Tottenham Hotspur managerial candidate Vincent Kompany has a friend at Spurs who'll be 'pushing the merits of him'.

What's the latest on Kompany to Spurs?

The 37-year-old is thought to be a real target for chairman Daniel Levy as he continues the search for a new permanent manager. Antonio Conte left the club last month, with Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason taking charge until the end of this Premier League campaign.

The latter duo are tasked with sealing a top four finish and Champions League qualification, no easy feat, yet it could seriously determine which elite coaches will be attracted by the idea of joining Spurs.

There have already been reports that other candidates, like former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, see Europe as a deal-breaker.

In the event Tottenham cannot tempt names like Nagelsmann, the other solution is hiring a young, exciting project manager to build them from the ground up – and Kompany arguably fits the bill.

His Burnley side have stormed to automatic promotion this season and could still become one of the few Championship teams to reach over 100 points in a single campaign. There have even been some suggestions that Levy views Kompany as a top target after being blown away by his work at Turf Moor.

As per reliable journalist Alasdair Gold, responding in a football.london Q&A to the links with Kompany, Man City's legendary former captain has a colleague at Spurs, Simon Davies, who is head of methodology. The pair worked together at both City and Anderlecht, and Gold believes Davies will be 'pushing the merits' of him at Tottenham.

"Spurs have certainly considered Vincent Kompany and he's someone that Simon Davies, who works at the club's head of coaching methodology, knows well from their time together at City and Anderlecht, and he would be pushing the merits of him," explained the reporter.

"It would also be a gamble, with the 37-year-old having not managed in a major top flight division yet. He may well want to see what he can do with Burnley next season in the Premier League and watching clubs might want to wait to see how he does first. Of course you could miss out via that route.

"I would say the closest thing Spurs have to Arteta is probably Ryan Mason, if you're looking at a young former player who has only had assistant manager experience thus far (other than those seven matches in charge in 2021)."

Should Kompany go to Spurs?

While Kompany has experienced real joy as manager of Burnley this season, taking them back to the big time at their first attempt, he should also weigh his next move carefully.

Serial winners like Jose Mourinho and Conte have gone to Spurs in recent years only too, ultimately, go away trophy-less with a small dent in their reputations.

Kompany's stock is high right now, having been called 'unbelievable' by the media in Lancashire, and we believe he would be better placed remaining at Burnley to help continue their real momentum.

Captaining a team is about man management, according to Mahela Jayawardene, who said his style was about allowing individuals space to express themselves within a set of rules

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-20164:12

‘Man-management is key to captaincy’ – Jayawardene

Captaining a cricket team is about man management, according to Mahela Jayawardene, who said his style of leadership was about allowing individuals the space to express themselves within a framework of rules. Jayawardene was speaking on , to be aired on July 22 on SONY ESPN, about captaincy and how he grew into the job for Sri Lanka.Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka in 38 Tests (won 18, lost 12), 126 ODIs (won 68, lost 49) and 19 T20Is (won 12, lost 6) between 2004 and 2013. Under his leadership, they made the finals of the 2007 World Cup and the 2012 World T20.During his tenure as captain, Jayawardene said he took pains to understand the players under his charge. “I thing it’s about man management for me number one, because the team will trust you more than a coach or anyone else,” he said. “You need to understand the characters in the team and allow them to showcase what they’ve got, give them that freedom but in a manner that, you know, you don’t treat each and every individual differently because there should be a set of rules to guide all these people.”But at the same time, they have that little bit of freedom to express themselves and to understand who they are, I mean the background, the family backgrounds, what triggers them, how do they react to situations and how can you get the best out of them.”Jayawardene felt that a good way to build a rapport with the players was to be a “friend” rather than “a captain at the top giving orders.””I realised I could get the best out of the guys a different way, where I’d be their friend and then allow them to be leaders in their own right, allow them to make decisions and back those decisions, and tell them that they’ve done a good job. Even when they make mistakes we sit down and have a discussion … and they would like to know that from you rather than someone else or a selector or a coach.”Jayawardene’s career overlapped with that of his close friend Kumar Sangakkara, who captained Sri Lanka in 82 matches across formats between 2009 and 2012. He was a senior player while Jayawardene was captain and vice versa, and Jayawardene said their personal equation had not interfered with team dynamics.”When Kumar was captain, I would always question certain decisions he made and when I was captain he would do the same,” Jayawardene said. “You need that kind of friend and those kind of people in your team. I allowed people to ask questions because that’s when I would make better decisions as a captain. I allowed the younger members of the team to ask questions because they might have a brilliant idea and if you shut them down, you will never know that.”So my theory on teamwork is everyone talks and everyone has to contribute and I will pick things from them, and if nothing comes up then I’ll take the decision but whatever the decision I take out there, it’s my decision, I take responsibility for that. It doesn’t matter that it came from a different person, but it’s my decision once I’ve made that call. So, Kumar was fantastic in the sense that we had very honest, opinionated discussions on certain matters and they were good for both of us.”Watch with Mahela Jayawardene at 9.30 pm (IST) on July 22 (Friday) on SONY ESPN

