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Jose Mourinho will need to get his tactics spot on if he’s to put a stop to Tottenham Hotspur’s abysmal week as they head to Aston Villa in the Premier League this evening.

After being defeated in the North London derby, Spurs were embarrassingly knocked out of the Europa League by Dinamo Zagreb despite going into the second leg with a two-goal advantage.

Aside from the Carabao Cup final, Mourinho’s side only have European places to contend for, so a victory tonight would not only alleviate some pressure but also keep the side below them further adrift.

Mourinho has plenty to consider, with injuries and suspensions throwing in a few unneeded curveballs, so here’s our predicted Spurs XI ahead of kickoff tonight…

We’re expecting there to be as many as six changes from the side that tasted defeat in the Croatian capital on Thursday.

Club captain Hugo Lloris launched a scathing attack on his teammates for their performance in midweek, dubbing them a “disgrace,” and he’ll need to motivate his side from between the sticks once more.

Only Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez should remain in the back four, with veteran Toby Aldwereireld and Sergio Reguilon likely to come in for Eric Dier and Ben Davies, who both endured shockers in the Europa League.

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Mourinho will be able to welcome back Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield having missed the Zagreb trip through suspension, and that’ll be a big boost as he’s widely regarded as a ‘captain without the armband.’

He will slot back in alongside Tanguy Ndombele, meaning both out-of-sorts Englishman Harry Winks and the £90k-per-week earning Moussa Sissoko are axed from the lineup.

Whilst Giovani Lo Celso got through his cameo on Thursday unscathed and could be in line to start for the first time in 2021.

The Argentine playmaker should get the nod over Dele Alli.

There’s also a big call to make over Gareth Bale, especially with Heung-min Son still ruled out through injury.

After failing to impress in the North London derby – being withdrawn after just 57 minutes – he was dropped in midweek but in an hour’s worth of action from the bench, the Welshman couldn’t inspire Spurs to a positive result.

We think he could be snubbed from the starting XI here as a consequence, so Steven Bergwijn comes in for his first league start since the defeat to Chelsea at the start of February.

Lucas Moura could remain in the lineup but is expected to move out wide, having played in the no.10 role for several weeks now. Erik Lamela, however, is serving a one-game suspension.

Likewise, Harry Kane is going to start, too.

AND in other news, Mourinho must axe “exposed” Spurs liability tonight, Watkins could haunt him…

According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur have made Nick Pope a top transfer target ahead of the summer window…

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that the England international is their first-choice candidate to succeed the long-serving Hugo Lloris in north London, though they face competition from rivals West Ham.

The French veteran will enter the final year of his current contract at the end of the season and is thought to be a target for former boss Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain.

Burnley reportedly value their 28-year-old goalkeeper in the region of £30m.

Football Insider have also reported this week that Spurs could sign two new goalkeepers in the summer as they desire a potential new no.1 and a reliable back-up option.

Spurs rebuild

In the summer before his fateful sacking, ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino warned supporters that a “painful” rebuild was needed, and you could argue that the same still applies to this day, as much of the same plethora of players and deadwood still remain at the club.

Only two new signings have come in and cemented their place amongst Mourinho’s starting XI – Sergio Reguilon and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but the likes of Erik Lamela and Danny Rose are still under contract.

And then there are plenty of question marks surrounding the consistency of players like Lloris, Serge Aurier, Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko – all of these players have been in north London a very long time and should be moved on sooner rather than later.

As described in the Daily Mail earlier this month, Mourinho ‘still has plenty of deadwood to clear out before this Spurs team is shaped into his mould,’ which merely backs up claims from former top-flight defender Alan Hutton, who claimed they would need a “few” summer windows to resolve this mess to Football Insider back in March 2020.

Evidently, a rebuild is needed and starting between the sticks is a wise place to start, regardless of whether the 34-year-old stays or goes.

Lloris has come under increasing pressure over the past 18 months or so as he frequently has a mistake or two in him – most recently during their FA Cup defeat to Everton, a game in which he conceded a whopping five goals, he was slammed by numerous pundits.

