27 Sports Thursday, March 12, 2020 Spurs forced back to drawing board after CL collapse ‘Broken team under Mourinho has been broken still further’ LONDON: Tottenham’s 4-0 aggregate thrashing by “I think every team in the world would struggle with Leipzig added the misery of an early Champions five or six of their most important players missing, it is League exit to a season in which the 2019 finalists have as simple as that,” said Mourinho. “All the players that been brought crashing back down to earth. were on the Leipzig bench, in my team they would A never-say-die spirit carried Spurs to the club’s play.” Yet, it is hard to see how Mourinho’s negativity is first-ever final in Europe’s top club competition last helping his squad to do any more than limp towards the year after memorable fightbacks at Barcelona, end of the season. Manchester City and Ajax. “A broken team that under the joyless stewardship of Faced with the same Jose Mourinho has been mountain to climb, there was broken still further,” wrote nothing left in the Tottenham the Guardian. “They looked tank during a 3-0 defeat in here exactly what they are: Leipzig on Tuesday. Problems are the eighth-best team in the The comeback against Premier League, exhausted Ajax in the semi-finals was not going to and error-prone, bad in arguably the high point of defence and bad in attack, Mauricio Pochettino’s five- disappear with no discernible long- and-a-half-year spell in term strategy and no identi- charge that turned his team fiable short-term plan.” from Europa League regulars As Leipzig roared into into Champions League con- the last eight for the first tenders. Less than six months after Tottenham’s 2-0 time in the club’s history, Tottenham were offered a mir- defeat to Liverpool in the Madrid final, Pochettino was ror image of what they once were in the peak years of replaced by Jose Mourinho, and it appears even the Pochettino’s reign. Portuguese does not believe their run as a Champions The Germans are a young, hungry, energetic, excit- League club will continue next season. ing team led by one most coveted emerging managers “With the squad we have at the moment it’s going to in European football in Julian Nagelsmann. Spurs are be very, very difficult,” said Mourinho, whose side sit paying the price for not building on the foundations laid eighth in the Premier League, seven points adrift of the by Pochettino. Not a single player was signed for 18 LEIPZIG: Leipzig’s Austrian midfielder Konrad Laimer (3L) heads the ball during the UEFA Champions League round of top four. “These problems are not going to disappear months between January 2018 and July 2019 that put a 16 second leg football match between RB Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur in Leipzig, eastern Germany. — AFP from today to tomorrow.” huge strain on a stretched squad. A run of six games without a win is the worst of Funds were finally released last summer but the Mourinho’s long managerial career. However, there are Argentine was sacked just three months into the season draw at Burnley. Mourinho was keen to stress he does be a tougher task. mitigating circumstances. after more than £100 million ($129 million) was spent not foresee a summer overhaul in the transfer market. “Tottenham’s current travails merely underline what The loss of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min to long- on Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo “When we start (next season) we will have Sissoko, a stunning job Pochettino did for those few magical term injuries has robbed him of Tottenham’s two main Celso. Even as Mourinho has bemoaned his lack of Kane, Son, Bergwijn and Ben Davies, so that is mas- seasons,” added the Guardian. goal threats. January signing Steven Bergwijn is also set resources, Ndombele and Sessegnon have rarely fea- sive,” he said. But if they do not have Champions That is little consolation for Spurs, who appear back to miss the rest of the season, while Moussa Sissoko tured, with the French midfielder receiving stinging League football to look forward to, holding onto some where they started when Pochettino was appointed has been a big miss in midfield. public criticism from his coach after Saturday’s 1-1 of those stars and starting the cycle all over again will nearly six years ago. — AFP “As a player you always want games to go ahead, but in League and Europa League games have been forced EPL postpones game this case the health and safety of the fans has to be put behind closed doors as the epidemic spreads. However, first as without you guys, we wouldn’t have the beautiful Liverpool’s last 16 second leg match against Atletico game!” he tweeted, and wished Marinakis a “speedy Madrid at Anfield yesterday will be played with a crowd. as Arsenal players recovery”. Olympiakos players, staff and board members But when Olympiakos host Wolves in Athens in the Europa have all tested negative, the club said. Nottingham Forest League today, it will be in an empty stadium in common Virus wreak havoc also said none of their players had tested positive. with many other last-16 games in that competition. Wolves quarantined “The club took swift action to arrange tests for the manager Nuno Espirito Santo has joined a number of man- as Man United go entire first-team players, staff and officers that came into agers in voicing disquiet at being asked to play without LONDON: Arsenal’s game at Manchester City yesterday contact with the owner last week,” the club added. fans. “If we have to go we will. But we don’t agree — we’re has been postponed after players from the London club The Premier League called the move a “precautionary not happy to go,” he told Sky Sports. “Behind closed doors behind closed doors were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier measure” and said there were no plans to postpone any doesn’t make sense,” he added. “We’re pretending to live a League football fixture to be called off because of coron- other games. Arsenal’s opponents on Saturday, relegation- normal life when things aren’t normal.” —AFP avirus. Arsenal said players and four staff had been isolat- threatened Brighton, said that game was still scheduled to PARIS: Manchester United’s Europa League last ed at their homes after coming into contact with the owner go ahead “following consultation with the Premier League 16, first leg away to LASK Linz in Austria is one of of Greek club Olympiakos, Vangelis Marinakis, who has and medical advisors”. five matches in the competition set to be played since tested positive for COVID-19. The postponement of the Manchester City v Arsenal Matches on TV behind closed doors today as the coronavirus “We are strictly following the government guidelines game means Liverpool’s hopes of winning their first continues to wreak havoc with football on the which recommend that anyone coming into close contact Premier League title since 1990 without kicking a ball (Local Timings) continent. with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home have been dashed. However, should City lose to Burnley on United confirmed on Tuesday that the decision for 14 days from the last time they had contact,” an Arsenal Saturday Jurgen Klopp’s side can secure the title on UEFA Europa League had been made “following guidance from the statement said. Monday with the added spice of doing so by beating city Istanbul Basaksehir v FC Kobenhavn 20:55 Austrian government”, with the Alpine country “As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s rivals Everton. The Football Association, though, could beIN Sports having recorded 182 cases of COVID-19 by (Wednesday’s) match against Manchester City and the reportedly take a financial hit. Sevilla FC v AS Roma 20:55 Tuesday. Premier League has decided the game should be post- The FA have no insurance covering public health epi- beIN Sports HD 3 The news will be a disappointment to support- demics or what are deemed “acts of God”, the Daily Mail poned.” The first postponement in the Premier League, Lask Linz v Manchester United 20:55 ers of the Austrian club hoping to see their team said. So if they are forced to cancel matches — which which has a global following, follows widespread disrup- beIN Sports spring a surprise against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s seems the likely scenario for the high-profile friendly with Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Basel 1893 20:55 tion to football and other sports across the world. in-form side. United’s 2-0 derby win over Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Italy on March 27 — or play them behind closed doors, it beIN Sports Manchester City on Sunday saw them extend their Olympiakos on February 27. Marinakis, owner of the will cost them an estimated £3 million ($3.9 million) a game. Olympiacos CFP v Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 23:00 Greek club and English side Nottingham Forest, The semi-finals and final of Euro 2020 are due to be played beIN Sports current unbeaten run to 10 games, with eight announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for the at Wembley in July but the FA would not be liable were Glasgow Rangers FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen 23:00 clean sheets in that time. They are now hoping to coronavirus. But Arsenal said the players and staff, who they cancelled as that would fall under UEFA’s remit.