Sunderland's impressive season came to a disappointing end on Tuesday night as they fell 2-0 against Luton Town in the playoff semi-final second leg.

Having won 2-1 at the Stadium of Light last week, Tony Mowbray's side looked to be in a strong position against the Hatters and would have been hoping to make it to Wembley, where they would have been one match away from securing back-to-back promotions.

What happened in Luton vs Sunderland?

Unfortunately for the Black Cats, that dream wouldn't become a reality as the aggregate score was levelled at 2-2 within ten minutes as Gabriel Osho smashed home from a corner.

Mowbray's side were trailing on aggregate before half-time as centre-back Tom Lockyer headed in Alfie Doughty's wicked delivery, with injuries in defence leaving Sunderland exposed in the air against a physically dominant Luton side.

It was always going to be tough for Sunderland given that the likes of Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth and Ross Stewart were all absent from the matchday squad.

This forced Mowbray to play both Lynden Gooch and Patrick Roberts as full-backs at Kenilworth Road, despite them being short tricky wingers, and this certainly backfired against Rob Edwards' giant Luton side.

How did Roberts play against Luton?

As per Sofascore, the former Manchester City man would earn a shocking 6.2/10 rating for his performance, which was comfortably the worst of any player to start the game from both sides.

It is perhaps harsh to judge the 26-year-old given he was playing in an unfamiliar position, but it wasn't just his defending which let the Black Cats down on Tuesday night.

Mowbray will have selected Roberts on the right in the hope that he could attack and link up with Amad Diallo, so it was perhaps no surprise that the slight winger struggled against Doughty down the left, as he was dribbled past three times and won just eight of 26 duels during the 90 minutes.

However, his performance going forward was a real letdown and arguably a major factor in Sunderland's failure to find the goal which could have taken the game to extra time or taken the north-east club to Wembley.

The English winger lost the ball on a remarkable 23 occasions against Luton, as just one of his five crosses and none of his three long balls found a teammate.

Roberts is certainly known for his dribbling ability but tried to do it far too often at Kenilworth Road, succeeding with just four of his 12 attempts on the night, although he did nearly score a wonder goal after beating a number of Luton defenders on a mazy run.

With Sunderland struggling to create chances late on, the right-winger engineered the space for three shots but put every single one off target, when a pass would have perhaps been the better option.

His greediness was disappointing on a night when Sunderland needed to be at their best as a team to get through, and his underwhelming performance was no doubt one major factor in the 2-0 defeat.

