21/05/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAY 21, 2025

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Time to make a change Van de Ven believes Spurs ‘deserve trophies’

Ű BY GEORGE SESSIONS

M ICKY VAN DE VEN believes this Tottenham squad are ready to silence long-standing detractors and end the club’s 17-year trophy drought in Bilbao. Spurs face Premier League rivals Manchester United tomorrow (3am Malaysian time) in the Europa League final with silverware and Champions League qualification on the line. Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 and this week’s showpiece at San Mames is only their second European final in 40 years. Several near-misses over the past decade, including defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, have led to widespread mocking from rival fanbases and the creation of the term “Spursy” – a reference to the club’s lack of recent silverware. Even Van de Ven was confronted with jibes upon signing for Tottenham in 2023, but revealed the determination of Ange Postecoglou’s group to change the narrative. ARNE SLOT said Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah proved he is “human” after missing an open goal at a crucial stage of Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 loss at Brighton. With the champions leading 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, Reds forward Salah had a golden chance to mark his 300th Premier League appearance with a 29th top-flight goal of the campaign. But he somehow fired wide from the edge of the six-yard box in the 54th minute before goals from substitutes Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood completed Albion’s comeback victory. Defeat mattered little to Liverpool, but they have now taken just one point from three games since clinching the title on April 27. “The first thought that goes through my head when I see the ball moving towards Mo, I’m like, ‘It’s quite a big chance, this could lead to a goal,’ because that’s what Mo normally does,” said head coach Slot. “But he’s been throughout this season almost inhuman. But there were moments in the season where he was human, so it’s not the first time that he’s not scoring for one or two games in a row. “But the good thing for us is this hardly ever happens and, if it happens, you can be sure that he will score in the third game of the fourth game.” Liverpool, who left Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench ahead of his summer exit, were given a guard of honour as they entered the pitch, which prompted boos from some home fans. First-half goals from Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai, either side of Yasin Ayari’s leveller, helped subdue Seagulls supporters. But, following Salah’s uncharacteristic miss from a Cody Gakpo cross, Mitoma equalised in the 69th minute before Hinshelwood pounced five minutes from time. Brighton boosted their slender hopes of scraping Conference League qualification by climbing to eighth – three points above Brentford – ahead of Sunday’s trip to Tottenham. Match-winner Hinshelwood reflected on a memorable evening after coming off the bench at the same time as his 17-year-old cousin – Premier League debutant Harry Howell – and hitting the decisive goal a minute later. The 20-year-old’s finish was initially ruled out before VAR deemed Matt O’Riley, who provided the assist, was marginally onside. “There was a nervous wait until the goal was allowed, but when it was allowed it was pure relief,” Hinshelwood told Sky Sports . – The Independent Miss shows Salah is human: Slot

the same — when I have the ball, he knows how to cover me. “It’s an unbelievable connection that I have with him now.” Both had doubters earlier in their careers and Spurs boss Postecoglou is no stranger to criticism. Every European knockout tie has been billed as make-or-break for the Australian but Van de Ven insisted: “We have all been standing behind the gaffer since day one, since he joined here. “He showed also his quality, he brought us to a European final. Of course, he’s getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things. “But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we’re standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy. Not only for us, but also for him.” – The Independent

“If you look at the quality in the squad, we deserve a trophy. It has been a tough season but we can end this perfectly by winning a prize.” Spurs will require Van de Ven and centreback partner Cristian Romero to be at their best to earn them silverware. Long-term injuries to the duo did not help Spurs but they have combined for four wins out of five Europa League knockout ties since they returned to fitness. Van de Ven added: “You can see that ‘Cuti’ (Romero) of course is an unbelievable player. “We just feel each other in the game. If he does something, I know how I need to cover him, how I can help him. On the other side it’s

“I think it will be a big thing of course because everybody knows that when you join Tottenham, you get the words through of ‘ah, you’re not going to win a trophy,’ that you will be trophyless the rest of your career,” Van de Ven explained. “It’s these people on social media, you know? These banter people that you don’t take really serious. “It was the gaffer and the whole squad who said, ‘we’re going to come here and change something.’ For us, it’s the job now to make this happen in Bilbao. “We all know we play for a big club. This club deserves trophies. That’s the truth.

