches Ollie Cummings (2019) and Peter Hughes (2020), as well as medical and physio teams, he has built his hamstrings up.

He had a good run at it during the early part of the 2020 league and the lockdown allowed him to work on at them, but a concussion suffered in the first club championship game set him back. He was only able to return for Laveys knockout game against Magherafelt, and the hamstrings were acting up again after the layoff, causing him to be pulled late from Rory Gallaghers squad for the Ulster SFC loss to Armagh.

It hasnt been an easy ride, but then if anyone has the bloodline to overcome the early setbacks, its a son of Seamus Downey.

This was the man who tore his cruciate in 1989, a time when it was a career-ending injury.

But he rebuilt the knee without an operation, doing relentless, gruelling rehab to eventually win an All-Ireland at full-forward four years later, scoring Derrys goal in the final win over Cork.

Shea Downey and his three brothers have kept each other in company over lockdown. Enda, Oran and Calum, along with cousin Matthew and the upcoming Conor, will mean the Lavey team will have six Downeys on it in a very short space of time.

Theyre sports nuts too. As he takes the call, theres just enough gap between Tottenham-West Brom and Ireland-Wales, followed by Liverpool-Man City and the late-night shift for the SuperBowl.

His soccer allegiances fall the way of Sunderland, where his mother has cousins that theyd have visited as youngsters, and ended up at the Stadium of Light for several north-east derbies with Newcastle.

Shea Downeys just about had his fill of watching and not playing, though you wouldnt quickly detect any impatience.

Whats done is done. Theres no point dwelling on it, you just have to focus on getting right and hopefully this year Ill get a clean run at it. Im just looking forward to playing games.

With any luck, the world will see him at his best in 2021.

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Shea Downey's had enough of being Down on his injury luck - The Irish News

Anthony Joshua bagged a dominant win over Kubrat Pulev on December 12th by stopping The Cobra in the 9th round of their main-event clash. Relying on his uppercuts and thunderous hooks, Joshua looked confident from the beginning.

In Round 3, he almost outpointed Pulev with brutal shots and many believed it to be a stoppage. However, the referee let the show go on and Joshua had to dig deep till the 9th round to regain his knockout game. While he could have bagged an early win in Round 3, Joshua found it beneficial to go the distance.

In conversation with Sporting News, Joshua recalled the fight and revealed how he pulled off the big win. I have got a lot to lose and a lot to gain. So, I boxed with boxing IQ and I just dont go out there and its not a street fight.

I have an understanding of what the sweet science is about. So, I hit and I dont get hit. Pull, counter, Boom! That aggression in me is always there, so I wanted to take him out, said Joshua.

He added, I felt like the referee should have stopped the fight, but in a way, I think its good because being out for a year, 9 rounds was perfect.

Following the victory, he called out Tyson Fury to face him in an ultimate heavyweight title unification showdown. WBC champion Fury also accepted the offer, and we may see them collide by the end of this year.

READ MORE- Michael Coffie Gives Insight on Training With Deontay Wilder

At this stage, Tyson Fury is the only relevant option for the unified world champion. But if the fight doesnt happen, WBO has unearthed some solutions for AJ.

As per the new WBO rules, Anthony Joshua will have to defend his strap against the winner of Joe Joyce vs Oleksandr Usyk if he doesnt fight Fury. So, AJ is set to be a busy man in 2021.

As he finds his way back to winning ways with a knockout, the world wants to see him butt heads with the best. Do you think Anthony Joshua will depart 2021 as the world champion?

READ MORE- Winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs Joe Joyce Will Fight the Winner of Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury Within 180 Days Says New WBO Order

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Anthony Joshua Explains How the Referee Not Stopping the Kubrat Pulev Bout in Round 3 Helped Him - EssentiallySports

The final matches of the UEFA Champions League group stages are upon us and 21 of the 32 teams involved still have something to play for.

They are exactly the sort of clubs Fantasy managers should be picking from as the group stages come to a conclusion, although we are expecting rotation too.

This article will include a much more detailed team news section than usual in an attempt to help you all navigate the rotation minefield ahead this week.

Sensible

PSG need to win here and have their easiest game of the group stages at home to Istanbul Basaksehir. Neymar (11.4m) is PSGs main man at the moment and enjoying something of a purple patch, with four goals and an assist in the last three games hes started. Hes on penalties and firing coming up to a must win game and as a result is my main captaincy choice for Tuesday evening.