Northants are well placed for a fourth victory of the season after Richard Levi made one of his most important contributions of the Championship season

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2016
ScorecardRichard Levi’s 95 boosted Northants’ second innings•Getty Images

Richard Levi’s 95 helped put Northamptonshire on course for a fourth win of the season as they set Gloucestershire 442 to win at Wantage Road. The hosts were bowled out for 376 in their second-innings before Gloucestershire closed day three at 35 for 2.Gloucestershire were sent in for 16 overs to the close and they lost Gareth Roderick for 19, who edged a good length delivery from Ben Sanderson that just held its line, and Will Tavare, who tried to play a back-foot push and was caught at second slip for a nine-ball duck.Northants’ position was set up by Levi, whose only other innings of note in the County Championship came in the third match of his injury-hit season with a century against Derbyshire. He steered his side into control of the game with a confident 114-ball innings with 15 fours.At 155 for 4 shortly after lunch, Gloucestershire sensed a way back into the game but Levi shared a stand of 71 with Adam Rossington for the fifth wicket and 76 with Steven Crook for the sixth.Rossington missed a sweep at Jack Taylor and was lbw for 34 before Levi, five short of a pleasing century, pushed into the off side and called for a single that Crook disagreed with as Will Tavare dived to his left to make a sharp save. Levi was three-quarters of the way down the wicket and gave up any chance to recover his ground. Tavare had time for a cup of tea before returning a throw to Phil Mustard.Earlier in the day, Northants resumed 44 for 0 and Ben Duckett made his way to 70 in the final innings of a wondrous 2016 season.Having struck five fours to reach 31 not out by the close on day two, he began the third day in typically aggressive touch. An extra-cover drive against Liam Norwell was the stroke of the morning as he passed fifty in 59 balls with eight fours.But when a fifth hundred of the season looked possible, Matt Taylor made a ball jump and take the splice of the bat, providing a catch to George Hankins at point.Duckett walked off to a great ovation having scored 1,338 County Championship runs at 60.81 with four centuries – and two doubles – this season.Rob Newton was also out on the third morning, edging Matt Taylor to slip after an opening stand of 116 with Duckett and in the over before lunch Alex Wakely edged David Payne to second slip to keep Gloucestershire in the game. Levi’s afternoon ensured it was the hosts who took control.

The case against Scott Kuggeleijn, relating to a rape charge, will have to be re-tried after the jury hearing the case at the Hamilton District Court couldn’t reach a verdict. A hung jury was declared today, and the matter will be next called up in the court on September 8, the reported.The charge of rape relates to an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015.Kuggeleijn, 24, an allrounder, plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic circuit and is the son of former New Zealand Test cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn. He was named Northern Districts’ Player of the Year and Bowler of the Year at the association’s annual awards for 2014-15 season. In the 2015-16 season, Kuggeleijn finished third on the first-class Plunket Shield’s wickets chart overall with 38 wickets at 25.81.Northern Districts acknowledged the outcome of the trial in a statement. Chief executive Peter Roach said: “We fully respect the integrity of the court process. As such, we will refrain from commenting until the case has been concluded.”

Liverpool need to be wary of being 'exposed' at right-back due to Jurgen Klopp's decision to allow Trent Alexander-Arnold to venture into midfield, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Trent Alexander-Arnold's new role?

Alexander-Arnold has been something of a revelation in his new role as an inverted full-back with a licence to roam into central areas, having registered six assists in his last eight matches since being deployed there, as per Transfermarkt.

Former Liverpool player Dean Saunders has praised the tactical switch highly and thinks the Reds now don't need to sign a new midfielder in the summer due to the form of the 24-year-old.

Speaking to talkSPORT as quoted by The Mirror, the pundit said: "I honestly think Liverpool don't need to sign a midfield player. I think he [Alexander-Arnold] is better than all the English midfield players. I think Trent could play centre of midfield for England and end up captain. I think he's a brilliant central midfield player; he's like a caged animal waiting, you can tell he's loving it. He can defend in midfield, which is not like defending as a full-back where you get isolated with the winger – he's got defensive thoughts in his head which he can track people into the box. His feet are better than anybody's in the England team, both feet."

Liverpool have been in the market for several players to strengthen their midfield in the forthcoming transfer window, including Sporting Lisbon's Manuel Ugarte, Brighton & Hove Albion ace Alexis Mac Allister and Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount.