Trevor Sinclair called him “lettuce wrists,” echoing the thoughts of Rio Ferdinand, who dubbed the experienced star “weak” and “embarrassing,” via talkSPORT.

Meanwhile, Pope has proven to be a more reliable option, so much so that Jurgen Klopp hailed him as “sensational.”

The Clarets ‘keeper tops the charts for save percentage (80.6%), even above clean-sheet king Ederson, which far exceeds that of Lloris (76.9%) and is even more impressive considering Pope faces nearly one more shot than the Spurs man each outing, via FBRef.

Pope also ranks first in the Premier League for post-shot expected goals, when removing the actual number of attempts conceded, which means he is displaying an incredible ability to stop the ball from finding its way in, in comparison to the rest of the league. Lloris is lingering behind in fifth place for this metric, also via FBRef.

Earlier in the campaign, the Burnley sensation was unlucky to not keep a clean sheet against Spurs as he had silenced Harry Kane all afternoon – he made two saves and enjoyed one successful run-out, thwarting his international teammate, who had a total of four shots that day, as per SofaScore.

Mourinho’s defensive problems are well-documented, as individual errors constantly let the side down, so adding a player as impressive as Pope should restore some stability to that inconsistent backline, which is why Spurs must begin their rebuild with the 6 foot 3 colossus.

It’s time to wave goodbye to the deadwood and bring through a new breed to elevate the club onto the next level under Mourinho.

Pope would be a mouth-watering and exciting way to kickstart exactly that.

AND in other news, £26m-rateed “animal” drops a major statement as Spurs advance in Europa League…

It’s fair to say that this season has been a particularly strange one for Moussa Sissoko at Tottenham.

The Frenchman started the campaign as one of Jose Mourinho’s trusted lieutenants in the middle of the park, even going on a run of starting 11 consecutive Premier League games from early October to mid-December.

The turn of the year has seen him fall out of favour somewhat, with Tanguy Ndombele’s real emergence onto the scene a key factor behind his French compatriot taking a back-seat – the former Lyon man had started the previous 13 top-flight games before being rested against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

In comparison, Sissoko hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes in the league since the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in early February. But, with a crucial game against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night, the £16.2m-rated powerhouse should be restored to the starting line-up.

With the first leg at home, Mourinho wil,l of course, want to get off to a good start, certainly picking up a win before the return fixture. But, perhaps most importantly, is ensuring Zagreb don’t get a potentially damaging away goal and give themselves something to hold on to when they head back to Croatia.

Sissoko’s introduction into the side would give Spurs a bit more protection and energy in front of the back four, and help to ensure that Zagreb can’t catch the north London side slacking on counter-attacks or in transitions – the Frenchman averages over one tackle and interception apiece this season, with his 1.2 interceptions per game actually ranking him second among all his teammates.

Speaking just last season, Kevin Phillips raved about Sissoko’s ability, saying: “At one point Kane, Son and, Sissoko were the first names on the teamsheet. We keep speaking about Son and Kane and Sissoko goes under the radar. He is a superb player – power, pace and travels with the ball really well. He can take the ball in tight situations with his strength.”

In a piece for The Athletic last year, they wrote: “While he has never been famed for his distribution, Sissoko’s hunger to win the ball back in transitions also stood out last season. It’s tempting to put his skill at doing this down to athleticism alone but Sissoko also possesses a positional intelligence that is often — there’s that word again — underrated. That’s certainly the view of one of his former coaches, who points to the way he anticipates danger and makes tackles.”

That midfield control and protection is something Mourinho will absolutely need, particularly in European competitions, and Sissoko’s return to the side would help offer that. He could well be the Spurs boss’ game-changer, from a defensive standpoint in particular, when Dinamo come to town tonight.

Meanwhile, Spurs played a blinder by selling this man for £17m…

Callum Wilson badly let Steve Bruce down as Newcastle United lost 2-0 at Aston Villa by producing an invisible performance on Saturday night.

The Toon have now lost five on the bounce as part of a 10-game winless run across all competitions, as they slipped ever closer to the relegation zone with seven points all that separates the St. James’ Park natives and 18th-placed Fulham, who have a game in hand.