Differential

As always, with the cushion of Wednesday captaincy Tuesday can give a great opportunity to take risks with the captaincy. Currently just 4%-owned and with eight goals in his last eight games for Lazio, Ciro Immobile (10.5m) has the form and the fixture needed to score big. On penalties in a game Lazio have to win, Id trust the Italian marksman to do the job.

Other differential options include Jadon Sancho (10.0m) and Victor Tsygankov (7.6m). Although yet to recapture last seasons form, Sancho has a goal and two assists in his last three games and Dortmunds hopes of topping the group in St Petersburg will likely rest on his shoulders.

While a draw below two goals could secure them their Europa League place, Dynamo Kiev will surely be pushing for the win in their final group game. Tsygankov is their top scorer and set-piece taker, with two goals in the competition already, and will be tasked with confirming Dynamo continue European games.

Sensible

The big Belgian Romelu Lukaku (10.8m) appears to be the form man of Europe currently and has the opportunity to drag Inter Milan into the knockout stages with a big performance. Gladbach highlighted Shakhtars defensive frailties and Lukaku will be best placed to take advantage of them.

Differential

I have placed a lot of (usually misplaced) faith in Joo Flix (9m) throughout this tournament, and it only seems fair to give him another chance. He scored a brace in the reverse fixture and has firmly established himself as Atleticos talisman, as highlighted by his crucial goal in last weeks draw with Bayern Munich. Atletico need to win here and Flix will be at the heart of any attempt they have to do so.

Runaway group leaders Bayern Munich are lining up with nothing to play for against a Lokomotiv Moscow side who can still secure Europa League football. Expect Alexander Nubel (4.2m), Bouna Sarr (4.7m) and Bright Arrey-Mbi (3.9m) to start at the back for Bayern and Eric Choupo-Moting (6.7m) and Jamal Musiala (5.2m) to replace Muller and Lewandowski. Lokomotiv will likely line-up full strength, with Anton Miranchuk (6.2m) their talisman and the key to their Europa League hopes.

Red Bull Salzburg and Atletico Madrid will play out a knockout game in Salzburg so expect full strength lineups from both sides. Renan Lodi (5.0m) is doubtful for Atleti, with Marco Llorente (6.5m) a strong budget alternative to Flix or Luis Suarez (9.9m) having scored both in the reverse fixture and at the weekend. Mergim Berisha (7.2m) scored a brace last time out and now has four goals and two assists in the tournament and will likely be amongst the goals again in this key tie.

In Group B, expect full-strength line-ups from all four teams with all still to play for. Sergio Ramos (6.5m) is back for Real Madrid and Achraf Hakimi (5.9m) scored a brace at the weekend for Inter. These games are incredibly hard to call, but between Real Madrid and Gladbach expect one of Karim Benzema (10.5m), Alassane Plea (8.4m), Marcus Thuram (8.7m) and Lars Stindl (8.2m) to cast the deciding vote.

In Group C, Man City and Porto have both secured their spots as first and second in the group respectively, but Marseille and Olympiacos are both fighting for a spot in the Europa League. There will likely be some space left open for Man Citys second string with a poor Marseille defence needing a goal, so one of Ferran Torres (7.7m) or Phil Foden (7.1m) could be a shrewd pick given their spots are nailed in the line-up and their form in this competition. Any goals for Marseille will likely come through Dimitri Payet (7.8m), who is on all set pieces, or Florian Thauvin (8.5m), but I would ignore their defence.

In Group D, Ajax and Atalanta will battle out another knockout game. Ajax have the form going into this game, but Gasparinis Atalanta can always spring a surprise. As in the 2-2 draw in Bergamo, expect goals between two full strength sides here, with Dusan Tadic (9.1m) and Duvan Zapata (9.7m) the pick from either side. Atalantas Cristian Romero (4.9m) scored last time out and leads all players for balls recovered with a whopping 60.

Midtjylland and Liverpool will play out a dead rubber game in Denmark. For Liverpool, expect Diogo Jota (7.7m) to lineup as the talisman, with Takumi Minamino (6.9m) and Divock Origi (7.2m) around him.

This is also a great opportunity for Trent Alexander-Arnold (6.7m) to get minutes under his belt having looked dangerous off the bench on Saturday evening. Trent has 31 points in just three games in this competition and this is a prime fixture for him to add to that at both ends.

In Group E, nothing can change regardless of the results from this weeks games. Chelsea will play a second string side, with Kepa (4.8m) confirmed to start, likely alongside penalty taker and BR machine Jorginho (6.0m), Christian Pulisic (9.0m) and Tammy Abraham (8.5m). Hakim Ziyech (9.0m) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (7.0m) have both been confirmed out injured.