Nevertheless, Alexander-Arnold has helped to revive a stagnating Reds midfield in the last few weeks, which has helped Liverpool climb back into Champions League contention.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones thinks Liverpool need to be cautious when operating in this system and also doesn't think that Alexander-Arnold will be moved into central midfield permanently to allow someone else to assume responsibilities at right-back such as Joe Gomez.

Jones told FFC: "I don't think Joe Joe Gomez could play this specific role that Trent is playing right now. I think that this has been adapted specifically for him to try and solve the problem, but you know, Liverpool do need to decide what actually happens at right back because that spot has been exposed a few times since they've been playing in this style."

Will Liverpool stick with this style of play next season?

Right now it's impossible to say; however, the initial signs have been encouraging at Anfield as Liverpool look to have turned a corner after an inconsistent 2022/23 campaign.

Klopp has managed to guide his side to eight matches without defeat in the Premier League and the Reds look to be finally enjoying themselves on the field, which bodes well for next season and to the degree that they may continue to use their current tactical system.

Of course, a lot will depend on summer signings at the club, who are likely to strengthen in middle of the park to replace peripheral figures such as the outgoing Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Veteran James Milner also looks certain to leave Liverpool to join Brighton on a free transfer, making it an interesting time of things to see where the future of Alexander Arnold's role will lie and whether he will be reverted back to duties more traditionally in keeping with a right-sided defender.

William Perkins has been suspended for the remainder of the CPL for handing his Players/Match Official Access pass to a third party for the side’s league game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Lauderhill

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016

Trinbago Knight Riders batsman William Perkins has been suspended for the remainder of the CPL for handing his Players/Match Official Access pass to a third party for the side’s league game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Lauderhill on Sunday.Perkins accepted the charges for breaching the ICC’s Minimum Standards for Players and clauses 10.1.1 and 10.1.2 of the player contract. Members of the CPL security team along with ICC Anti-Corruption manager Richard Reynolds had obtained Perkins’ pass, resulting in his immediate suspension. Perkins played four CPL games this season and scored 75 runs at an average of 18.75.Knight Riders face St Lucia Zouks in the second playoff match in Basseterre on Thursday.

A patient fifty from opener Natalie Dodd and handy middle-order contributions helped New Zealand to 208, a score they defended by 95 runs to take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the series in Paarl

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016
ScorecardLegspinner Erin Bermingham disrupted South Africa’s chase with figures of 3 for 28•ICC/Getty Images

A patient fifty from opener Natalie Dodd and handy middle-order contributions from Amy Satterthwaite (42), Katie Perkins (34) and Sam Curtis helped New Zealand Women recover from 10 for 3 to post 208, a score they defended by 95 runs to take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the series.South Africa’s opening bowlers – Ayabonga Khaka and Marizanne Kapp, who bowled seven maidens in 18 overs between them – scythed through the top order, before an 84-run fourth-wicket stand between Satterthwaite and Dodd resuscitated the visitors. Dodd struck her maiden ODI fifty, a 107-ball 52, before she was stumped off Dane van Niekerk in the 32nd over.Despite a lack of support from the lower order, Curtis provided the impetus towards the end of the innings with 42 off 53 as New Zealand added 42 off the last five overs.Chasing 209, South Africa were left reeling at 28 for 4 by Lea Tahuhu and legspinner Erin Bermingham. Allrounder Marizanne Kapp retired hurt after she was struck on the head by a bouncer from Tahuhu and was treated for a mild concussion.Mignon du Preez scored her second fifty of the series (62) in an innings that featured five fours and a six, but received little support from the other batsmen. Captain Suzie Bates claimed the last three wickets to fall as South Africa were bowled out for 113 in 35.5 overs.

Celtic are monitoring Manchester City’s assistant manager Enzo Maresca as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou should he leave the Scottish Premiership, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

Who is Enzo Maresca?

Maresca is an Italian former professional midfielder turned coach who joined the Sky Blues last summer to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium, but he’s already got experience under his belt prior to linking up with the Premier League champions.