Newcastle have further failed to score in their last four fixtures, thanks partly to Wilson continuing his personal five-game drought, to help deal further pressure on Bruce’s position at the helm.

The Magpies never looked likely to take a result at Villa Park with United passive when out of possession, sloppy when on the ball, showing no desire to drag themselves out of their slump and with no clear vision of how things will, or can, turn themselves around.

Wilson, for his part, will claim his torrid night in Birmingham was down to a lack of service, with Newcastle’s top-scorer often unable to get on the ball. But even when he had possession, the £20m summer signing never instilled confidence that a goal was coming.

That was the clear view of former Sunderland striker Darren Bent, who claimed during his punditry duties that Wilson lacked the grit and desire seen from his Villans counterpart, Ollie Watkins.

“He works really hard and carries a goal threat,” Bent told Sky Sports. “If you look at Callum Wilson, he never looked like getting a goal today. But Watkins never stopped working. I thought his performance was very, very good.”

Watkins had gone into Saturday night’s Premier League affair without a goal in his last 10 appearances across all competitions, but broke the deadlock in the 11th minute when he reacted quickly to Fabian Schar’s sliced clearance and headed past Karl Darlow.

Even with Schar’s involvement in Villa taking the lead, Wilson was the one who truly let Bruce down on his latest return to the Birmingham-based outfit.

Wilson frequently drifted wide in search of possession yet could not spot the runs being made, and went a while in the middle of the match without being sighted as Newcastle supposedly sought a route back into the game.

That route certainly never seemed likely to come from their £46,000-per-week marksman, who ended the night without a single shot or key pass to his name and only took one touch inside Emiliano Martinez’s penalty area, per WhoScored.

Even Jeff Hendrick, who Chronicle Live claimed was anonymous, took a shot on goal and created a chance for United to score, while recording vastly more touches (56) than Wilson (28), who took the second-least by a player who started for either side. Only Andy Carroll (26) took fewer, having been hauled off with 19 minutes still to play.

Bruce may not have expected Wilson to see much more of the ball than he did, having only averaged 28 touches per league game this season but the clear lack of quality shown by Wilson when he was in possession hurt Newcastle, with the former Bournemouth striker usually taking 1.6 shots a game and converting one in three of his efforts, per SofaScore.

If Newcastle are to get out of their slump, they are going to need Wilson to recover some of his wavering form promptly, as Bruce cannot afford to be let down like this again from the man he chose to sign over Aston Villa’s £33m Watkins having looked into both.

AND in other news, Newcastle face a fight to sign a £7m-rated target who “destroys” danger.

Roy Hodgson has delivered Everton a huge boost in the club’s hopes of signing Wilfried Zaha after admitting Crystal Palace expect to face a fight to retain the forward this summer.

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international has been heavily linked with moves away from Selhurst Park in recent years, but was blocked from leaving south London in 2019 by the Eagles demanding no less than £100m.

Zaha was claimed at the time to have handed in a transfer request after Everton saw a bid worth £70m plus James McCarthy rejected, in a deal that would also have seen Palace take Cenk Tosun on loan for the season.

The Toffees have continued to harbour an interest in luring Zaha to Goodison Park, with reports last summer claiming that a revised approach was on the cards as Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of the £130,000-per-week dynamo.

But, while no bid was tabled last summer despite Crystal Palace allegedly lowering their asking price to £30m amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hodgson expects sides to be queuing up at Zaha’s door come the end of the campaign.

“I think when the market opens up again Wilf Zaha will again be a name on many managers and Sporting Directors’ lips, and Wilf will retain his ambition of playing Champions League football and doing things we have not been able to give him while he has been playing here,” Hodgson said, via quotes by FourFourTwo.

“But I am hoping and believing also that the club will still be trying to persuade him that what he needs to get out of football he can get here and how that will pan out? I couldn’t say.

“He is good enough to play at other clubs, but also he is a player we would really like to keep here because he has been so important for us and he is very important to all the fans and everyone around the club.”

Should Everton revive their interest?

With Hodgson already accepting that interest will be inevitable in Zaha come the end of the season, Ancelotti should be urging Everton’s majority owner Farhad Moshiri to bankroll a swoop for the 28-year-old to ensure the Toffees are ahead of the queue.

