FSPoURrREgD eONt: and perform now, Alli told
OLE FUMES AT FIXTURE LIST
DEAN SMITH hopes a visit from the Duke of Cambridge this week will end his side’s jinx against Manchester United.
Aston Villa fan Prince William opened their new high-performance centre.
“He wore club colours,” said Smith. “I didn’t know just how much of a fan he was. He wanted photos of us as much as we wanted them with him.”
Villa have not beaten United at home in the league since 1995.
FUMING Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has vowed to field weakened teams in the run-in.
He is seething at being made to play three games in five days.
United face Villa tomorrow, Leicester on Tuesday and Liverpool on Thursday. “I’ve never seen that schedule before, not in the modern day,” he
ASTON VILLA LEEDS
DELE ALLI has been told to forget about Jose Mourinho as energy and not ego are now driving Tottenham.
The 25-year-old was a bit-part player under ex-boss Mourinho and was famously criticised by the Portuguese in the club’s Amazon Prime documentary.
But the recalled Alli impressed in only his third Premier League start of the season in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Sheffield United.
And the attacking midfielder is set to retain his place against Leeds today along with the “happy” Gareth Bale.
Caretaker boss Ryan Mason said: “It was clear to see that he was 100 percent committed.
“Whatever has happened in the past has to remain in the past with Dele. As footballers, and I think in life as well, you have to live in the moment. ”
Mason, 29, today pits his wits against veteran Marcelo Bielsa, the high priest of pressing football followed by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Paris Saint-Germain coach kept lemons in his office to “get rid of bad energy” and Mason wants the return of the old good vibes after the unhappy Mourinho experiment.
Mason said: “Mauricio opened my eyes to a lot of things. If you’re doing something, you need to be mentally in the right place to work and compete.”
Bielsa says it is his fault 14-goal Patrick Bamford has yet to hit his peak for Leeds.
“Bamford has qualities like the best strikers in the Premier League,” said the Leeds manager.
“I feel more responsible than him that he has not reached it.”
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said. “We can’t risk injury and that’s too much of an injury risk. We’ll have to rotate, prioritise. This is almost impossible.”
It all stems from the fixtures being thrown into turmoil last weekend when United’s game with Liverpool was called off. The Foxes game had to be
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brought forward 24 hours to accommodate the new Liverpool date.
Solskjaer, left, added: “Someone there doesn’t understand the physicality of the Premier League. There might be someone not happy with my team selection.
“We’ve been dealt a bad hand by people sitting behind a desk in suits who have never played football.”