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The coach can have no complaints about his imminent exit but the Bavarians' problems began before his arrival last year

After Bayern Munich lost a third consecutive game for the first time in nine years, midfielder Leon Goretzka confessed that he felt as if they were trapped in a neverending "horror film". Well, it's now claimed its first victim, with the club revealing on Wednesday morning that coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season.

The decision to part company with the coach comes as absolutely no surprise, of course. Tuchel's tenure was hanging by a thread even before last weekend's shock loss at Bochum. However, the decision to drag this out until the end of the season is puzzling. Clearly, finding a suitable replacement at this stage of the season proved impossible.

But one cannot help but question the wisdom of continuing with a manager mystified by the nature of Bayern's struggles – and at odds with some senior players. There is a very real fear, then, that Bayern's bosses have done nothing but prolong the agony for Tuchel, Goretzka and everyone else involved.

GettyPoor passing and individual errors

Tuchel had argued that the 3-2 loss at Bochum needed to be contextualised. Bayern had "an xG value of 3.4", he pointed out, "and four, five, six top-class chances. We completely dominated the game and actually went behind out of nowhere. We never stopped putting in the effort until the end and then played with a man down for a long time. A lot went against us. I feel this defeat is different from the last two."

And he's right: Bayern are beating themselves in a variety of ways right now. They were absolutely atrocious from start to finish in their 3-0 loss at Bayer Leverkusen 10 days ago, but actually started well in the midweek Champions League game against Lazio, only to bizarrely lose all belief against a side struggling in Serie A – even before Dayot Upamecano's first red card of the week.

On Sunday, meanwhile, they would have won had they been more clinical in front of goal and less sloppy at the back. But what kind of consolation is that? Being good offensively and defensively is kind of a prerequisite for a side that has aspirations of success.

And do the differing natures of the defeats really make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? All it really says is that this is a team coming up with different ways to lose.

The terrifying thing for the fans is that Tuchel looked lost, devoid of any explanations for the poor passing, "individual errors" and "horrible mistakes" now plaguing Bayern's performances, because if he can't figure out why his players are struggling to get the ball to Harry Kane and are so prone to lapses in concentration, what hope does he have of eradicating them before the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie on which the team's entire season now rests?

AdvertisementGetty'Convinced' of Champions League turnaround

Because of the Bochum debacle, Bayern are now eight points behind an unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen with 12 rounds remaining, meaning it is now more probable than possible that the Bavarians will fail to win the Bundesliga for the first time since 2012. Indeed, when asked by if he still believes that Bayern can finish first, Goretzka confessed, "Not right now. I'm being honest about that."

One wonders if the players are just as pessimistic about their chances of overturning their 1-0 deficit against Lazio. They shouldn't be, of course. On paper, they are the far superior side.

On the pitch, though, they actually appear more insecure, worryingly prone to crises of confidence, and are now acutely aware that their campaign will be effectively over if they fail to beat the Biancocelesti on March 5.

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen claimed that he and his fellow directors are "convinced that after the 0-1 defeat in the first leg in Rome, we will advance to the quarter-finals in the second leg before a packed Allianz Arena with our fans fully behind us."

Getty ImagesThe Kimmich clash

The idea that Tuchel's imminent exit will somehow galvanise the squad in the same way Jurgen Klopp's troops have rallied around their departing general is ludicrous, though, given it's clear that some senior players have already lost faith in their manager, chief among them Joshua Kimmich.

The Germany international has felt undermined by Tuchel since the start of the season, when the coach publicly questioned Kimmich's credentials as a No.6 and was fully supportive of the botched attempt to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham.

Kimmich was arguably Bayern's most important player under previous boss Nagelsmann, but has long been tipped to leave the Allianz Arena this summer because of his dissatisfaction with the coaching staff, which culminated in a heated row with Tuchel's assistant, Zsolt Low, after the Bochum defeat.

Wednesday's news may obviously change things but one wonders how much faith he has in a club in an apparent constant state of chaos over the past 18 months.

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Getty ImagesAlready more defeats than Nagelsmann

Kimmich will certainly feel that Bayern erred badly in replacing Nagelsmann with Tuchel.