Zaha sparked Marco Silva and Blues Director of Football Marcel Brands to bid £70m for his services in 2019 after providing 10 goals and 10 assists in 34 Premier League games during the previous campaign.

The 2019/20 season was far less fruitful for the 18-cap international, netting just four times and creating five goals. But he has clearly rediscovered the edge that Tony Cascarino believes makes him “unplayable” on his day, as Zaha already has nine goals and two assists to his name after 19 appearances in the top-flight this term.

Ancelotti would no doubt love to have a goalscorer as prolific as Zaha to support his top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin (13 goals), with James Rodriguez (5) the next best at Goodison Park as Richarlison continues to struggle.

Richarlison has just two strikes to his name in 17 league outings this term after hitting 13 in each of the previous two seasons, and despite the added creativity of summer signing Rodriguez.

Only seven players across the Premier League are offering a higher hit rate of key passes per game than Rodriguez (1.9) thus far, but no top-flight figure provides as many from long range than the Colombian (1.1), per WhoScored.

Everton also have Lucas Digne creating chances, with only Wolves’ Pedro Neto (1.9) and Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie (1.9) offering a greater average number of accurate crosses a game than the French full-back (1.8) ).

Zaha will likely not be cheap but that should not stop Ancelotti from trying his luck at adding the Ivory Coast international to his squad at Everton this summer.

AND in other news, Everton have their eyes on a £10m+ striker boasting 18 goals this season…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass has delivered his verdict on Leeds centre-half Liam Cooper.

The Whites skipper came into the clash against Manchester United as the club’s only fit senior centre-half but hobbled off in the second period with an injury.

Leeds currently have summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente both on the treatment table so this only added further insult to Marcelo Bielsa who witnessed his side absolutely ripped apart by Manchester United on Sunday evening.

They were battered 6-2 in a shambolic defensive showing that led to 26 attempts being taken towards Illan Meslier’s goal. The Frenchman was able to save eight shots but the display of Cooper and co was a huge cause for concern.

The 29-year-old did pop up with a goal but he and Luke Ayling were far from a commanding pairing at Old Trafford.

Cooper had been struggling with a knock throughout the second half but after initially receiving treatment, he had to trudge off the pitch on 72 minutes.

And speaking to FFC, Windass explained that Cooper is likely to find life increasingly difficult in the top-flight this term, revealing that he could be replaced next summer by younger and fresher legs.

He said: “I’m not criticising him, Liam Cooper, but he will find it tough. He was never the quickest anyway and when you’re in the Premier League and you’re a centre-half you’ve got to be an athlete, you’ve got to be able to run so yes, you need that pace at the back because you know what it’s like in the Premier League. Especially when everybody plays 4-3-3 and then the three up front, they’re all lightning quick.”

Windass continued: “Liam Cooper will play week in week out until the end of the season if he’s fit because he’s the captain. But I think next year if they stay up, they’ll go on and push on to get younger and better players.”

It’s unknown how long the defender will be out for or who could replace him next summer when Leeds look to exploit the transfer market.

Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has recently been linked on a loan deal but it’s unclear whether director of football Victor Orta will look to pursue a deal.

Either way, with such fitness issues at the back, they’ll have to consider signing someone new once the window opens.

AND in other news, woeful Leeds ace who lost possession 36x will have Bielsa FUMING…

Liverpool are interested in bringing Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul to Anfield, according to reports.

Rodrigo De Paul to Anfield?

The 26-year-old is a highly respected captain over in Serie A and Italy, having been described as a player who “can play under any conditions” by Argentina legend Juan Pablo Sorin, via Mundo Albiceleste.

Corriere Dello Sport (print edition, page 25, 15/01/2021) revealed that Jurgen Klopp is ready to take on Leeds United in competition for his signature, coming after other reports (via TeamTalk) claimed that the Reds see him as a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.

The future of Wijnaldum remains unsolved. With six months left on his current deal, he has the right to negotiate a pre-contractual agreement with another club.

