OFF THE BALL

Saddle sore Klaassen

Holland international Davy Klaassen struggled to make any kind of impression during his unhappy stint at Everton, but the 25-year-old midfielder is certainly attracting attention at Werder Bremen. He was stopped by local police for riding his bicycle with his model girlfriend Laura Benschop on the back. “In Holland it’s the most common thing to do,” he said, “but over here it is not allowed. They told me to buy a tandem.”

Wembley wears thin

Further signs of wear and tear on the Wembley Stadium pitch following yesterday’s American Football clash between the Chargers and the Titans, hot on the heels of the boxing bout between Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin. Wembley needs all the revenue it can get following Fulham owner Shahid Khan’s aborted £600 million purchase of the national stadium, but the hallowed turf deserves a rest before Tottenham next play on it – against Manchester City a week tonight.

Lallana’s sidesplitter

Adam Lallana (below) proved quite a handful for his Huddersfield Town opponents on his return to the Liverpool first team following a long injury lay-off. So much so that the midfielder’s shorts were reduced to shreds during one robust challenge. Fortunately, Lallana’s understated undergarments spared his and anyone else’s blushes.

Goal marvel Matias

Empoli defender Matias Silvestre is celebrating quite a year as a goalscorer. He put through his own goal yesterday before scoring at the right end in the 3-3 Serie A draw with Frosinone – having done a similar thing earlier this year when playing for Sampdoria against Udinese. That means the Argentine has scored four goals for four different teams in one year. Eat your heart out Cristiano Ronaldo.