Bayern may have won the title last May, but only because of a shocking final-day collapse by Borussia Dortmund, and Tuchel has already suffered more defeats (11) than his predecessor despite being in charge for 40 fewer games.

When one considers that the performances have often been just as poor as the results, which have left the Bavarians staring at the grim prospect of a first trophy-less season in 12 years, the case for keeping Tuchel at the helm for another four months is as weak as Bayern's resolve right now.

The problem, though, was finding someone to take over at this stage of the season. Zinedine Zidane was touted as a possible replacement, along with former coach Hansi Flick, but there were doubts over both.

Zidane certainly specialises in commanding the respect of dressing rooms full of egos, but the French legend has been out of the game for nearly three years now, and while Flick could have been a decent stop-gap solution, he's coming off an historically bad spell in charge of a Germany squad full of Bayern players.

Even just looking towards the long-term future, Xabi Alonso, the man making Bayern and Tuchel looked bad, is considered the dream appointment, but is believed to favour a return to Anfield rather than the Allianz Arena if he leaves Leverkusen this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur will be sweating on the fitness of one of their key players heading into this weekend…

What’s the latest?

The north London outfit host Leeds United on Sunday following the final international break of the year but they may well be without Cristian Romero after he picked up a suspected hamstring problem for Argentina in their draw with Brazil on Tuesday evening.

He will be assessed at Hotspur Way upon his return but the Evening Standard believe him to be a ‘major doubt’ to make the match.

The 23-year-old centre-back was replaced early in the second half as Lionel Scaloni’s side qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

A bad hamstring strain could rule the Argentina international out for at least three weeks, so it seems unlikely he will be fit to play this weekend.

Major blow

Romero, who joined on an initial loan deal from Atalanta this summer, has certainly been a crucial man for the Lilywhites so far this season.

He has started seven of their 11 league games, as well as both of Conte’s first two matches in charge – a win at Vitesse in the Europa Conference League, where he was sent off, and the 0-0 draw with Everton right before the break.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-updates-transfers-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

The Athletic’s Charlie Eccelshare suggested that his absence would be a “major blow” to Spurs and it’s hard to disagree with such claims.

Romero was judged favourably in football.london reporter Alasdair Gold’s player ratings for the season so far, earning a 7.5/10, which was bettered by only one player (Oliver Skipp, 8/10).

The combination of his immense ball-playing ability and sheer aggression makes him a frightening prospect to come up against but now Conte will have to turn to the error-prone Davinson Sanchez, academy gem Japhet Tanganga or the rarely-seen Joe Rodon.

None of whom have started under the Italian.

Spurs have endured defensive frailties for quite some time and losing their best centre-back will certainly impact their chances of success this weekend.

Conte could quite rightly be furious with these developments should Romero miss out on the tough test of Leeds on Sunday.

AND in other news, £45m-rated “monster” open to Spurs move in January, he’d be Conte’s dream 1st signing…

Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka isn’t any closer to signing a new deal at Villa Park.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, with a number of supporters unhappy at the news on social media.

The 18-year-old’s current contract runs until 2023, however, he hasn’t featured in the last seven Premier League games following his full debut against Brentford back in August.

Dean Smith had an ideal opportunity to hand Chukwuemeka more top-flight minutes during the 4-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.

Fellow youngster Jacob Ramsey had to be replaced following a collision with Tomas Soucek, however, Smith opted for versatile wing-back Ashley Young from the bench over Chukwuemeka, a more natural midfielder.

Evans claimed in a story on Wednesday that the teenage attacking midfielder is no closer to penning new terms in the Midlands, labelling it as ‘no surprise’.

Villa fans react

@villareport relayed Evans’ claim on Chukwuemeka on Twitter on Wednesday. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many placing the blame on the club and not the player and one labelling it as ‘disappointing’.

“Sigh what is happening to my club”

Credit: @utvaidan

“hate this club”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Thanks for ruining my day”

Credit: @avfcdannn

“This is disappointing and we need to get Chuk signed up asap. Such a talent.”