During the current campaign, De Paul has scored three goals and provided two assists from 16 Serie A appearances, and is valued at £31.5m (TransferMarkt), with Udinese just four points outside of the relegation zone before the weekend’s action.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

It appears that Liverpool are putting measures in place in case Wijnaldum decides to leave at the end of the season, which is a sensible decision from Klopp.

At the same time, it is an even better call to bring another leader into the dressing room. Because of this, he could be quick to adapt to his new teammates and the German tactician’s playing style.

Realistically, De Paul is just a backup plan. If Wijnaldum stays, we imagine that Liverpool will withdraw from the pursuit.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp confirmed £120k-p/w star will miss Manchester United table-topping clash.

Everton finally welcome star forward Richarlison back to the fold for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Fulham following the Brazilian’s three-match suspension, but while Carlo Ancelotti welcomes one in, he loses another.

Toffees captain Seamus Coleman was forced to return to Finch Farm during the November international break after sustaining an injury while training with the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of his nation’s friendly with England.

The right-back underwent further scans to assess the situation but has since been ruled out of this weekend’s fixture at Craven Cottage with an aggravation of the hamstring issue that prevented his involvement in October’s loss to Southampton.

Ancelotti was met with further injury scares as Everton’s players returned to Merseyside from the international break, leaving the Italian to ponder a raft of changes. So, with that in mind, here’s a predicted line-up the former Chelsea coach could favour against Fulham…

Sunday’s trip to Craven Cottage will be an important clash for Ancelotti to orchestrate, having seen Everton slip from an unbeaten Premier League side after five games to be winless in their last three.

The Blues are without a top-flight clean sheet since the opening day of the campaign, either, yet will be expected to name Jordan Pickford between the posts after the England international kept Iceland from scoring the UEFA Nations League earlier this week.

Michael Keane was on the bench for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions but should start for Everton alongside compatriot Mason Holgate, after the duo combined well in defeat at home to Manchester United despite the 3-1 scoreline.

Lucas Digne’s creativity ought to ensure the Frenchman likewise retains his place, having provided the highest number of accurate crosses (14) and more key balls (11) than all Everton players bar James Rodriguez (17) in the league this season, per WhoScored.

Kenny should be in line to make only his second start of the top-flight campaign in place of the injured Coleman after featuring in place of the Toffees captain at Newcastle, where he won each of his ground duels, made two tackles, one clearance, attempted six crosses and took 61 touches, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti faced an anxious wait over the international break after star summer signing Allan sustained a muscle injury in training with Brazil, but the midfield enforcer has been declared fit to feature at Fulham.

Abdoulaye Doucoure will expect to join Keane and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in being the only Everton players to boast a 100% starting record in the Premier League this term, having demanded a commanding presence since his £20million arrival with 19 tackles, 11 interceptions, seven successful dribbles, eight shots and 10 aerial duels contended.

The third midfield slot in Ancelotti’s plans will be up for grabs this weekend after Gylfi Sigurdsson failed to secure the role after displacing Andre Gomes against Manchester United, and perhaps will fall behind Bernard after the Brazilian impressed standing in for Richarlison.

Bernard offered great link-up play with the overlapping Digne at home to Manchester United, while breaking the deadlock in the 19th-minute for his first goal of the season and recording WhoScored’s highest match rating for an Everton player at 7.7/10 thanks to 62 touches, two key balls, 34 accurate passes, two successful dribbles, two tackles, two clearances and one interception.

As for Sigurdsson, the £16.2m-rated Iceland midfielder could only offer one key ball from 25 accurate passes, no successful dribbles, tackles or shots taken before being replaced in the 67th-minute.

If Ancelotti does not favour a central role for Bernard after his excellence on the wing, Gomes ought to be next in line for another chance with Tom Davies and Fabian Delph so far restricted to just 92 and 154 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Richarlison’s return to the wing to partner Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez in attack will come as a welcome relief for Ancelotti and Everton, with the Brazilian ranking third among all Premier League forwards for ground duels won (43) and sixth for successful dribbles (16), per SofaScore, despite missing the last three fixtures.

Calvert-Lewin will be hoping the winger’s return will also see him net once more, having struck seven in five games with the former Watford attacker but only once in three since.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can end Tom Davies’ Everton career with a swoop for a lethal £19m-rated target.