At the beginning of his career, the 43-year-old started out as assistant boss at Ascoli, Sevilla and West Ham United before going on to take the roles of City’s U23s main manager followed by Parma, as per Transfermarkt, and in the past few days, he’s rejected the chance to join Southampton having been approached over their vacancy.

Postecoglou is one of the names to have been heavily linked with the role at Tottenham Hotspur, and whilst he’s publicly reaffirmed his commitment during an interview with Sky Sports, the hierarchy are still sounding out possible successors should he be tempted to embark on a new challenge.

Are Celtic appointing Maresca?

According to Football Insider, Celtic are “keeping tabs” on Maresca in case of the event that Ange is “lured away” by the opportunity in N17. The Hoops “fear” that the Australian could leave at the end of the season and are therefore “assessing the market” to see who’s available.

Man City’s coach is one of those “well-regarded” behind the scenes at Parkhead, especially because recruitment chief Mark Lawwell came from the Etihad so will already know his managerial target, and it’s stated that the club are “aware” of the qualities that he possesses.

Pep Guardiola previously claimed that Maresca, who was wanted in Glasgow prior to Postecoglou's arrival, will go on to become an “extraordinary” manager, and one day that might well be the case, but at this stage, he’s not a candidate that Celtic should be pursuing if Postecoglou was to move onto new pastures.

The Pontecagnano Faiano native, whose preferred formation is a 3-4-1-2, was sacked after just 14 games at Parma, winning four, drawing five and losing five during his reign at the Ennio Tardini Stadium, averaging 1.21 points per match and taking 17 points out of a possible 42, via Transfermarkt.

Furthermore, Maresca’s only silverware that he’s ever won is this year’s top-flight title, so he doesn’t have any trophies off the back of his own work at the helm, making him way too much of a downgrade on the 57-year-old that’s already in the dugout in Glasgow.

Manchester United return to Premier League action tonight, but face an arduous task as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst many would expect another comfortable victory over Ryan Mason's woeful outfit, there almost has to be a reaction from the Lilywhites after their recent 6-1 hammering, especially in front of their home support.

Not to mention that Erik ten Hag's side remain ravaged by injuries, and are fresh off the back of a rough 120-minute FA Cup clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.

A win for either side could be crucial in turning the tide as they enter the run-in, with the Red Devils vying to secure Champions League football once again at Old Trafford, as Spurs seek to displace them. It should therefore make for an enthralling encounter, although the same was expected of their league last clash.

With those aforementioned stumbling blocks sure to prohibit the visitors from boasting their strongest lineup, it will be interesting to see how the Dutchman attacks this all-important fixture.

How will Manchester United line up against Tottenham Hotspur?

Ten Hag could make just three changes from the side that scraped past the Seagulls at Wembley, seeking to retain the core that led them to their second cup final of the season.

David De Gea will remain in goal, having kept Roberto De Zerbi's side largely quiet throughout their last game. He will sit behind a back four only slightly altered, as Harry Maguire comes back in as the sole change.

Although the £190k-per-week dud is often criticised, having been branded a "liability" by journalist Zach Lowy in the past, he remains one of few central defenders left fit and available.

This will see Luke Shaw return to full-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as their penalty shootout hero Victor Lindelof starts again at the heart of defence, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane absent through injury.

Given Bruno Fernandes was forced off before that shootout, where he would have been keen to showcase his expertise, the Portuguese maestro remains a doubt for tonight's clash too.

This could hand Marcel Sabitzer another chance to impress, as the Austrian likely seeks to prove why Ten Hag should make his move a permanent one in the summer. He will sit just in front of the ever-present Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

Anthony Martial's fitness woes in the past also present a concern, so the Frenchman would be a surprise inclusion to start two games in just five days, Therefore, Wout Weghorst may return to spearhead United's attack.

His size and pressing impetus could prove vital in affording space for Marcus Rashford and Antony, who will flank the Dutchman.

Predicted Man Utd XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro, Sabitzer; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.