Guardiola signed up to rebuild mess of his own making

If Jose Mourinho could have scripted the perfect 45 minutes to celebrate his old adversary Pep Guardiola signing a new contract at Manchester City, it would probably have looked something like the following.

Tottenham allow City 11 shots and 69 per cent of the ball, don t concede and score from their only attempt. Oh, and every Spurs player s average position is inside the defensive half. Throw in a VAR disallowed equaliser for further Mourinho masterclass bonus points, if you like.

That s exactly what transpired during the first half of a fixture where Guardiola must curse his luck after another 2-0 defeat.

Under the modern interpretation of handball, the bouncing ball brushing Gabriel Jesus bicep before he laid it back for Aymeric Laporte to lash home left Mik…

Davies hails leader Bale amid Tottenham return links

Gareth Bale is a leader who sets an example on the pitch, according to international team-mate Ben Davies.

Bale has come in for renewed criticism following Real Madrid s back-to-back Clasico defeats to Barcelona, with the Wales superstar having become something of a poster boy for a disappointing campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 29-year-old s agent Jonathan Barnett hit back on Monday, branding the way Madrid s fans have treated four-time Champions League winner Bale as nothing short of a disgrace .

Manchester United have been regularly touted as a possible return route to the Premier League for Bale, with recent speculation also flagging up the possibility of a second spell at Spurs – where his performances twice landed the PFA Player of the Year award b…