Credit: @reel_villan

“Don’t blame him a single bit. For some reason he was sitting on the bench the whole game when we needed a CM sub in the first half, when we subbed on a 37 year old wing back on instead of Carney.”

Credit: @rico_chong

“If we lose him bc of Smiths inability to make good subs, I will change sport entirely”

Credit: @JoeAVFC_

“No positive news coming out of the club at the minute!”

Credit: @JamieDorman96

“This isn’t good”

Credit: @DomTheOmnic

In other news: ‘Source close to him has told us’ – Sky Sports drop news involving manager contacted by Villa. 

Former West Indies fast bowler hopes to instill in the squad a sense of the pride with which they dominated cricket in the past

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009Former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, recently appointed team manager for the tour to Australia, has said he hopes to instill in the squad a sense of the pride with which they dominated world cricket in the past. Garner, also a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) director and president of the Barbados Cricket Association, will travel with the side to Australia for their three-Test tour of Australia.”There are some things that are non-negotiable, things like discipline, punctuality and I think that players know and understand that there are some things that are not negotiable, the way we approach our cricket, the way how we train, all of those things will come back into force,” he said.”The West Indies team that we had that was a good West Indies team of the 70s and 80s was not all talent. We were successful because we worked hard and we took the time out to do the things that were right and to bring the cricket up.”Garner aimed to make a difference on the tour in an attempt to revive West Indies cricket whichhas faltered, more especially over the past two decades, through weak leadership and general mismanagement. “I’m looking at bring back some of those values that made us great, back into the team,” he said. “The first thing you have to do is start talking and let them understand what it takes to get to the top. You don’t just really want to make the squad, you want to make the team and you want to keep working, you want to keep performing.”Chris Gayle was recently reappointed to lead the team, marking the end of the contractual dispute between the striking players and the WICB. Garner said the time had come to forget the bitter contractual row and strive to put West Indies back at the top of the cricketing map.”What is happening in world cricket [is[ there are divisions where you have four or five world teams who are at the top and they want to go it alone and they want to play more cricket between themselves because they have the bargaining power,” he said. “We have to understand we have to get from the position of number eight to be in those top four to be a force to be reckoned with in world cricket.”The time to put aside all the nonsense [has come] and [we have] to look forward in a positive way. If you are only going to come to the party and not participate in the party then you’re in the wrong sport.”Senior players such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo also returned to the squad for the three-Test series following the strike, while youngsters such as Adrian Barath, Kemar Roach and Gavin Tonge made the cut as well. For Garner, 56, one challenge was to ensure team unity.”We have a challenging period ahead with the merging of the fellows who played during the strike and those fellows who were on strike,” he said. “It is going to be a challenge to sort of get everything working smoothly and get them to play competitive cricket while we are in Australia.”That’s what is going to take most of the time and when we talk about the players who were playing and those who went on strike, this is where they need to understand they need to move on. We have to look at the future of West Indies cricket we have to look at what is happening in world cricket.”

Taking to Twitter, many Southampton fans were less than impressed with Alex McCarthy for his contribution during their clash with Leicester City tonight.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side took on the Foxes as they continue their fight to avoid a drop to the Championship with a competitive fixture calendar looming and the games coming thick and fast.

The Saints have six crunch Premier League clashes from now until the end of December and all eyes will be on whether Hasenhuttl is indeed the right man to retain their English top-flight status.

In what was an entertaining thriller against the Foxes with goals at both ends, one man who attracted fierce criticism on social media for his display was McCarthy.

Saints fans slam McCarthy

The 31-year-old, who finished tonight among Southampton’s lowest-rated players on SofaScore, also contributed to Leicester’s first goal, parrying a save right back into the danger area for Jonny Evans to score (Joe Prince-Wright) and having more losses of possession than successful passes (SofaScore).

Giving away the vast majority of his long balls also, many Saints fans weren’t impressed by his “woeful” showing, with some even insisting that he “needs dropping”.

Check out some of their verdicts below:

“McCarthy needs dropping”

Credit: @marlow1992

“I’ve actually given up with McCarthy, it’s horrible to watch”

Credit: @brandanpoole

“Alex McCarthy. Woeful. He’s always been 6/10 at best. Get rid.”