Devils must back Amorim, keep Fernandes: Beckham

Ű BY SIMON PEACH

“I don’t speak to (minority owner Sir) Jim (Ratcliffe) that often, only from time to time. “Ruben needs

already but I think once he brings his team in and his players, then you’ll see something different.” United have been strongly linked to a variety of players, with long-standing target Matheus Cunha reportedly set to join from Wolves as they eye other summer moves. But the Red Devils are tightening their belt and having to comply with profitability and sustainability rules, leading to talk over potential exits.

DAVID BECKHAM says Manchester United have to back Ruben Amorim this summer and expressed discomfort at the idea of selling valuable assets like Bruno Fernandes to aid their overhaul. The Portuguese head coach succeeded Erik ten Hag in November of what has turned into the club’s worst-ever Premier League campaign,

to be backed as a manager to bring in his

team and his philosophy; he’s trying t h a t

with the Red Devils 16th on a measly 39 points with just one top-flight game to go. But tomorrow’s

United captain Fernandes has been linked with a move to Saudi club Al Hilal, while speculation continues over academy graduates Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo given they represent pure profit. “I’d like to think you wouldn’t have to sell your captain,” Beckham said. “He has been exceptional.

Europa

League

final against Tottenham offers the opportunity to salvage something from the season, with silverware and valuable Champions League qualification up for grabs in Bilbao.

“I also hate (the idea of) any young player who has grown up at United leaving the club.” – The Independent

It would provide a much needed boost in terms of morale and finance for a club that Beckham hopes will support “very good manager” Amorim to “make the changes that he needs to make”. “I think Ruben definitely needs to be backed in bringing in the players he wants, but I actually don’t know how possible it is,”the former United and England midfielder told The Athletic .

Amorim (left) and Fernandes.

Porro out to disappoint old Sporting Lisbon boss in Bilbao

Ű BY GEORGE SESSIONS

sometimes it’s hard at first right? “Things in life don’t always go the way you want them to but when I got there, the truth is I had a lot of help from him,” Porro explained. “And at that moment, my football exploded. To be honest I’m really grateful to him for that. “I worked with him for three years and he’s a magnificent coach. I know him very well. It’s the way he treats the players. “He always spoke to me as a person, it’s not just how he treated me from a football perspective. The way he works on the pitch is also very good but in this case, I hope I’m the happy one.” This will be the third time Porro has faced old boss Amorim this season, but the Spanish right back played down the relevance of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup triumph in December and the

narrow victory in the Premier League over Manchester United in February. Porro added: “Let’s see, every game has a world of its own, right? Playing in a final is very different from playing a league game because it involves a lot of factors. “Football is a world of its own and I think we are focused on that point. We know every game is different, especially a final where anything can happen. “I don’t think they’ve lost in the Europa League. They’re a very good team, with a very good coach no? “In the end they haven’t had the luck in the Premier League, it’s like us isn’t it? But we’re two teams that know how to deliver and it’s going to be a very beautiful final. I hope we’re the happy ones at the end.” – The Independent

TOTTENHAM fullback Pedro Porro admits Manchester United’s “magnificent coach” Ruben Amorim helped his football explode at Sporting Lisbon, but hopes to be the happy one after their reunion in Bilbao. Porro worked under Amorim for three seasons in Portugal before he earned a move to Spurs at the start of 2023 in a £39.5 million (RM218m) deal. The 25-year-old has since become one of Tottenham’s most reliable performers and scored twice in the Europa League knockout phase to help them set up an all-English final with Amorim’s Manchester United tomorrow morning. “When I arrived (at Sporting), it was a little bit difficult for me but like everything in football,