A poor Rennes side will host a Sevilla side in poor form. Youssef En-Nesyri (7.4m) will lead the line for Sevilla in an otherwise uninteresting lineup.

In Group F, Lionel Messi (12.1m) looks set to face off against Cristiano Ronaldo (12.0m) once again in a fixture that will decide who tops the group. Alvaro Morata (9.0m) and Ronaldo will lead the line for Juventus, with Messi likely leading a nearly full strength Barcelona side, with Martin Braithwaite (5.9m) the budget pick from that side, with Ronald Araujo (3.8m) also back fit and likely to lineup alongside Clement Lenglet (5.5m)

Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros will both play full strength sides to decide who will play in the Europa League in February, but as mentioned above Victor Tsygankov (7.6m) is the only player in this game I can conclusively put any trust in, as both sides have proven to be poor both going forward and defensively.

In Group G, Borussia Dortmund visit Zenit knowing they have to win to guarantee topping their group. Erling Haaland (11.1m) and Thomas Meunier (5.3m) have both been confirmed out, with Raphael Guerreiro (6.0m) likely joining them. At the back, Mats Hummels is a set piece threat in what is statistically the best defence in the competition, also recovering 45 balls in four games so far. Up front, expect Marco Reus (8.4m) and Sancho to lead the line against a Zenit side with nothing to play for and in very poor form.

Lazio and Club Brugge will face off for a spot in the knockout stages. Joaquin Correa (8.1m) is a doubt for this game, but apart from that expect full strength sides from both teams. As mentioned above, expect Ciro Immobile to be the star man for Lazio, but budget midfielder Charles de Ketelaere (4.5m) scored and won a penalty last time out and will likely be needed to produce a similar feat for Brugge to progress. Emmanuel Dennis (5.4m) will hopefully get on the bus this time and should be Brugges main source of goals.

And finally, in Group H there is all to play for, for three teams still. PSG will face an Istanbul Basaksehir side with nothing to play for and expect all three of Neymar, Kylian Mbapp (10.9m) and Moise Kean (6.1m) to start for them. At the back, Marquinhos (5.6m) is a set piece threat and BR monster, with Alessandro Florenzi (5m) and Layvin Kurzawa (4.9m) likely to start at either fullback.

RB Leipzig and Manchester United will play full strength sides for this knockout game, with Christopher Nkunku (7.6m) and Angelino (5.4m) likely to star for RBL if their recent form is anything to go by. Having been rested at the weekend, Bruno Fernandes (9.5m) and Marcus Rashford (9.1m) will be key to Uniteds counter-attacking plan in Leipzig, with Mason Greenwood (7.5m) likely lining up alongside them after Martial was ruled out.

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The best players to sign and captain for UCL Fantasy Matchday Six - Fantasy Football Scout

For all of the progress Scott McTominay has made at Manchester United, last season ended up as a frustrating one.

McTominay did not play a minute in all three of Uniteds semi-finals last season; injured for the Carabao Cup, and he was simply not selected for the FA Cup and Europa League games. It was unlucky considering his impressive season in 2019/20.

These snubs will have hurt McTominay, with Nemanja Matic selected ahead of him in one, and Fred in another. United lost both.

This week United face RB Leizpig in a do or die clash akin to a knockout game.

Fred is out injured and competition for places is still intense. McTominay is hoping to get the nod.

Paul Pogbas impressive performance against West Ham and his big game experience makes him a likely starter.

United then have to choose whether a midfield three or midfield four should be utilised for this fixture.

If a three, then it is down to one of Donny van de Beek, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay to partner Pogba.

Van de Beek is unlikely as he has never partnered Pogba before. Matic and Pogba have played together the most amount of times.

Last summer in this scenario it almost certainly would have been Matic and Pogba selected for this fixture.

McTominay can shake this up and show how far he has come, if he wins Solskjaer over and is chosen to start this game.

The Scot started both matches against PSG and also started alongside Pogba at the weekend.

Matic however started the home game against Leipzig at Old Trafford, and was rested at the weekend.

It would not be a surprise to see Matic start, with Solskjaer reverting back to a partnership which has served well before.

But if United really want to show progress, then starting 23-year-old McTominay over 32-year-old Matic would demonstrate it.

It is time for McTominay to be given a chance to start when it really matters.

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Scott McTominay selection in midweek will show if he has really won Solskjaer over - United In Focus - Manchester United FC News