Credit: @RhysMorgan2015

“Shocking from McCarthy. In absolutely no danger at all. Terrible goalkeeping”

Credit: @SamD_dappy

“can you PLEASE ask Ralph why he continues to pick McCarthy who is making goal-costing mistakes literally every single game?”

Credit: @saint_clark

“McCarthy that was woeful, tried not to get on your back after Norwich but that was so, so bad”

Credit: @sturge198

Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain, will take over as the new technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme

Cricinfo staff13-Nov-2008Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain, has been named the next technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme. Adams, appointed to the post by newly elected Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president Paul Campbell, will take charge on December 1.Junior Bennett, the Jamaican coach, women’s coach Cleon Smith and age-level coaches Andre Coley (Under-19) and Terrence Coke (Under-15) will come under Adams’ supervision. “He will be charged with responsibilities to evaluate and make sure those coaches are discharging their responsibilities, which includes hiring and firing,” Campbell said. “It is totally in sync with his plans, which is by extension in sync with our objectives at the JCA.””We believe that Jimmy has the experience and the knowledge. He is a visionary and he will take the game in sync with our objectives to a very, very high level,” Campbell said. “We look forward to great things and I am positive that we, at the JCA, have made the right decision to engage Jimmy as the new technical director.”

West Ham United made it five wins in a row as they thrashed ten-man Aston Villa in the Midlands on Sunday evening.

David Moyes’ side remained in fourth place but moved level on points with defending champions Manchester City, which only goes to show just how the Irons are playing right now.

It was yet another fine performance and another game in which Declan Rice looked class above the rest on the pitch, earning Sky Sports’ ‘Man of the Match’ award, though he admitted in his post-game interview that he was rather sloppy in the second half [18:36pm].

The England international was one of four different goalscorers, perhaps more surprisingly, one of those was not leading talisman Michail Antonio.

Academy gem Ben Johnson bagged his first-ever goal for the club, topping off an excellent run in the side, having kept six clean sheets from six starts before kickoff.

His impressive form has made it tough for Moyes to bring Vladimir Coufal straight back into the side following injury and understandably so, he was rewarded with a goal and yet another defensive masterclass to match.

Johnson’s 8.2 rating on SofaScore was only bettered by one other player in Rice, whilst he recorded a match-high eight tackles and also made four interceptions, two clearances and one block.

So not only did he open the scoring just seven minutes into the match with a beautiful strike on his weak foot, having cut inside from the right flank, but he also averted the danger of Leon Bailey and co, all of whom have been brought in to replace Jack Grealish.

Elsewhere, he was a hard man to dispose the ball of, winning eight of nine ground duels (88.8%), whilst he did not commit a single foul throughout the game. All the more impressive at just 21 years of age.

The Evening Standard were equally glowing of Johnson as they handed him an 8/10 in their post-match ratings column – the same as what Rice and Jarrod Bowen also received, which is a credit to the defender.

Dubbed “sensational” earlier in the week by club insider ExWHUemployee, the young Chadwell Heath gem fully justified his selection and on the night, he arguably stole the show at Villa Park.

AND in other news, “We have also been told”: Ex drops big West Ham takeover update, fans will be buzzing…

Speaking to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has revealed a big blow for manager Nuno Espirito Santo in a behind-the-scenes Hotspur Way reveal.

The Lowdown: Nuno facing sack pressure…

Despite clinching August’s Premier League Manager of the Month award, even managing to beat champions Man City on the opening day, Nuno is now at the centre of mounting pressure over his job.

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Indeed, a dismal run of results in September, where they lost in convincing fashion to London rivals Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal, has really turned up the heat.

So much so, a Spurs source has now leaked some damning information involving Nuno and senior players in what could be a big blow for the Portuguese.

The Latest: Source leaks damning Hotspur Way reveal…

As per the N17 source, speaking to FI, Nuno now has ‘few allies’ in the Spurs dressing room with senior players ‘unhappy’ over his style of management.