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice was David Moyes’ real hero against Leeds as the Irons recorded a 2-1 win at Elland Road on Friday night.

The Hammers came from behind to secure all three points in West Yorkshire after the Whites opened the scoring through a controversial penalty which Mateusz Klich converted on the second attempt, with VAR ordering a re-take after deeming Lukasz Fabianski to have been off his line.

Tomas Soucek pulled West Ham back into the game midway through the first-half when Illan Meslier failed to deal with the Czech Republic international’s tame header, and was again beaten 10 minutes from time when Angelo Ogbonna completed the comeback.

Moyes was incensed by the decision to award Leeds a second attempt at scoring from the spot in the early stages of the first-half, feeling video assistant referees are making “terrible decisions” across the Premier League this season.

“There are some terrible decisions that are happening at the moment,” Moyes said, via quotes by BBC Sport. “Whoever saw it must have had (Fabianski’s foot) X-rayed. The decision was rubbish.

“It was a definite penalty. I was angry. I am still angry. This is the way football has gone.

“I think his heel is on the line. You need to have a microscope to see it. Surely the benefit should go to the goalkeeper, he has made the save. The game continued for 15 seconds and carried on. I am disappointed and angry with it.”

Goals from Soucek and Ogbonna saw West Ham fight back from the controversial decision to beat Leeds 2-1, yet it was Rice – who England icon Gary Lineker claimed “gets better and better” – who was the real hero at Elland Road.

Rice was given the freedom of the stadium as he locked down the centre of the park alongside Soucek, offering an imperious wall in front of Moyes’ back four while providing a string of tidy offensive contributions.

Only Jarrod Bowen left Elland Road having chalked a higher number of key balls beside his name, with the winger’s four the joint-most by any player for either side and twice that of Rice and the clutch of men to have provided two, per WhoScored.

Moyes was forced to rely on Rice defensively more so than in attack as Leeds enjoyed 64% of the possession, yet were restricted to 13 shots whilst the Hammers unleashed 19.

Rice helped thwart Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites with two interceptions and won six of his eight duels (3/4 ground, 3/4 aerial), per SofaScore, while never being dribbled past, committing a foul or making an unsuccessful tackle attempt.

Moyes will have been delighted with the performance seen in West Yorkshire, where a win moved West Ham up to fifth in the table for now.

AND in other news, a £3.6m-rated flop not seen since September may have played his final game for West Ham already.

Aston Villa may have missed a trick by not signing Bournemouth powerhouse Philip Billing in the summer transfer window.

What was the story?

Goal reported back in the summer that whilst Villa had discussed the possibility of doing a deal with Liverpool for Marko Grujic, the Midlands club were “more likely” to go after Billing in order to strengthen Dean Smith’s squad.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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The Denmark international remained at the Vitality Stadium at the close of the transfer window deadline, and when you look at what he could have offered Villa, then it may well go down as a missed opportunity.

Different option for Dean Smith

Standing at 6 foot 6, Billing isn’t in the mould of most footballers – in fact, last season, he was on record for being the tallest player in the Premier League.

But despite his height and physicality, the big Dane is equally good with the ball at his feet, and it’s something his former manager at Huddersfield, David Wagner, was quick to point out.

He said: “He is a man now. He is mature. That is exactly what he needed to be. He has the technique and the vision, he is 6’6”, has an throw in, an unbelievable shot. He has everything, but we always missed a little bit of this fighting gene that he has now got.

“Now he has this he is a very, very big talent. Or more than this – not only is he a talent, but a very, very good player.”

And when you look at his performance in Bournemouth’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa back in February, it’s clear just how good of a player he is. As well as finding the back of the net, Billing single-handedly ran the Cherries midfield once Jefferson Lerma was sent off, finishing the match with the highest rating of any player on the pitch with 8.3 as per Sofascore.

His Villa opponent on the day, Douglas Luiz, endured a torrid time up against the colossus, losing possession 11 times and winning a measly two duels in the whole 90 minutes. Smith could really have done with a midfielder of Billing’s profile this season.