It is claimed that ‘high profile’ players are ‘unimpressed’ with the former Wolves boss and his training methods/communication at Hotspur Way.

Indeed, there’s even a suggestion by the source that the prospect of a dressing room mutiny is very real just four months into his role.

The Verdict: Blow for Nuno…

Signed on a two-year contract by chairman Daniel Levy after failed talks for the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte, it’s safe to say Nuno wasn’t exactly Tottenham’s first choice for the job.

As the Premier League coach seeks to elevate his own career with a role as prestigious as the Spurs job, it appears he is now already in real danger of an uphill battle to keep it as this behind-scenes claim drops.

In other news: Spurs already have offer pencilled in to sign ‘world class’ player who Hoddle called outstanding, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion could yet make one final move in what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claim that, if Valerien Ismael’s side are to make a last-minute move on deadline day, it will be for a centre-forward, as the Frenchman would like to take the pressure off of the Baggies’ current options in the position.

The report goes on to state that, despite both players being heavily linked with a move to The Hawthorns this summer, neither Liam Delap – who looks set to remain at Manchester City – nor Daryl Dike – who is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs – appear to be feasible transfers.

Final piece of the puzzle

While West Brom’s transfer window has accelerated somewhat in recent weeks, with the club securing the signings of Norwich City centre-forward Jordan Hugill and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Jayson Molumby on season-long loan deals, following the news that Kenneth Zohore is free to leave the club, it would indeed appear as if Ismael could use reinforcements up top prior to the closure of the transfer market on Tuesday evening.

Indeed, as mentioned above, while the Baggies did recently acquire the services of Hugill, the striker’s form for Norwich City last season was questionable, with the 29-year-old scoring just four goals over his 31 Championship appearances for Daniel Farke’s side.

As such, if Hugill is the only out and out number nine that Ismael has at his disposal this season, and the £1.8m-rated man suffers a dip in form or simply picks up an injury over what is sure to be an arduous Championship campaign, the 45-year-old Albion boss could well rue not making a move for another option in the position sooner or later.

So, it would seem as if the addition of another centre-forward on Tuesday would be a very good idea for West Brom, with a player in the position potentially being the final piece of Ismael’s Albion puzzle.

In other news: Fresh development on £16.5k-p/w West Brom ace emerges, it will have fans buzzing

Manchester United may have already uncovered their next homegrown star before the last batch have even had the chance to make a real mark on the club.

Joe Hugill arrived from Sunderland in a £300,000 deal last year and has gone from strength to strength since joining the 20-time English champions.

The 6 foot 2 striker bagged an impressive 16 goals and provided a further three assists in 27 outings for United’s youth sides during his maiden campaign, but one performance in particular really caught the eye.

Despite being just 17-years old, Hugill grabbed the headlines back in February after scoring four goals as United’s U23s thumped bitter rivals Liverpool 6-3 on their own patch.

His quadruple didn’t go unnoticed by Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who lauded the youngster when asked about whether Amad Diallo, who had recently joined in a £37m transfer from Atalanta last month, would get some first-team action soon.

The Norwegian replied: “We’re gonna give him the time to settle in. If we go from that game (vs Liverpool), I’d pick Joe Hugill.

“Four goals by Hugill, he’s a top striker as well, we’re looking forward to seeing his development. Amad gets a good start, and why Joe didn’t take the penalty himself to get five goals, I’m going to ask him.”

Hugill has the chance to follow in the footstep of previous academy graduates such as Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, but it’s another United fans favourite who the teenager resembles more closely.

His devastating finishing, wand of a left foot, tall, lean frame and technical ability all closely resemble that of Robin van Persie, and he’ll be hoping to have a similar impact upon the Old Trafford outfit as the legendary Dutch striker did.

Although he’s not blessed with pace, Hugill has no problem finding the back of the net having done so on four occasions already this season.

Only time will tell if the youngster can succeed the aforementioned stars, but if he continues to progress at his current rate, then it’s surely a matter of when and not if he makes it into Solskjaer’s first-team squad.

And, in other news…Ole could solve big MUFC problem by signing “sensational” 19 y/o who fans would love